Academic Appeal Process

Students disputing academic integrity sanctions may appeal according to the following procedure:

1. Students must submit the following to the appropriate division dean:

• An Academic Integrity Appeal Form within five (5) business days of the signed program director's decision
• A copy of the program director’s decision
• A written statement of why the student disagrees with the academic integrity violation or proposed sanctions, and
• Any evidence or material supporting the reasons for disagreement.

2. The division dean will review all submitted materials and communicate as necessary with the parties involved.

3. The division dean will issue a final written decision (electronic and U.S. mail) based on all submitted evidence or material to the student within five (5) business days from receipt of the appeal.

An administrative appeal is a request by a student to the college administration to consider making an exception to policy or procedure due to extraordinary circumstances. Administrative appeals consist primarily of two types of appeals, detailed below, Administrative Withdrawals and Refund Requests.

The College is under no obligation to grant an appeal as any appeal is an exception to the policy or standard operating procedures. Circumstances that support an administrative appeal may include, but are not limited to unexpected/unscheduled:

• significant illness, injury;
• significant illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member;
• legal matters that require the student to be absent for significant periods during the term;
• change in employment status or increased workload; and
• other significant life events that impacted a student’s ability to complete coursework or otherwise meet requirements of the College’s policies and procedures.

Administrative Withdrawal

An administrative withdrawal is a request to withdraw from coursework after the last day to withdraw and receive a grade of “W” as listed on the Academic Calendar. An administrative withdrawal request may be considered in cases when a student can provide evidence of having experienced exceptional circumstances that significantly impaired their ability to complete coursework and prevented withdrawal from courses as described in the Withdrawal from a Course section in the College Catalog.

A request for administrative withdrawal will not be considered while a grade appeal, program dismissal appeal, or college dismissal appeal is in process.

Prior to requesting an administrative withdrawal, a student will:

• consult with his/her academic advisor, to discuss how this will impact their time of completion
• consult with the office of financial aid, to understand any implications on their financial aid
• review the Course Repeat section in the College Catalog
• review the Student Military Leave Policy (if applicable) in the College Catalog
• review the Leaves section in the College Catalog

To request an administrative withdrawal a student must:

• complete the Administrative Appeal Request Form.
• provide a letter that describes the extraordinary circumstances that prevented the student from requesting to withdraw in accordance with the current withdrawal policy. So that the College is able to properly analyze the appeal, it is important that this letter gives accurate details about the circumstances resulting in the appeal, the date(s) of the emergency situation, and an account of how the situation specifically prevented the student from withdrawing in accordance with the current withdrawal policy.
• Provide objective supporting documentation as indicated below.

If a student is requesting an administrative withdrawal from some but not all courses, the documentation must provide sufficient and appropriate rationale for the request.

Refund Request

A student may request a refund after the refund deadlines listed on the Academic Calendar. A refund request may be considered in cases when a student can provide evidence of having experienced exceptional circumstances that significantly impaired their ability to complete coursework and prevented withdrawal from courses as described in the Withdrawal from a Course section in the College Catalog.

A request for a refund will not be considered unless the student has successfully dropped or withdrawn from the course in question

To request a refund a student must:

• complete the administrative appeal request form.
• provide a letter that describes the extraordinary circumstances that prevented the student from submitting a withdrawal request in the appropriate time to receive a refund. So that the College is able to properly analyze the appeal, it is important that this letter gives accurate details about the circumstances resulting in the appeal, the date(s) of the emergency situation, and an account of how the situation specifically prevented the student from submitting a withdrawal request in the appropriate time to receive a refund.
• Provide objective supporting documentation as indicated below.

Required Documentation

ALL documentation must:

• be objective supporting documentation from a source other than the student, a relative, or friend of the student;
• indicate the event occurred or impacted a student during the term the student is seeking the appeal; and
• include an email address or phone number that will allow verification of the authenticity of the document.

