The Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner is committed to providing you with public records in an expeditious and courteous manner. There are times when the public records you seek are not available at the time of your request. Please be advised that the Access to Public Records Act allows a public body 10 business days to respond and, with “good cause,” may extend the time to respond to 30 business days.

Requests for public records must be made in writing. Please choose one of the following methods to request records.

Mail: Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner, 80 Washington St., 2nd Floor, Providence, RI 02903

Hand-delivered, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.): 80 Washington St., 2nd Floor, Providence, RI 02903

Email: Jackie.Xiong@riopc.edu

Download, complete and return this easy-to-use form. You are not required to use our request form, provide any identifying information, or provide the reason you are requesting the records. If you do not provide any contact information, a response to your request will be available no later than 10 business days following your request to our office. APRA requests forwarded to our office after normal business hours will be received the next business day.

If you believe that you have been denied access to public records, you have the right to file an appeal with the Commissioner of Postsecondary Education. If you are still not satisfied, you may file a complaint with the Department of the Attorney General or the Superior Court (RIGL § 38-2-8).

Requests for public records maintained at the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, or Community College of Rhode Island should be directed to those institutions.

For postsecondary institutions that are no longer operating in Rhode Island, you can find the contact for your records here.

Institutions of postsecondary education currently operating in Rhode Island maintain records for both active and former students, and you can get copies of your transcripts and other records by contacting the institutions directly.

CCRI records information
RIC records information
URI records information

For postsecondary institutions that are no longer operating in Rhode Island, you can find the records contacts here.

The United States Department of Education Regulation 34 CFR 600.9, the “Program Integrity Rule,” as part of its state authorization provisions, requires states to provide a process for students to file complaints relating to programs offered by postsecondary educational institutions authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The specific types of complaints covered by these regulations are:

Allegations of state consumer protection violations, including, but not limited to fraud and false advertising; allegations that state laws or rules addressing the licensure of postsecondary institutions have been violated; and allegations regarding the quality of education or other accreditation requirements.

If your complaint regards other matters, you are encouraged to seek resolution from that institution first through the institution’s internal complaint procedure. In accordance with the Council on Postsecondary Education’s student complaint procedure (S-16, section I), if the institution’s internal procedure fails to resolve the complaint, the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner will then refer the student and/or third-party individuals with complaints related to federal or state laws or regulations to the appropriate federal or state agency. In addition, students or other individuals with complaints involving an allegation of criminal and/or illegal activity will be referred to their campus police department, their local police department, or the Rhode Island State Police. Complaints involving allegations of discrimination will be referred to the institution’s Affirmative Action Office and/or Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights (or the applicable federal EEOC office).

If your complaint deals with an online course or program, our office can help you seek resolution pursuant to the Council on Postsecondary Education’s student complaint procedure (S-16, section II).