Graduate Grade Appeal Policy
Students have a right to appeal a final course grade if they believe the grade was unreasonable or unfair, given the course’s assignment guidelines, policies, and expectations stated in the syllabus. Students may appeal an unsatisfactory grade of B- or below if the student believes the course grade was not calculated as described on the syllabus or is inconsistent with a graduate policy (e.g., academic integrity). The standard for a grade appeal is whether the grade is a reasonable and fair evaluation of a student’s performance in the course. This is not a process by which the reviewer substitutes the instructor’s grading philosophy with the grading philosophy of other professors. This process is simply to determine whether any evidence provided by the student demonstrates the grade was unreasonable or unfair.
Students have a variety of resources to support them in this process, including the Ombuds Office, the Graduate School, their academic advisor, or their Program Director.
Students file an appeal by writing an email documenting the reasons for the appeal and providing supporting documentation. Supporting documentation may include highlighted portions of the syllabus, professor announcements regarding changes in the syllabus, assignment rubrics, relevant graduate policies, or other materials relevant to the calculation of grades. In the email, students should state the grounds for appealing the grade and their desired outcome from the appeal. Possible outcomes include replacing the final grade with a different grade or requesting the grade be recalculated. The appeal should focus on the merits of the appeal and not include critiques of the instructor, critiques of an assignment, or apologies from the student for unsatisfactory performance.
Students should make every effort to discuss the grade with the instructor when the instructor releases the final grade. Students have 5 school days to submit an appeal to the instructor and add in cc their academic advisor, Program Director/coordinator, and School Director. The 5-day clock starts when final grades are submitted to the Registrar’s Office or after a student receives a notification of a final grade earlier in the semester. The instructor has 5 school days to respond to the appeal. If the instructor does not respond within the 5-day timeframe, students should refer the appeal to the program director/coordinator and cc the school director (in the program and school which offered the course).
If the instructor does not support the appeal, students may appeal to the director/coordinator of the program which offered the course within 5 school days of receiving the instructor's decision. If students need information on who the correct program director is, students can ask their home program director or the graduate school. The program director has 5 school days to communicate a decision. If the program does not respond within the 5-day timeframe, students should refer the appeal to the director of the school where the course was offered.
Program directors/coordinators are generally the final authority on grade appeals. If the instructor and program director are the same person, the school director will make the decision for the program director.