Policy on Academic Appeals
Fairness of academic decisions shall be ensured by permitting a student to appeal an academic decision for any of the following reasons:
- The criteria and procedures for the decision were not published.
- The published criteria and procedures were not consistent with college, school, division, department or program policy and procedures, or violate a student’s rights.
- The published criteria and procedures were not followed in making the decision. This includes factual and calculation errors or major errors in judgment. Reasonable and customary academic judgments are specifically excluded from this review process.
- The decision was substantially influenced by factors other than published criteria; i.e., the decision was discriminatory.
Admission and re-admission decisions are specifically excluded from the Policy on Academic Appeals. The decision to deny admission cannot be appealed.
A variety of academic decisions and judgments are essential to the orderly operation of an educational institution. Awarding transfer credit, course grades, admission to a specific program, and certification for graduation are examples of academic decisions that affect an individual student enrolled in the University.
Students have a right to expect that these important decisions will be made fairly by application of published policies and procedures. Individual students are entitled to a reasonable and timely review of academic decisions. At the same time, the collective good of the academic community requires the establishment and consistent application of policies, procedures, and standards. University faculty and staff also have a right to expect reasonable freedom to exercise collective and individual professional judgment within their recognized areas of expertise. This policy has been developed to ensure fairness to all parties involved in such academic decisions.
This policy is limited to the review of academic decisions that are based on the application of established policies, procedures, or standards. It does not establish any individual rights to review established policies, procedures, or standards, or limit any existing rights to individually or collectively petition individuals or groups responsible for University policy.