Grade Appeals

A student who feels that a final grade reported to him/her is incorrect has the right of appeal. This appeal must be initiated within one semester after final grades are posted, using the following procedure:

1. He or she first discusses the grade with the instructor.
2. If, after this discussion, the student is still unsatisfied, the student may take his or her case to the chairperson of the department. This appeal should be in writing, outlining the reasons why the student feels the initial grade was incorrect and supplying any relevant documentation (e.g. graded material, syllabi, etc.) in support of the grade change.
3. If the chairperson decides that the student’s case merits further investigation, and after the chairperson has discussed the appeal with the instructor involved, the chairperson appoints an ad hoc committee composed of two members of the faculty in the department, other than the faculty member involved, and one student who is a major in the department.
4. If the chairperson decides that the student’s case does not merit further investigation, the student may appeal this decision to the dean, supplying the same supporting materials as presented to the chairperson. If, after discussion with the chairperson, the dean decides that the student has a case that merits investigation, the dean may appoint an ad hoc committee of the same composition to that described above to investigate the student’s case.
5. The committee reviews the case, interviews the student and the instructor separately, and reaches a judgment by majority vote. The judgment is communicated to the chairperson or the dean who, in turn, reports it to the affected parties.
6. If the committee recommends a change in grade, the instructor may initiate a change, or the committee’s recommendation is forwarded to the appropriate dean or Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for their consideration. In such cases, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs may modify the grade if the committee so recommends.
7. At any time during this process prior to when a final decision is made, the student may withdraw his/her appeal, or the instructor may initiate a grade change consistent with the student’s appeal. Either of these actions ends the appeal process.

For information on graduate grade appeals, please see "Graduate Grade Appeals" in the Graduate Studies section of the catalog.