Grade Appeals

A graduate student seeking to appeal a final course grade must first discuss the matter with the instructor who issued the grade. If the concern is not resolved, the student should then consult the Graduate Program Advisor, who will work to mediate and resolve the issue.

If the student remains unsatisfied, or if the Graduate Program Advisor is the instructor of the course, the student may submit a formal written appeal to the department chair. If the department chair is also the course instructor, the most senior member of the department’s Personnel and Budget Committee will act in place of the chair.

The chair will appoint a Graduate Grade Appeal Committee consisting of three departmental faculty members with experience teaching graduate-level courses. The Graduate Program Advisor may not serve on this committee.

The committee will review all relevant materials submitted by the student and the instructor and will issue a written recommendation either upholding the original grade or recommending a change. The department chair will notify the student, the instructor, and the Office of Graduate Studies of the committee’s decision. If a grade change is recommended, the chair will submit the appropriate grade change form.

Grade appeals must be initiated no later than the semester following the posting of the permanent grade. No grade changes will be permitted after the student’s graduation date. The decision of the Graduate Grade Appeal Committee is final and binding.