Academic Appeals
A student’s appeal of an instructor’s academic decision (e.g., final course grade, record of academic misconduct or fraud) should follow these steps in chronological order:
- Informally, i.e., by the student contacting the instructor directly.
- Formally, i.e., in writing, no later than March 1 for grades assigned during the previous fall semester, and no later than November 1 for grades assigned in the previous spring or summer semester, to the department chair or associate dean concerned.
The chair and one other appointed member from the department will consider the appeal. A formal appeal should include the course name, section, and term; a clear rationale for the appeal; and relevant evidence. - Further appeal may be made to the dean of the faculty or school involved; if dissatisfaction persists, appeal may be made to the Office of the Provost. For undergraduate academic appeals, contact the Vice-provost Academic Excellence; for graduate academic appeals, contact the Vice-provost Research and Graduate Studies.
If dissatisfaction persists, further appeal may be made to the Provost whose decision is final. Each subsequent appeal must provide rationale for why the previous decision should be overturned. - Any formal evaluation may result in upward or downward revision, or no change.
- A resulting change of grade will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar accompanied by a rationale for the change, along with the signatures of the instructor and the department chair or the dean of the faculty or school.