Graduate Academic Appeal Process

The following policy applies to graduate student appeals for exception to some University academic policy, waiver of academic requirements, academic probation, or other academic-related issues.  

Notes:

The appeal process for graduate student grade disputes is described in the Graduate Grade Appeal Process.
The appeal process for graduate student who have been academically dismissed is described in the Graduate Academic Dismissal Appeal Process.
The appeal process for graduate students charged with an academic integrity violation is described in the Graduate Academic Integrity Policy.
Requests for exceptions to the following actions will begin as graduate academic petitions, and are decided by the Graduate Academic Petition Process:
• Late Course Add
• Late Course Drop
• Late Course Withdrawal
• Late Semester Withdrawal
• Late Internship Add
• Invasion of Residency

For all other academic issues not related to grade disputes, it is understood that the graduate student meets first with the instructor and the program director/department chair to resolve the academic issue at hand.

If the matter remains unresolved, the graduate student may appeal to the designated college graduate appeals committee. The graduate student must notify the appropriate program director in writing within five working days that an appeal is forthcoming. The written appeal must be submitted within ten working days of this notification, providing all supporting documents at that time.

For the purpose of this “Policy,” a “working day” means a calendar day, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, and any other day when the university is not officially open.

The designated graduate appeals committee within the college must acknowledge receipt of the appeal and accompanying documents within five working days. Appeals will be reviewed by the appropriate college graduate appeals committee for decision, normally within ten working days of this acknowledgement the committee will notify the student in writing of its decision.

Only if the graduate student provides new evidence about the case, beyond the college graduate appeals committee review, or evidence that the review process has been violated, may the college graduate appeals committee’s decision be appealed to the Graduate Council Appeals Committee. This written appeal must be delivered within ten working days of the college graduate appeals committee. If this justification is not established, the Graduate Council Appeals Committee notifies the student (normally within ten working days) that the appeals process is complete. Should the appeal merit further consideration, the Graduate Council Appeals Committee has the option to review all documentation pertaining to the case, to consult with members of the college committee and with the college dean, to meet with the student making the appeal, and to ask for additional documentation.  The Graduate Council Appeals Committee notifies the student of the decision normally within ten working days. The decision of the Graduate Council Appeals Committee is final.