Cumberland University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Cumberland University.

Cumberland University welcomes opinions and feedback about our policies, programs, and services in order to make changes that contribute to student success, development, and goal attainment. We are committed to ensuring that students have access to appropriate procedures for articulating concerns and registering appeals. This is designed to provide information and access to these resources.

In registering concerns and filing appeals, Cumberland University students must follow the policies and procedures that have been established within the unit about which the concern is being filed. Generally, these policies and procedures require that you begin by discussing the matter with the staff, faculty, or department in which the issue originated.

SACSCOC Complaint Procedures

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”

• Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
• Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
• Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
  • School officials with legitimate educational interest;
  • Other schools to which a student is transferring;
  • Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
  • Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
  • Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
  • Accrediting organizations;
  • To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena; 
  • Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
  • State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.

Schools may disclose, without consent, “directory” information such as a student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school. 

The Cumberland University rules and regulations found in program specific documents and in the Cumberland University Catalog and Student Policies, apply to all students. These regulations include, but are not limited to, registration, schedule changes, withdrawal from class and/or the University, graduation participation, grade-point average requirements, release of information, student services, class availability, use of English, class attendance/preparation, grade reports, enrollment certification/verification, change of name/address, and academic misconduct.

All CU students are responsible for knowing and following all university policies and procedures.

Title IX Coordinator:

Rusty Richardson 

Executive Director of Community Relations and External Affairs

615-547-1257

rrichardson@cumberland.edu

Cost of Attendance Graduate

Cost of Attendance Undergraduate/LPN-BSN

Cumberland University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, creed, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, age, disability or veteran status or any other classification protected by Federal, or State constitutional or statutory law in provision of education opportunities or employment opportunities and benefits, pursuant to the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as codified in 42 U.S.C. 2000D; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Pub. L. 92-318: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101-336; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (Pub. L. 90-202) (ADEA); and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 USC 6101, et. seq. This policy extends to employment by and admission to the University as well as the terms and conditions of matriculation. Inquiries or complaints involving alleged unlawful or prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, sex, creed, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, age, disability or veteran status or any other classification protected by Federal, or State constitutional or statutory law must be in writing and directed to Executive Director of Community Relations and External Affairs, Rusty Richardson, Memorial Hall 101C, Cumberland University, 1 Cumberland Square, Lebanon, TN 37087, 615-547-1257 (with a copy to the Disability Coordinator if the complaint involves accommodation for a disability). In the event that the conduct involves the Designated University Coordinator for any matter involving prohibited discrimination under this policy, the inquiry or complaint must be in writing and directed to the University’s General Counsel, Dr. Mark Hanshaw, Memorial Hall, Room 102, Cumberland University, 1 Cumberland Square, Lebanon, TN 37087, (615) 547-1224. Inquiries or complaints to the University’s General Counsel shall involve an initial complaint against the listed individuals and not an appeal of one of their decisions. The University’s General Counsel does not hear appeals of any decision involving unlawful or prohibited discrimination.

In support of the University’s commitment to equal opportunity in educational services on the basis of race, sex, creed, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, age, disability or veteran status or any other classification protected by Federal, or State constitutional or statutory law, the following procedures exist to promptly investigate and respond to complaints that this policy has been violated. Any individual who wishes to complain about discrimination in educational opportunities or employment opportunities and benefits should follow the steps outlined below:

Step 1 – An individual with a complaint should contact the Designated University Coordinator, Rusty Richardson, Memorial Hall office 101C and obtain a complaint form by which the specifics of the individual’s complaint can be recorded and action initiated within seven business days of its receipt. Complaint Forms can be obtained at www.cumberland.edu/complaint or www.cumberland.edu/comment.

Step 2 – The Designated University Coordinator will investigate, collect data, interview witnesses and/or develop a response to the complaint, as appropriate, within 21 business days of Step One.

Step 3 – Following the investigation of the complaint, the Designated University Coordinator will speak with the individual in person or via telephone (in lieu of a more traditional face-to-face meeting) to discuss the outcome of the investigation and the response of the University to the complaint within 21 business days of Step Two.

Step 4 – A report of the Investigation, its outcome and recommendations will be forwarded to the Designated University Coordinator at the conclusion of the investigation within 21 business days of Step Three.

Step 5 – If the individual is dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation, an appeal may be made to the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs by the individual within 10 business days of the outcome of Step Four. In the event of an appeal, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the complaint, the results of the investigation, the report, and recommendations of the Designated University Coordinator and consult with the complaining individual in an attempt to resolve any remaining concerns within 21 business days of receipt of the appeal. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs represents the final appeal.

In accordance with Texas Education Code § 132.202, Cumberland University is excluded from the review of the Texas Workforce Commission’s Office on Career Schools and Colleges based upon the requirements established under Texas state regulation. As required by Section 132.001(1)(B),  Cumberland University (1)  is not regulated in Texas under this chapter; (2)  is authorized to offer educational services and is regulated by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC); and (3)  has a defined process for the submission of complaints, which is detailed on the institutional website at https://www.cumberland.edu/policies-and-consumer-information/. Complaints may also be submitted to SACSCOC through the process identified at the same location.