Academic Grievance and Appeal Procedures
Fair Process for Academic Problems
Appeals with regards to academic matters fall into three main categories: appeals related to a specific course, appeals related to applications of written policy, and appeals related to charges of academic dishonesty. Students should consult the appropriate section related to the type of appeal they are making.
Grounds for Academic Appeals
Students must be clear about the reasons why they believe an academic-related decision is incorrect before lodging an appeal. An appeal can only be considered on one or more of the following grounds:
- Circumstances existed affecting the student’s performance of which the body in question was not aware when its decision was made, and which could not reasonably have been presented at the time;
- A procedural error/irregularity or other inadequacy on the part of the University of such a nature as to cause doubt as to whether the result would have been different had there not been such an irregularity; or
- Evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of the instructor or body making the decision.
Detailed information related to these specific grounds for appeal can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook. An appeal cannot be made against the academic judgment of instructors with regards to a grade for a specific assignment or activity within a course. If a student is dissatisfied with a particular assignment/activity grade awarded to them, they are advised that the correct route is to follow up within their School/Department/Program and inquire whether any feedback/further clarification can be provided on the basis for the specific grade on that assignment/activity. Since this is a matter of academic judgment, however, please note that a student should not have any expectation that a specific assignment/activity grade will be changed.
Specific Course Appeals Procedure
In all cases where a student wishes to appeal a final grade or any other aspect of a specific course, the student must first discuss the matter with the instructor. The student must initiate this discussion no later than seven business days after the final grade is officially posted by the university.
Within seven business days of receiving a decision from the instructor, the student may begin the formal appeal process by completing the Specific Course Appeal – Graduate form and submitting it to their instructor. The instructor will review the submitted documentation and provide a recommendation along with a rationale and support for their decision, with a copy to the student. The instructor will then move the form forward in the appeals process to the Program Coordinator/Director/Chair. The Program Coordinator/Director/Chair will review the student’s appeal documentation and may consult with relevant graduate faculty and the Chair/Director/Dean as appropriate before making a recommendation, forwarding on to the Dean of Graduate Studies for filing and/or consideration by the Graduate Council Appeals Committee, and copying the student. Decisions from all individuals consulted in the appeals process should be documented on the Specific Course Appeal - Graduate form or provided as attachments. This form can be found in the Graduate Forms section of WebbConnect.
The appeals process will continue until resolved, until the student requests it stop, or until the appeals process has been exhausted, whichever occurs first. If the appeal reaches consideration by Graduate Council, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies will convene the Appeals Committee of the Graduate Council to hear only those parties involved and determine whether to grant or deny the appeal. This decision will be communicated in writing to the student, instructor, Program Coordinator/Director/Chair and Chair/Director/Dean as appropriate.
Once the Appeals Committee communicates its decision, the student, instructor, or Program Coordinator/Director/Chair may appeal the decision to the Provost within seven business days, but only on the basis of additional evidence that the party appealing could not have reasonably made available to the Appeals Committee, violation of procedure, or a sanction inconsistent with the incident. The Provost may meet with one or more of the persons involved, or decide the appeal based on the available written information, in the Provost’s discretion. The Provost’s decision is final and represents the final decision of the University.
Applications of Written Policy Appeals Procedure
Students also have the right to appeal adverse outcomes resulting from the application of written academic policies. The student must complete the Application of Written Academic Policy Appeal - Graduate form and submit it to the Program Coordinator/Director/Chair no later than seven business days after the student receives notice of the adverse outcome. This form can be found in the Graduate Forms section of WebbConnect. Decisions from all individuals consulted in the appeals process should be documented on the Application of Written Academic Policy Appeal - Graduate form.
After consideration, the Program Coordinator/Director/Chair will send the signed form along with their recommendation for approval or denial to the Chair/Director/Dean as appropriate. The appeals process will continue until resolved, until the student requests it stop, or until the appeals process has been exhausted, whichever occurs first. If it reaches consideration by Graduate Council, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies will convene the Appeals Committee of the Graduate Council to hear only those parties involved and determine whether to grant or deny the appeal. This decision will be communicated in writing to the student, Program Coordinator/Director/Chair, and Chair/Director/Dean.
Once the Appeals Committee communicates its decision, the student, Program Coordinator/Director/Chair, or Chair/Director/Dean may appeal the decision to the Provost within seven business days, but only on the basis of additional evidence that the party appealing could not have reasonably made available to the Appeals Committee violation of procedure, or a sanction inconsistent with the incident. The Provost may meet with one or more of the persons involved, or decide the appeal based on the available written information, in the Provost’s discretion. The Provost’s decision is final and represents the final decision of the University.
Academic Dishonesty Appeals
Students also have the right to appeal academic matters with regard to academic dishonesty decisions. The full process for this type of appeal and all procedures are described in the section on Academic Honesty. The deadline for an academic dishonesty appeal is seven days after the date of the decision being appealed.
For non-academic appeals see the Graduate Student Handbook.
Provisions Applicable to All Appeals
When counting “days” the following are not counted: holidays and days the university is not in session (as determined by the Academic Calendar). However, the University reserves the right to require that appeals continue during academic breaks so as to avoid undue delay in reaching a final decision.
If a student fails to state one or more of the allowed grounds for appeal, the appeal shall be dismissed. Such a dismissal constitutes an “adverse decision” that may be appealed as described above.
Instructors and university administrators involved in the appeal process should act as expeditiously as possible. Absent exigent circumstances, no case should be concluded later than the last day of exams of the following semester as indicated by the university Academic Calendar.
Students are responsible for timely initiating and advancing their appeals to the next level. Failure to meet a deadline means that the appeal is at an end unless a time extension is granted. Requests for time extensions must be brought to the attention of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies no later than three business days after expiration of the deadline. Time extensions will be granted only upon a showing that the student missed a deadline due to illness or other events outside the student’s control. If the requested time extension is not granted the most recent decision is final.
Unless an exception is made for good cause shown, parents or other advocates (including attorneys) may not be present.
Absent the applicability of other university policies or circumstances requiring suspension of registration, such as disciplinary suspension, students with active appeals may continue to be registered and attend classes until conclusion of their appeal. If a student who remains registered loses their appeal and is subsequently dismissed or suspended, refund of tuition and fees, if any, shall be in accordance with university policy.