Appeal of Grades Obtained in Graduate-Level Courses

The procedure for student complaints concerning faculty-grading practices will be as follows:

  1. Students are encouraged to attempt to resolve grade complaints directly with the instructor. If this attempt fails, student complaints are directed through the program coordinator and, if necessary, through the appropriate academic dean to the faculty member involved.
  2. In instances that cannot be resolved at the program or school level, the complaint will be forwarded to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs for consideration.
  3. Students must notify the Office of Academic Affairs in writing of the intention to appeal grades. This notification must be received within 30 days of the issuance of the grade(s), or the right to appeal is forfeited.
  4. The faculty pool for the Grade Appeal Committee will be chosen in the following manner.
  5. Each year, a pool of faculty members with representation from each graduate program will be selected. When a student grade appeal is submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, three faculty members will be selected to serve as a Student Grade Appeal Committee for that particular appeal. A committee chair and a recording secretary will be designated.
    1. Faculty from the same program as the instructor(s) involved in the appeal will not serve on the committee. Faculty from the student's program will not serve on the committee.
    2. Faculty who are potentially biased against or in favor of the student or the involved instructor(s) will not serve on the committee.
    3. The aggrieved student and each involved instructor may strike one member from the panel without prejudice.
  6. The committee functions in the following manner:
    1. Prior to the hearing, the committee will investigate the circumstances of the appeal, allowing the student, the involved instructor(s), and the program coordinator to present their cases in writing. If the program has a grade-appeal process, the program committee will also submit, in writing, a summary or documentation from the program's hearing process.
    2. The committee will schedule a hearing, making every conceivable effort to identify a date, time, and place when the student and instructor can attend.
    3. During the committee hearing, both the student and the involved instructor(s) will be allowed to present their cases. The student and the instructor have the option of addressing the committee in person or providing the committee with a written statement of appeal in lieu of appearing in person. Both the student and the instructor(s) may name other individuals with relevant, first-hand information to address the panel in person or in writing.
    4. If the student chooses to address the committee in person, he/she has the privilege of bringing one advisor, selected from the faculty, staff, or student body, to the meeting. The advisor is not allowed to address the committee or to ask questions of committee members during the meeting. The student is allowed to confer privately with the advisor during the meeting..
    5. If the instructor (and, if applicable in clinical or internship situations, the clinical instructor or on-site supervisor) additionally chooses to address the committee in person, he/she may bring one advisor, selected from the faculty or staff, to the meeting. The advisor is not allowed to address the committee or ask questions of committee members or any other attendee during the meeting. The instructor is allowed to confer privately with the advisor during the meeting.
    6. The student and the instructor(s) have the right to remain in the room while testimony is being given. All oral testimony will be tape-recorded.
    7. If the student chooses to provide the committee with a written statement of appeal in lieu of appearing in person, the student will be required to submit a signed statement indicating that he/she has chosen not to meet with the committee.
    8. If there are follow-up questions from the committee, they will be mailed to the student or instructor, along with a request that they be answered in writing and promptly submitted.
    9. After considering all information relating to the appeal, the committee will formulate recommendations based on the decision of the majority.
    10. The chair will forward a record of the hearing and a recommendation to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
    11. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the recommendation. It will be the responsibility of the Vice President for Academic Affairs to render a decision in the case, whereupon the student, the program coordinator, and the faculty member shall be advised in writing. If circumstances warrant, the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall have the authority to change a student's grade upon recommendation of the committee.
    12. In the event the student wishes to appeal the decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), he/she may direct his/her appeal in writing to the President within five business days from the receipt of the letter sent by the VPAA. The decision of the President shall be final and binding.

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