Academic Appeals, Complaints, and Concerns

Overall information about the University’s student complaint process can be found here: https://www.sjf.edu/about/student-consumer-information/

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 division chair. If further discussions are necessary, students should contact the appropriate School dean. To ensure a fair and systematic review, students must follow the steps 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 department chair.
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 department chair within five business days of receipt of the instructor’s communication.
When the student meets with the department chair, the role of the chair is to ascertain to the extent possible the facts surrounding the matter and to clarify applicable academic policies. The department chair has the option of scheduling a subsequent meeting to include the instructor. The department chair 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 department chair, and the School dean of his or her desire within five business days of receipt of the department chair’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 department chair in writing of the decision to maintain or modify the original academic decision. The School dean’s decision is final.

Process to Reconcile Policy and/or Grade Issues Related to Academic Deadlines

Appeals relating to academic policy, withdrawal, or to a student’s academic status are considered by the Committee on Academic Standing, a standing committee of the Faculty Assembly. This committee meets monthly and considers appeals only from students. For information, the student should contact the Center for Career and Academic Planning.

Note: Appeals related to a final grade must be made within one year from the end of the term in which the grade was received.

New York Resident Student Complaints: If all grievance procedures have been followed, all avenues of appeal exhausted, and documentation provided that such procedures have been exhausted, and the student resides in New York, then the student has the right to file a complaint with the NYS Office of College and University Evaluation. Details on the New York State Education Department’s complaint processes, procedures, and forms can be found here: https://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/sara-student-complaint-process.

NC-SARA Member Out-of-State Student Complaints: If all grievance procedures have been followed, all avenues of appeal exhausted, and documentation provided that such procedures have been exhausted, and the student resides in a NC-SARA state other than New York, the University follows the policy for complaints outlined by NC-SARA, which can be found here: https://www.nc-sara.org/sara-student-complaints-0.

St. John Fisher University is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and follows the policy for complaints outlined here: https://www.nc-sara.org/student-complaints. For information on processes and required forms for submitting a complaint please review and follow New York State’s Department of Education complaint procedures here: https://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/sara-student-complaint-process.

A student may choose to appeal the institution’s decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made.

Please note: NC-SARA consumer protection complaints do NOT include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, and the New York State Education Department does not intervene in matters concerning an individual’s grades or examination results, as these are the prerogative of the institution’s faculty.

Non-SARA Member Out-Of-State Student Complaints: Students who have complaints that have not been resolved through contact with the University and do not reside in a SARA member state (https://www.nc-sara.org/directory) may seek advisement from the appropriate office in the student’s state of residence.

NC-SARA consumer protection provisions require the home state, through its SARA State Portal Entity, to investigate and resolve allegations of dishonest or fraudulent activity, including the provision of false or misleading information.

Examples of issues that may arise in regard to alleged fraudulent activity, violations of SARA policies or more general complaints about improper activities include, but are not limited to:

Veracity of recruitment and marketing materials;
Accuracy of job placement data;
Accuracy of information about tuition, fees, and financial aid;
Complete and accurate admission requirements for courses and programs;
Accuracy of information about the institution’s accreditation and/or any programmatic/specialized accreditation held by the institution’s programs;
Accuracy of information about whether coursework meets any relevant Professional Licensing requirements or the requirements of specialized Accrediting Agencies;
Accuracy of information about whether the institution’s course work will transfer to other institutions; and
Operation of distance education programs consistent with practices expected by institutional accreditors (and, if applicable, programmatic/specialized accreditors) and/or the C-RAC Guidelines for distance education.

Individuals can submit at any time a complaint regarding an institution’s compliance with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Requirements of Affiliation, standards, or policies or regarding an institution’s compliance with its own policies or procedures. If an individual has attempted to resolve the issues through the institution’s own grievance procedures, and all avenues of appeals have been exhausted a complaint can be submitted to MSCHE using the official Complaints and Third Party Comment Form found here: https://www.msche.org/complaints/

Please note: Matters outside of MSCHE’s purview include disputes between individuals and affiliated institutions about admission, grades, granting or transferability of credits, application of academic policies, fees or other financial matters, disciplinary matters, contractual rights and obligations, personnel decisions, or collective bargaining disputes.