Grade Appeal Procedure

A grade appeal will only be considered when:

The grade is the final grade in a course;
The grade has not been appealed previously;
The instructor has disapproved the student’s petition for a grade change as described in Request for Grade Change;
Substantiating evidence* of improper application of or disregard of university policy or procedure by the instructor is evidenced in the student’s appeal;
The course is not included in an earned degree by the student when s/he has already graduated from Southern Wesleyan; and
The student complies with the grade appeal procedure.

*Note: A disagreement about the subjective evaluation of the student’s performance by the instructor is not grounds for an appeal. It is assumed that the instructor, as the subject matter expert, is the one most qualified to evaluate any and all work submitted. Therefore, in order for an appeal to be considered, the student must demonstrate an objective discrepancy between the way in which s/he was evaluated and the grading policies and procedures outlined in the course syllabus.

Procedure:

The student may appeal in writing to the instructor’s department coordinator or school chair within ten (10) working days following the receipt of the instructor’s disapproval of the student’s petition for a grade change. The student’s appeal should include:

a completed grade appeal form;
a letter to the department coordinator or school chair describing the steps already taken to resolve the grade issue with the instructor;
copies of the communications with the instructor to resolve the grade issue; and
substantive evidence supporting the grade appeal.

If the student disagrees with the department coordinator’s written decision, the student may appeal to the instructor’s school chair within ten (10) working days of receipt of the department coordinator’s decision. The school chair will only consider appeals if the department coordinator’s decision lacks due process or shows evidence that relevant information was not taken into consideration. The student’s appeal to the school chair should include:

a letter to the school chair indicating the steps already taken to resolve the grade issue with the instructor and with the department coordinator;
a completed grade appeal form or a copy of the grade appeal form that was submitted to the department coordinator;
copies of communications with the instructor and the department coordinator to resolve the grade issue; and
substantive evidence supporting the grade appeal.*

The school chair’s decision is final, and no further appeal will be considered for this grade. The grade resulting from this decision may be the original grade, a higher grade, or a lower grade depending on the outcome of the appeal and is posted as the final grade on the student’s official academic record, including the University transcript.