UConn participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). SARA allows UConn to offer distance education to students located outside Connecticut under a common set of standards for authorization and consumer protection.

Start Here: Use UConn’s Processes First

Most concerns are resolved quickly by working with your instructor, academic program, or the appropriate UConn office. Students must exhaust UConn’s internal procedures before seeking external review through SARA or a state agency.

Academic Concerns (grades, academic decisions, program progression)

• Undergraduate Grade Appeals – UConn Catalog
• Graduate Complaint/Appeal and Hearing Procedures – Graduate Catalog
• Note: Grade disputes, academic judgment, and student conduct decisions are not generally eligible for SARA portal review. 

Non-Academic Concerns (administrative services, misrepresentation, refund policies, consumer protection)

• Follow the applicable university policy or formal complaint process for the relevant office. 
• Keep copies of communications and decisions—they are required if you later seek SARA review. 

SARA typically reviews:

• Grades or academic decisions
• Student conduct findings
• Matters already resolved through internal UConn appeals

If Not Resolved at UConn (SARA Pathway for Out-of-State Students)

If you are located outside Connecticut and enrolled in a UConn distance-education course or program, and you have completed UConn’s internal process without resolution, you may submit a complaint to Connecticut’s SARA State Portal Entity, the Connecticut Office of Higher Education (CT OHE).

Eligibility and Limits

• Only non-instructional complaints (consumer protection) may be reviewed.
• Academic matters and conduct issues are excluded.
• Complaints must be filed within two (2) years of the incident or completion of the UConn process.
• Anonymous complaints are not investigated; no legal advice is provided.

How to File with CT OHE

• Complete all UConn internal appeal or complaint steps.
• Submit the CT OHE SARA complaint form with documentation of UConn’s completed review.
• CT OHE will notify UConn, request a response (typically within 20 days), and issue findings to all parties. Findings are final.
• Visit the CT Office of Higher Education SARA Portal

Connecticut Residents Enrolled in Out-of-State SARA Institutions

If you are a Connecticut resident enrolled in an online program offered by a SARA institution based in another state, contact that institution’s home-state SARA portal entity at NC-SARA State Portal Directory.

California Residents

California is not a SARA member. California residents taking UConn online or distance courses may contact the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE).

Contacts

Connecticut Office of Higher Education – SARA Portal

• Address: 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 707, Hartford, CT 06103-1841
• Phone: (860) 947-1824
• CT OHE SARA Complaint Information

UConn State Authorization (CETL)

• Neal Olderman
• Address: 368 Fairfield Way, Unit 4001, Storrs, CT 06269-4001 
• Phone: (860) 486-0928
• Email: neal.olderman@uconn.edu

Compliance Notes

• NECHE requires institutions to publish clear, publicly available complaint procedures for distance-education students.
• NC-SARA requires institutions to post how out-of-state distance-education students can file SARA-eligible complaints after completing institutional remedies, and to direct them to the home-state SARA portal (for UConn, Connecticut OHE).
• Review and update this page annually to ensure contact information and links remain current.