Basis for Graduate Student Grade Appeals
A student may base a grade appeal only on the instructor's:
- miscalculation in grading,
- failure to follow a published grading policy, or
- erroneous or unfair application of the published grading policy.
A student may not base a grade appeal on disagreement with the grading policy as established and published by the course instructor.
A student may not initiate a grade appeal until after the final grade has been submitted by the course instructor at the conclusion of the course. Grades on individual course assignments cannot be appealed separately in this process, although demonstration of valid bases for appeal of the grades for individual assignments may serve as the primary evidence for an appeal of the final course grade.
A student may not use the Grade Appeals process to appeal a grade that is the result of an Academic Integrity violation or a Professional Disposition determination. Rather the student should appeal using the appeals processes for those issues.
Documentation
The burden of proof in the grade appeal is always on the student. Therefore, the student must identify the basis/bases for appeal and substantiate the specific grievance(s). Retention of all documentation relevant to the grade (which may include but is not limited to documentation from a course such as syllabus, tests, papers, and any other graded evaluations, etc.) is strongly recommended as these items may be helpful or even necessary to establish the basis/bases for appeal.
Confidentiality
All individuals involved with an academic appeal are required to maintain the confidentiality of the proceedings and of all materials presented.
Graduate Grade Appeals Process
Graduate grade appeals follow the processes detailed in the Graduate Academic Appeals Process.
