Saint Leo University, Inc. is a private, non-profit Catholic educational institution operating under IRS section 501(c)(3). Originally chartered in 1889, Saint Leo University has undergone several name changes over the years, with the most recent change from Saint Leo College to Saint Leo University in August 1999. Saint Leo University is Florida’s oldest Catholic university. Details on Saint Leo University’s various accreditations and memberships are available on our website at under the header About Saint Leo University by clicking on the link Accreditations & Articulations.
NOTE: Students should attempt to resolve complaints with the university itself. Applicable university policies usually describe the appropriate procedures such as contacting your academic advisor or dean. Policies can be found in the Code of Conduct. Should a student file a complaint with a state or accrediting body, the student will not be subjected to adverse actions by any school official as a result of initiating a complaint.
Filing a complaint with the State of Florida, another state, or an accrediting body does not excuse a student from following any applicable university policies for appeals or challenges to actions taken or toll any time frames for the filing of such internal appeals.
Distance Education students, who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable state grievance process, may appeal non-instructional complaints to the Florida SARA PRDEC Council. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit the Florida SARA Complaint Process page or the website at www.flsara.org.
In Florida
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) serves as the single repository of education data from school districts, community colleges, universities, and independent post-secondary institutions. While the FDOE’s Commission for Independent Education has statutory responsibilities in matters relating to nonpublic, post-secondary, educational institutions, Saint Leo University is not under the jurisdiction or purview of the Commission except as otherwise provided in law, and is not required to obtain licensure. See §1005.06, Florida Statutes. The FDOE Office of Articulation is the office available to assist students with complaints. For information on how to file a complaint with the Florida Department of Education, Office of Articulation, please call 850/245-0427 or send an email to articulation@fldoe.org.
In Other States
Under U.S. Department of Education regulations, each state is required to have a process to handle complaints for all institutions in the State, except certain Federally-run institutions and tribal institutions such as tribally controlled community colleges. For purposes of HEA eligibility under these regulations, the State remains responsible for responding to complaints about institutions in the State regardless of what body or entity actually manages complaints. Information on the State of Florida and the University’s accrediting bodies has been described above. For other states, the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) has compiled a list of Student Complaint Procedures by State and Agency.
For California, contact the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (of California) : https://www.bppe.ca.gov/forms_pubs/complaint.pdf
For Florida, contact the Florida Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org/policy/cie/file-a-complaint.stml
For Georgia, contact the State of Georgia Nonpublic Post-secondary Education Commission : https://gnpec.georgia.gov/consumer-resources/gnpec-authorized-school-complainant-form/
For Maryland, please contact the Maryland Higher Education Commission : https://mhec.maryland.gov/institutions_training/Pages/career/pcs/complaint.aspx
For Mississippi, contact the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation : http://www.mississippi.edu/mcca/downloads/studentcomplaintform.pdf
For South Carolina, contact the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education : https://www.che.sc.gov/CHE_Docs/AcademicAffairs/License/Complaint_procedures_and_form.pdf
For Texas, contact the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board :
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/index.cfm?objectid=989FE9A0-2213-11E8-BC500050560100A9
For Virginia, contact the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia : http://www.schev.edu/index/students-and-parents/resources/student-complaints
Complaints related to the university's regional accreditation should be referred following the procedures found at http://www.sacscoc.org.
