Overview for Students

We have provided links to a wide variety of policies and procedures that students may find helpful. There are nondiscrimination policies that outline the university’s commitment to nondiscrimination and list the protected categories, such as race, sex, gender, religion, national origin, etc. For summaries of definitions of unlawful harassment and discrimination, please see the FAQ. There are also procedures OPHD uses to help resolve and investigate different types of complaints. For your convenience, we included links to the Principles of Community and to other policies and procedures, such as the Student Conduct Code and the Hearing Procedures for Alleged Sex Offense, Harassment or Discrimination Violations.

You can make a complaint of unlawful harassment or discrimination — or simply make an appointment to find out more information — by contacting OPHD.

• (858) 534-8298
• ophd@ucsd.edu

You can also make a complaint online by using the Report Bias page.

If you want to make a complaint, OPHD can assist you either by

• Helping to resolve the matter informally.
• Doing a formal investigation. OPHD investigates by interviewing the parties involved, including witnesses, and evaluates available evidence. OPHD then determines whether the evidence supports a finding that university policy has been violated and issues a written report with the investigative finding. The university administrator responsible for determining an appropriate action or discipline receives the report. The proper administrator may be a College Dean, Provost, Vice Chancellor, Student Conduct Officer, supervisor or other administrator, depending on the allegations and finding.

There is no prescribed sequence — choosing a formal or informal option — so choosing one option first does not prevent a complainant from choosing a different option for resolution later on. 

Alternatively, students may also file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Electronically through https://ocrcas.ed.gov/index.cfm or ocr@ed.gov 

By mail at: U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20202-1100

By phone at: (800) 421-3481, 800-877-8339 (TDD)

Or through the Department’s San Francisco Office: (415) 486-5555, or ocr.sanfrancisco@ed.gov.

A student found in violation of a university policy may be subject to sanctions such as a formal warning, targeted educational programs, exclusion from areas of the campus or from university-supported programs or activities, restitution, probation, suspension, revocation of awarding of degree, dismissal or other sanctions.