Circumstances Not Sufficient to Support an ADMINISTRATIVE APPEAL Include, But Are Not Limited to:

• Dropping courses to avoid low grades
• Dissatisfaction with instructor of course
• Not being aware of add/drop deadlines
• Late payment fees/charges
• Lack of reasonable planning on the part of the student

College representatives from Financial Aid, Bursar, Student Records, Finance, and Academic Affairs may be involved in the review of administrative appeals.

Students disputing college academic dismissal may appeal according to the following procedure:

1. Students must submit the following to the Office of Student Records:

• An Academic Dismissal Appeal Form within five business days from the date of electronic notification of dismissal,
• A written statement of why the student disagrees with the decision for dismissal, and
• Any evidence or material supporting the reasons for disagreement.

2. The Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty will issue a written decision (electronic and U.S. mail) to the student, dean, and the Office of Student Records within fifteen business days from the date of the receipt of the appeal.

Students may appeal a grade only in cases where they believe:

1. the instructor has made an error in calculating a final grade
2. the instructor has issued a grade outside of grading procedures outlined in the syllabus

Students disputing a course grade may submit an appeal following the process below. If students do not follow the timeline outlined below the appeal may be denied.

1. Initiate a good faith discussion with the instructor of the course within ten business days following the semester.

a. If the good faith discussion resolves the matter with a grade change, the instructor must submit a Change of Grade Form to the Office of Student Records.

b. If the discussion does not resolve the matter, the student may initiate step 2 below.

2. Within five business days from the date of the good faith discussion with the instructor, the student must submit the following to the program director (For general education subject areas (ex. English) there is no program director; the student may proceed to step 3):

• A Course Grade Appeal Form;
• A written statement indicating the following:

o Date of good faith discussion with instructor,

o Reason for further appeal, and

o Desired outcome;

• Any documentation supporting claims in the written statement

a. The program director or student may request a meeting to discuss the appeal with the parties involved.

b. The program director will issue a written decision to the student and instructor.

i. If the program director’s decision resolves the matter, all documents including a Change of Grade Form if necessary, must be submitted to the Office of Student Records.

ii. If the matter is not resolved, the student or instructor may initiate step 3 below.

3. Within ten business days from the date of the program director’s decision, the student or instructor must submit the following to the dean[1]:

• All prior documentation,
• The written response of the program director,
• A written statement indicating the reason for disagreement with the prior decision, and
• Any documentation supporting claims in the written statement

a. The dean may request a meeting to discuss the appeal with the parties involved.

b. The dean will issue a written decision to the student, instructor, and program director.

i. If the dean’s decision resolves the matter, all documents including a Change of Grade Form if necessary, must be submitted to the Office of Student Records.

ii. If the matter is not resolved, the program director, student, or instructor may initiate step 4 below.

4. Within ten business days from the date of the dean’s decision the student must submit the following to the Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty:

• All prior documentation,
• The written response of the dean,
• A written statement indicating the reason for disagreement with the prior decision, and
• Any documentation supporting claims in the written statement

a. The Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty may request a meeting to discuss the appeal with the parties involved.

b. The Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty will issue a written decision to the dean, student, instructor, and program director. The decision of the Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty is final.

c. The Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty’s decision and all documents, including a Change of Grade Form if necessary, must be submitted to the Office of Student Records.

The College will make every reasonable effort to complete the appeal process within a reasonable timeframe.

Students disputing program dismissal may appeal according to the following procedure:

1. Student must submit the following to the Office of Student Records:

• An Academic Dismissal Appeal Form within five business days of the date of electronic notification of dismissal,
• A written statement of why the student disagrees with the decision for dismissal, and
• Any evidence or material supporting the reasons for disagreement.

2. In collaboration with the program director and division dean, the Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty will issue a written decision (electronic and U.S. mail) to the student, division dean, and the Office of Student Records generally within fifteen business days of receipt of the appeal.