Academic Appeal

Students may appeal any academic decision believed to be arbitrary, capricious, or unfair. A student’s mere dissatisfaction with a grade or decision is not grounds for an appeal. For an appeal to have merit, there must be some evidence that the student has been treated inappropriately with regard to the administration of the university’s policies and procedures. 

Appeals will be considered only if they are submitted directly by students enrolled at UMHB upon initiation of the first appeal.  Furthermore, appeals must be submitted by the student within 30 days calendar of the date of the decision or action being appealed.  The student should submit the appeal by campus email.  A written copy delivered to the recipient is also strongly encouraged.

The student should appeal the decision in writing to the person who made it by stating the appropriate rationale for reconsideration, the requested remedy, and the student’s contact information. In matters related to academic coursework, the line of appeal is first, the faculty member.  If the matter is not resolved, the student may then elect to appeal that decision in writing to the next highest authority.  Typically, that is to the associate dean/department chair (as applicable to the College); third, the dean of the college; and finally, to the Vice Provost.

If the student’s appeal is of an academic nature unrelated to individual coursework/grades, he/ she should submit the appeal in writing to the person who made the original decision.  For the subsequent chain of appeal, the student should consult with the dean of the college or Provost’s Office

Each person to whom an appeal is made will normally respond to the student in writing within five (5) business days of receipt of the appeal. The student will have ten (10) calendar days from the date of that response to appeal to the next level.  Extensions may be granted by the Provost’s Office in cases where the issue requires more extensive review and/or other extenuating circumstances.

Faculty who are no longer employed by the University (e.g. retirements) are not participants in the appeal process beyond their last day of employment.  In this case, the student should begin the appeal at the next level, or if the appeal is in progress, the exiting faculty member will pass the appeal to the next administrator in line for completion.

If the student has heard no reply from the person to whom he/she submitted the appeal after five (5) business days, he/she should inquire about the status of the appeal to the dean.

The procedure for reviewing incidents of academic dishonesty is discussed in the Academic Dishonesty section of this Catalog. Students who have incidents of alleged academic dishonesty that occur in multiple courses and/or for multiple incidents during the student’s enrollment at UMHB may occur additional penalties.