Students should be aware that, should they have complaints about their academic program or their financial aid, Vanderbilt has a complaint procedure. To the extent possible, students should seek a resolution of such matters through the University's complaint procedure before involving others.
The student has the right to call on the state of Tennessee and the state of New York, and their appropriate agencies to determine the course of action. Complaints may be filed with the following agencies in Tennessee and New York:
- In Tennessee, complaints related to the application of state laws or rules related to the approval to operate or licensure of a particular professional program within a postsecondary institution may be referred to the appropriate agency (e.g., Tennessee State Board of Education, Tennessee Department of Health, and so on) within the Tennessee State Government and may be reviewed and handled by that licensing agency. Contact information may be found by searching for the appropriate Tennessee division at http://www.tn.gov. Comparable complaints arising in New York involving educational oversight, professional licensure or operation of postsecondary educational programs may be referred to the New York State Education Department Contact information may be found by searching https://www.nysed.gov.
- Complaints related to state consumer protection laws (i.e., laws related to fraud or false advertising) may be referred to the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs and may be reviewed and handled by that Unit. Contact information for the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs may be found at http://www.tn.gov/ commerce/section/consumer-affairs. Comparable complaints in New York may be filed with the New York State Attorney General at https://ag.ny.gov/file-complaint/consumer or the New York Department of State, Division on Consumer Protection at https://dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection.