I inquired about filing a complaint against a major university and was told that I should file my complaint with the U.S. Department of Education; why?

Answer:

It is possible for several Departments to have provided Federal financial assistance to that University. In order to avoid duplication of effort and to be more efficient, we coordinate our activities with other agencies to determine which agency would be the most appropriate agency to handle your complaint. This decision is made on a case by case basis with many factors considered. Some of these factors include:

• the subject matter,
• which department provides the largest portion of Federal financial assistance, and
• whether an agency has started an investigation.

Generally, HHS does not investigate educational institutions unless the complaint is against a health-related portion of the University, e.g., the University's School of Medicine.

Last Reviewed: 4/22/2008