If you are or were recently a student of a career school or college licensed by the Texas Workforce Commission and are having a problem with your school, you should first attempt to get the school to address your concerns, following the "Grievance" or "Complaints" policy that will be explained in your school catalog. If your problem is not resolved, or for some reason you do not wish to follow your school's process, you may file a complaint with Career Schools and Colleges.
To file a complaint, you must complete the Student Complaint Form, which is available for download from the top section of our Career Schools and Colleges Forms page. The form is designed to enable you to give us the complete information we need to understand your complaint and to authorize us to investigate on your behalf. Please follow the directions on the form carefully and provide as much detail as possible. You may provide copies of documentation to support your complaint. Do not send us your original documents. This will greatly assist in the investigation of the complaint.
If you are or were recently a staff member of a career school or college licensed by the Texas Workforce Commission and wish to make us aware of a problem at the school, you may also file a complaint with Career Schools and Colleges, but please use the General School Complaint Form - PS-401B, also available for download from the top section of our Career Schools and Colleges Forms page.
If you wish to file your complaint anonymously, you are welcome to do so. Please be aware that without the signed attestation of an identifiable individual as to the truth of the information shared and authorization to use the person's information to investigate, our ability to use the information may be limited. Nevertheless, we will appreciate receiving the information and seriously consider it to determine what actions we may need to take in our regulation of the school. If you do submit an anonymous complaint, please do so in a manner that ensures your anonymity. For example, please do not send the completed form from a fax number or email address that can be identified with you. Also, please ensure that the information you share in the content of the complaint does not make it obvious who you are.
Please be aware that all complaints submitted to TWC are open records and while we can typically avoid release of a complaint during the timeframe that we are investigating, after an investigation has been resolved, a complaint is releasable.
If your school is accredited, you can also file a complaint with your school's accrediting body. Links to Web pages for the common accrediting bodies are provided on the Accreditation page.
If you have questions you may contact the Career School staff at (512) 936-3100 or email us at career.schools@twc.state.tx.us to discuss the matter further.
A school that is licensed and regulated by the Career Schools and Colleges section of the Texas Workforce Commission under Texas Education Code, Chapter 132 and Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 807 (PDF) among other things must:
- Not operate or advertise without a Certificate of Approval, or exemption if eligible, from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
- Meet all requirements for licensure and annual renewal of licensure (except for the case of small schools eligible for a three year license).
- Pass an initial site visit, a 90 day post-licensure site visit, and then subsequently annual physical site visits.
- Be financially sound and capable of fulfilling its commitments for training.
- Offer only programs that have been properly approved by the Career School section of TWC, and other state agencies as may be required.
- Have adequate facilities, equipment, instructional materials, instructional staff, and other personnel to provide educational services necessary to meet the stated objectives for which the educational services are offered.
- Possess qualified school owners, directors and instructors, and registered representatives (student recruiting staff) who are of good reputation and character.
- Not utilize erroneous or misleading advertising, either by actual statement, omission, or intimation.
- Not promise employment of any type, for any period of time, or for any rate of pay to a prospective student, unless such conditions for employment are clearly stated in the enrollment contract signed by the student and school official.
- Furnish to the student prior to attendance in a program: a copy of the program outline, schedule of tuition, fees and other charges, current official rates of program completion and employment in the field trained for, the policies pertaining to absences, conduct, grading, satisfactory progress, refund policy, and rules of operations, and a copy of the complaint procedure of the school and of TWC.
- Publish and adhere to admissions policies, attendance policies if required, and refund policies that meet state requirements.
- Publish and adhere to a school procedure for handling student complaints, as well as information on how to file a complaint with TWC.
- Furnish to the student, upon satisfactory completion of the program, a certificate of completion to the student. A school may withhold transcript or certificate until the student has paid outstanding financial obligations to the school.
- Maintain accurate records of student grading, attendance, progress, and relevant student conduct.
- Report annually graduation and employment rates of their students in vocational programs.
- Cooperate with the TWC in all matters including site visits, request for information and documentation required to maintain the school's license, and TWC investigation of student complaints.