Dean's Office & Student Life
Student Complaint Resolution
Haverford College makes every effort to resolve student complaints internally, using informal processes as well as formal policies and procedures. Students should fully utilize the appropriate avenues, listed below, to address their complaints or concerns.
- Academic Concerns Regarding Faculty Conduct or Grades: Complaints of this nature should be directed to the Office of the Provost.
- Access and Disability Services: Complaints regarding accommodations can be made under the ADS Grievance Policy.
- Affirmative Action: All Affirmative Action questions should be referred to the Director of Human Resources and Risk Management.
- Criminal Activity: Complaints involving matters of a criminal nature, such as theft or assault, should be directed to Campus Safety at 610-896-1111.
- Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): All FERPA procedures, including perceived violations, are overseen by the Registrar’s Office. Complaint resolution procedure is detailed under “Students’ Rights under FERPA.”
- Financial Aid: Information concerning appeals and adjustments can be found under the Financial Aid FAQs.
- Harassment or Discrimination: Refer to the relevant Students’ Guide section, titled: Harassment and Discrimination.
- Hazing: See the Anti-Hazing Policy, particularly Section VI: Reporting Violations of this Policy
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): HIPAA privacy complaint procedure is articulated in the HIPAA Disclosure Form.
- Honor Code Violations: The procedures of the Honor Code govern the manner in which academic and social violations are addressed. Contact code [at] haverford.edu.
- Title IX: Inquiries or complaints about the application of Title IX may be directed to the College’s Title IX coordinator, and/or to the //OCR.Philadelphia [at] ed.gov">U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
If you do not feel comfortable with an internal reporting option, the College's Whistleblower/EthicsPoint process — (855) 811-6222 — is another avenue you may choose. This toll-free line is available 24/7, and is managed by an outside company that will listen to your concern and direct it to the appropriate college official for prompt and corrective action. You may remain anonymous or you may choose to identify yourself. Regardless of your decision, your information will be documented and addressed appropriately.
If a resolution cannot be reached following Haverford’s complaint resolution processes, students should contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Division of Higher & Career Education, the applicable agency for oversight in resolving complaints.
Student Complaints During Remote Instruction: Students residing in U.S. States other than Pennsylvania while participating virtually in their Haverford education may file complaints with that state’s authorizing agency responsible for higher education.
Students may also file complaints using the "Higher Education Complaint Form" at Pennsylvania’s State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Portal (PDE-SARA). Any student unable to resolve a complaint via the PA SARA Portal may review further National Council - State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) complaint information at: http://www.nc-sara.org/content/sara-and-students.
Once all other avenues provided by the College and the States have been exhausted, students may file unresolved complaints with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the College’s regional accreditor.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Telephone: (267) 284–5000
E-mail: info [at] msche.org
General Link: www.msche.org