Appealing Grades and Other Academic Matters Not Pertaining to Academic Integrity Issues

A student may appeal the final grade she or he received in a course. Grounds for an appeal are limited to capriciousness, errors of fact, or evidence of bias on the instructor's part, and it is the student's responsibility to provide evidence that an appeal is warranted. The belief that an instructor graded in too difficult a manner, assigned too much work for a given course, and the like, are not grounds for a grade appeal.

Grades on individual assignments, tests, or other measures of student learning are not appealable except to the extent that they affect the final grade a student receives in a course.

Students wishing to appeal final course grades should follow this timeline and process:

Discuss the concern with the instructor involved no later than two calendar weeks after the end of the course term. (Calendar weeks- University breaks such as spring break and Christmas break still count towards the time.) If the student remains unsatisfied or if the instructor is separated from the University, the student should:

Utilize the Grade Appeal form to submit an appeal to the department or school chairperson in writing within five working days of discussing the grievance with the instructor. (The department chairperson, where relevant, may request that the program director take over the appeal and inform the student who the departmental leadership representative will be. The relevant academic dean will receive the initial form submission and forward it to the appropriate academic unit lead.)

Submit the circumstances of the grievance, specific concerns, and a possible remedy.

The student should make an appointment and meet with the chairperson or program director as indicated by the department chair.

It is the responsibility of the department chair or director to collect evidence from the student and the instructor if the instructor is not separated from the university prior to making a decision.

The student and instructor will be notified in writing of the department or school’s administrative decision within three calendar weeks of the meeting between the student and department representative. The decision and all relevant materials will be submitted to the academic dean for archival with the original submission.

If the student remains unsatisfied or the instructor who issued the grade is the department chairperson, the student should move directly to the next stage of the appeal process.

Appeal to the Dean of Academic Affairs in writing within one calendar week of notification of the department representatives' decision.

Include in the written document the circumstances of the grievance, specific concerns, and a possible remedy.

The student should make an appointment and meet with the Dean of Academic Affairs.

It is the responsibility of the Dean of Academic Affairs to collect evidence from the student, the instructor if the instructor is not separated from the university, and the department chair and/or program director before making a decision.

If there are extenuating circumstances, the grievance can be requested to be referred to the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) to render an opinion. That opinion will be added to the collected materials and used by the Dean of Academic Affairs to render a decision.

All relevant parties will be notified in writing of the Dean of Academic Affairs' decision, which is final.

In cases where no evidence of capriciousness, errors in fact, or bias exist, the original grade will remain. In cases where evidence of capriciousness, errors in fact, or bias does exist as determined by the relevant academic administrator, the course grade will administratively be changed to a more appropriate grade, and the instructor of the course and student will be notified of the grade change within one calendar week.