Office of the Ombudsman

The Ombudsman staff is responsible for answering student inquiries and serving as a liaison between the student and the University departments where communication has broken down or is not yielding resolution. If problems occur, an Ombudsman staff member initiates a resolution of such problems and guides students through the University’s Grievance Procedure. Students may contact the Office of the Ombudsman at Ombudsman@aiuniv.edu or (847) 586-4056.

Grievances

If a student has a grievance regarding university procedures, decisions, or judgements, the student has a right to seek a satisfactory resolution through the formal avenues of the University Grievance procedure detailed in the catalog. Additional information can be found on the AIUS Ombudsman page.

COMPLAINTS TO EXTERNAL AGENCIES

If students are unable to resolve their concerns through the internal grievance process, they may also pursue the grievance through the external regulators listed below. Although students are encouraged to begin the process with the Ombudsman, there is nothing which prevents the student from submitting a complaint to these agencies before submitting the concern through the University’s grievance procedure. Be advised, however, that certain agencies may require this as part of their process.

State Regulatory Agencies

AIU Atlanta campus students may contact the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission, 2082 East Exchange Place, Suite 220, Tucker, GA 30084-5305; 770-414-3300;  https://gnpec.georgia.gov/student-resources/complaints-against-institution.

AIU Houston campus students may contact the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Office of General Counsel, P.O. Box 12788, Austin, TX 78711-2788 or via email at studentcomplaints@highered.texas.gov.  THECB student complaint information is codified under 19 TAC §§1.110-1.120. An overview of the complaint procedure, how to submit a complaint, and the complaint form can be found on the THECB website. https://www.highered.texas.gov/student-complaints/.

AIU students enrolled online only:   If the complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the institution’s grievance procedure, the student may file a complaint with the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary at 1740 West Adams Street, Suite 3008, Phoenix, AZ 85007; 602-542-5709, https://ppse.az.gov/student-complaint-procedure.

Arizona SARA Complaint Process: AIU is a member of the American InterContinental University System, which has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements through the Arizona SARA Council ("AZ SARA").  AZ SARA has jurisdiction over Arizona SARA-approved institutions in relation to non-instructional complaints. Instructional complaints, such as grade grievances, and those related to student conduct are not reviewed by AZ SARA and should not be submitted for review. Distance education students who reside in SARA states (currently all but California) may file a complaint with AZ SARA only after the student has first utilized AIU’s grievance process and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education’s complaint process. Eligible complaints may be submitted to AZ-SARA at https://azsara.arizona.edu/complaints.

Accrediting Agency

Complaints may be filed with the Higher Learning Commission, 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500; Chicago, IL 60604; https://www.hlcommission.org/for-students/file-a-complaint-against-an-institution/.