Policy on Academic Appeals

The following policy applies to student appeals for exception to University academic policy, waiver of academic requirements or dispute over student grades.  Note: The conditions under which a grade dispute may enter the appeals process are described in the "Grading" section.

1. Requests for exceptions to the academic policies and procedures described in this chapter begin as petitions filed in the Academic Advising Office and are decided by the Associate Provost. If a petition is not answered in a way that satisfies the student, he or she may advance an appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee. The Associate Provost reserves the right to refer petitions to the Academic Appeals Committee for disposition as academic appeals.
2. Student appeals on academic issues, up to and including academic dismissal, must be filed in the Academic Advising Office, whereupon cases will be processed by the Academic Appeals Committee. It is the student’s responsibility to provide all necessary documentation to the committee for review. The committee will take into account information from the instructor, as well as information from any other source the committee deems appropriate. The committee will render a decision in the case.
3. The student may request that the case be reconsidered by the Academic Appeals Committee only in the event that new information is available after the committee has rendered its decision.
4. The decision of the Academic Appeals Committee is considered final. If the student believes that due process was not followed, he or she may request review by the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, which will render a decision as to whether the Academic Appeals Committee afforded due process to the student in its consideration of the appeal.