Grade Appeal Process

Students enrolled either in a degree program or in a single course who have a disagreement with how an assignment or examination is graded should contact the faculty member involved. If, during the discussion with the student, the instructor discovers a potential error in grading, the student is instructed to return the entire assignment or examination. If warranted, the grade for that assignment or examination may be changed. If so, the instructor notifies the Registrar's Department to change the grade in the student's record. If a grade change is not warranted, the instructor provides clarification to the student, explaining why a change was not made. If the student does not agree with the instructor's change or explanation, the student may appeal this decision as part of an appeal of the final course grade as described below.

Students enrolled either in a degree program or in a single course may appeal final grades if they follow the process described below.

1. The student shall first appeal by email to the faculty member involved no later than 30 calendar days after receiving notification of the final grade in question. The student shall state clearly the specifics of his/her appeal. The faculty member shall respond to the student by email within 7 calendar days.
2. If the student does not agree with the faculty member's decision, the student may appeal to the Dean by email within 14 calendar days of receiving the faculty member's response or, if no response was received, within 14 days of when the student originally sent the appeal. The student should forward a copy of his/her original appeal, the faculty member's response, and any additional information that the student believes to be pertinent.
3. If the Dean was the faculty member involved, then this appeal should be sent to the Provost. If the Provost was the faculty member involved, then this appeal should be sent to the President.
4. The responsible administrative officer (Dean, Provost, or President) may ask for additional information from the faculty member or student and should communicate by email to the student a decision including rationale as soon as possible but no later than 30 days from receipt of the appeal. All decisions are final.

A student's failure to follow the steps outlined above will disqualify any appeal. A student's status does not change during an appeal.