Grade Appeal Process

  1. If a student wishes to appeal a final grade for a course, the student must, prior to the third week of the subsequent fall or spring semester, contact the instructor of the course to express concern.* The instructor of the course will review with the student how the grade was determined.
  2. If the student is not satisfied with the explanation, he or she may submit a letter of appeal with a rationale for a change of grade to the chair of the department where the course is offered or to the faculty designated by the dean if the instructor is the department chair. The department chair or dean’s designee will communicate with the instructor to review the student’s letter of appeal and to ascertain how the grade was determined.

    The department chair or dean’s designee will then meet with the student to inform the student of the department chair or dean’s designee determination on the appeal.

  3. If the student is not satisfied with the result of the grade appeal and wants to appeal to the dean, the student must submit a letter of appeal to the dean of the college. The appeal must contain a summary of the meetings with the instructor and the department chair or dean’s designee, and it must include any evidence supporting the claim for a grade change.
  4. The dean will review the material, consult the instructor and render the final decision. The dean will communicate the decision in writing to the student and to the instructor of the course. The dean’s determination is final.
  5. Appeals must move with reasonable speed through the review process. The full process from when the student first contacts the instructor should take no longer than four weeks. Anecdotal notes will be made and signed by all participants in all phases of review of the grade.
  6. If the course has a UNIV prefix, or the instructor is a dean or member of the dean's office, the appeal will be reviewed by the Office of the Provost.

*Students in programs with a lockstep sequence and/or who must maintain a specified GPA may need to accelerate the grade appeal process. Please consult your college guidelines for specifics.