If you are a student looking for an Ohio Title IX lawyer after a report or complaint, this page is a starting point. It links to the school guides on this site for ten Ohio universities and names the policy each school’s guide relies on.
Each university runs its own process under its own policy. The written notice you receive, and the policy version it names, control your case and your deadlines.
How Ohio universities handle Title IX cases
The school guides on this site do not describe one shared Ohio procedure. Each of the ten universities below publishes its own policy and its own process, and no statewide Ohio Title IX rule or system policy is used in these guides.
Some schools publish their rules as numbered Ohio Administrative Code rules. Cleveland State’s Title IX policy is rule 3344-2-07. Youngstown State’s Title IX sexual harassment policy is published as rule 3356-2-05 of the Ohio Administrative Code.
Many schools use two routes. One covers conduct that meets the Title IX policy’s definitions. The other covers sexual misconduct outside those definitions, often through a student conduct code or a separate policy. At Bowling Green State, conduct outside Policy 3341-2-41 can go to the Code of Student Conduct as Non-Title IX Sexual Misconduct. At Kent State, Policy 5-16.1 is separate from Policy 5-16.2, and the Title IX office decides which one applies.
Hearings differ too. Bowling Green State’s current procedures use a single decision maker. Cincinnati’s policy uses a three-member hearing panel, and Toledo’s Procedures use a three-member panel for a student respondent.
Day counts also differ. Some documents count business days, some count calendar days, and some use working days. Youngstown State’s Title IX policy uses calendar, working and business days without defining them. Check which unit your own notice uses.
Ohio university guides
- Bowling Green State University: Title IX cases follow University Policy 3341-2-41, Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy, with the Title IX Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures. An older university web page counts deadlines differently from the current procedures. See the school page for appeal timing.
- Cleveland State University: Covered Sexual Harassment goes through the Grievance Procedures for Addressing Formal Complaints of Sexual Harassment Under the May 19, 2020 Title IX Regulations. Other sexual misconduct falls under rule 3344-2-03, Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Violence and Retaliation, and its separate procedures. See the school page for appeal timing.
- Kent State University: Policy 5-16.2 covers Title IX sexual harassment, and Policy 5-16.1 is a separate unlawful discrimination and harassment policy. The two policies have different procedures and different deadlines. See the school page for appeal timing.
- Miami University (Ohio): The Sexual Misconduct Protocol for Students covers both Title IX and non-Title IX sexual misconduct by student respondents, and the Student Code of Conduct embeds it. The protocol and the Code describe different appeal routes. See the school page for appeal timing.
- Ohio University: Policy 03.004, Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct, effective December 2, 2025, works with the Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct Grievance Process. The current Grievance Process gives three business days after the notice of Title IX dismissal is sent to appeal a dismissal, and five business days after the notice of outcome is delivered to appeal a hearing outcome. Its web page says it applies to investigations initiated on or after August 23, 2026, so confirm which version governs your case.
- University of Akron: Akron’s Title IX hub links the Gender-Based Misconduct and Title IX Policy & Protocol, revised May 1, 2026, and Code rule 3359-41-01 directs alleged gender-based misconduct to it. The Protocol gives ten business days of the dismissal to appeal a dismissal, and ten business days following issuance of the hearing officer’s report to appeal a hearing outcome. The Code’s separate five-business-day appeal belongs to the ordinary conduct process.
- University of Cincinnati: The university addresses Title IX sexual harassment under Policy 10.1.1, the Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy, effective September 2025, with the Student Code of Conduct supplying interim measures and sanction ranges. Policy 10.1.1 gives five business days from receipt of the written determination to appeal a hearing determination, and five business days from receipt of the dismissal notice to appeal a dismissal.
- University of Toledo: Policy 3364-50-01, Title IX Policy, and Procedure 3364-50-01.01, Title IX Procedures, both effective October 17, 2025, apply on the Title IX route. Sexual misconduct outside Title IX can go through Student Code of Conduct 3364-30-04. See the school page for appeal timing.
- Wright State University: Policy 1270, the Sex/Gender-Based Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct Policy, sets the process in its Appendix B, Resolution Process & Timelines. Wright State’s posted documents state appeal rules differently from one another. See the school page for appeal timing.
- Youngstown State University: University policy 3356-2-05, the Title IX sexual harassment policy, contains the grievance, hearing and appeal rules, and the Student Code of Conduct (policy 3356-8-01.1) has its own separate appeal route. See the school page for appeal timing.
Common questions
Do all Ohio universities follow the same Title IX policy?
No. Each university on this page has its own policy, and several run a second route for sexual misconduct outside the Title IX definitions. Your notice should say which policy and which process the school is using. If it does not, ask the school’s Title IX office in writing.
Is the appeal deadline the same everywhere?
No. For example, Ohio University’s Grievance Process gives three business days to appeal a Title IX dismissal, while Akron’s Protocol gives ten business days of the dismissal. Several schools also have more than one appeal route. Use the deadline and recipient stated in your own dismissal notice or outcome letter.
Which version of a policy applies to me?
It can depend on when the incident happened and when the complaint or notice came. Several of these schools revised their documents in 2025 or 2026. Confirm the version with the school’s Title IX office, and read the school guide linked above.
What should I check first in my notice?
Check which policy and procedure it names, which office is handling the matter, and every date it gives. Keep a copy of every notice you receive.
Talk to an Ohio Title IX lawyer
If you have received a notice from an Ohio university and want to talk about the process, you can contact us.
Disclaimer
This page is general information only and is not legal advice. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any university named here. Reading this page or contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. University policies and procedures change. The notice you receive and the policy version it names control your case, so check your notice and confirm deadlines with your school.
