Appeals

Students wishing to make appeals or to bring forward complaints or concerns about instructional matters including final grades should first discuss the issue with the faculty member. If the issue is not satisfactorily resolved at that point, the student should then meet with the department chair or program director. If further discussions are necessary, students should contact the appropriate School dean.

To ensure a fair and systematic review, students must follow the process outlined below.

Process to Reconcile Academic Decisions

If a student wishes to appeal an academic decision of an instructor, he or she must follow the process described below.

• The student is to initiate a discussion with the instructor responsible for the initial decision in question.
• The instructor is responsible for documenting the outcome of the discussion with the student. Copies of that document are to be provided to the student and to the program director.
• If the student is not satisfied with the outcome and wishes to further pursue the matter, the student is responsible for notifying the instructor and the program director within five business days of receipt of the instructor’s communication.
• When the student meets with the program director, the role of the program director is to ascertain to the extent possible the facts surrounding the matter and to clarify applicable academic policies. The program director has the option of scheduling a subsequent meeting to include the instructor. The program director is responsible for documenting the discussion outcome(s). Copies of that document are to be provided to the student, the instructor, and the School dean.
• If the student is not satisfied with the outcome and wishes to further pursue the matter, the student is responsible for notifying the instructor, the program director, and the School dean of his or her desire within five business days of receipt of the department program director’s communication.
• The School dean will forward all relevant information to the School’s Grade Appeal Committee or other comparable committee within the school. This committee will review all pertinent facts and make a recommendation to the School dean for final review. The School dean shall notify the student, the instructor, and the program director in writing of the decision to maintain or modify the original academic decision. The School dean’s decision is final.