Student Complaint Information

Student Complaint Information

For Massachusetts Residents and Distance Learning Students in Non-SARA Member States and Territories

All students at The MGH Institute of Health Professions (the Institute) are encouraged to seek a resolution to their complaints through the processes detailed in their department's program manual.

After you have exhausted the complaint procedures of the Institute, if your complaint has not been resolved, you may file a complaint with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (MDHE) by using the general complaint form. The MDHE general complaint form should be used by students who are either Massachusetts residents, or are distance learning students located in a non-member SARA state or territory such as California or Guam.

For Distance Learning Students Located in SARA Member States and Territories

The Institute received approval in 2019 from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, the State Portal Entity for Massachusetts, to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA).

SARA is an acronym for the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, which is an interstate agreement that allows colleges and universities located in a SARA member state to offer online classes in other SARA member states without needing to obtain authorization to do so from each state individually. SARA consists of a national network of member states, districts, and territories that agree to comply with the rules, policies, and procedures set forth by the NC-SARA.

All students at the Institute are encouraged to seek a resolution to their complaints through the processes detailed in their department's program manual.

After you have exhausted the complaint procedures of the Institute, if your complaint has not been resolved, you may file a complaint with the MDHE by using the SARA complaint form. The MDHE SARA complaint form should be used by students who are located in SARA member states and territories. This includes all students who are located in SARA member states and territories for the purposes of completing clinical experiences.

Additional information from the MDHE’s SARA complaint website is below:

The SARA complaint process is as follows:

  1. Students must first attempt to resolve their complaint using internal administrative procedures offered by the SARA institution.
  2. After all administrative remedies have been exhausted with the MA-SARA institution, the student may submit a SARA Complaint via the URL below.
  3. The Department shall send a copy of the complaint to the institution that is the subject of the complaint;
  4. Within 30 days of the date that the Department sends a copy of the complaint to the institution, the institution must provide a written response to the student and the Department.

More information about MDHE’s complaint process can be found here.

For All Institute Students:

Student Incident Report Form

If you wish to submit a general complaint, describe a concerning experience, or an apparent violation of MGH Institute policy, you can do so using the Institute’s Student Incident Report Form:

https://www.mghihp.edu/current-students-student-resources/student-incident-report

Staff in the Office of Student and Alumni Affairs (OSAS) will follow up on all reports received. All reports are treated with utmost confidentiality; in certain cases, it may be necessary for OSAS to share incident details with academic program leaders and/or MGH Security. OSAS staff will discuss the follow-up process with the individual(s) submitting the report.

Mass General Brigham Compliance HelpLine

If you have a privacy, legal, or ethical question or believe that a member of the Institute community has violated a privacy, legal or ethical responsibility, contact the Mass General Brigham Compliance HelpLine*. All concerns are investigated. Reports may be made anonymously or in confidence. 

  • Phone: 1-800-856-1983
    • This toll-free number is staffed by live operators 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Online Form: http://www.partners.org/complianceline
    • This site is maintained by a third party to enable anonymous reporting of compliance and ethical concerns occurring at Mass General Brigham and its affiliates (The MGH Institute of Health Professions is a member of Mass General Brigham).

Examples of compliance issues that may be reported using the Compliance HelpLine include financial impropriety, misuse of Institute resources, conflicts of interest, health and safety issues, information security violations, etc.

*The MGH Institute of Health Professions is not responsible for the content or maintenance of said content on the websites hyperlinked above. The information on these websites is subject to change without the knowledge of the Institute.