Student Complaints

The College of Charleston is committed to receiving and addressing, in a fair and timely manner, all written student complaints filed regarding the College of Charleston, or College employees. The College’s policies related to students are available on the College’s Policy Website, with additional information available in the Student Handbook.

Not every student request for College action amounts to a written student complaint (please view the Definitions page to see what is not included in a written student complaint). When a student encounters a problem, the student should first try to resolve the issue informally with the faculty/staff member or the department directly involved. Many problems can be resolved if a student makes an appointment with a faculty or staff member and calmly and honestly communicates his/her concerns.

Student Conduct Complaints

Separate processes exist for students wishing to make student conduct complaints, which can be raised with the Office of the Dean of Students. This written student complaint application is not intended for reports of student conduct. Instead, please refer to the link found here.

Discrimination, Harassment & Sexual Misconduct Complaints

This written student complaint application is not intended for reports of discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct (i.e. verbal harassment, dating/relationship violence, sexual violence and stalking violence) that fall under the following College policies:  Prohibition of Discrimination & Harassment, Including Sexual Harassment & Abuse, Student Sexual Misconduct Policy and Reasonable Accommodation and Equal Access Policy.   

Rather, these types of complaints should be raised with the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, who will assess these complaints and respond under the appropriate College policies. The link to the complaint form can be found here.

NOTE:  Students who wish to speak with someone confidentially about sexual violence or other misconduct may contact the Office of Victim Services, Counseling and Substance Abuse Services, or Student Health Services. These resources are not required to reveal students’ personally identifying information unless there is concern for the safety of the student or others.

Work Order Requests

Separate processes exist for students wishing to file work order requests, which can be raised with the Physical Plant.  This written student complaint application is not intended for work order requests.  Instead, please refer to the link found here.

Confidentiality

All College personnel involved with written student complaints, at any stage, are required to maintain confidentiality and only discuss the complaint with those who have responsibility for dealing with the complaint.

Filing a College of Charleston Written Complaint

If the student is not satisfied after working informally to resolve the complaint, the student should use this electronic application to file a written complaint. Written complaints through this application are automatically filed with the student's CWID used to log in to the online form. Staff members within the Office of the Dean of Students are available to answer questions about the written student complaint process. 

Click Here To File A Complaint