Graduate Grade Appeals

Grade Appeal Overview:

Throughout this process the student has the right to consult with an ombudsperson (a neutral third party who helps investigate and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, in this case between a student and the university). To connect with an ombudsperson, email fgac-grp@fredonia.edu.  

Before appealing, the student should ensure that their reason for appeal is appropriate under the Grade Appeal Policy.The right to appeal is time sensitive and requires timely responses from faculty and administration; all parties should read the policy and follow the timeline.

The Grade Appeal Form should be used by the student, the faculty member, and all others involved in the appeal process to document the progress of the appeal.

Grade Appeal Procedure:

1. The student should first share the Grade Appeal Form with the instructor and the department’s administrative assistant (so that the appeal may be logged) and set a meeting to discuss the grade.  The instructor will communicate their decision to the student, the chairperson, and the administrative assistant. 

2. If an agreement is not reached, the student may opt to appeal to the chairperson of the department by sharing the Grade Appeal Form as outlined in the directions below.  

3. The chairperson will either uphold the instructor’s decision or overturn it, communicating their decision to the student, the instructor, and the department’s administrative assistant (to log the outcome).  

4. All parties have the right to appeal the chairperson’s decision to the dean.  The dean has the option to convene the Final Grade Appeal Board to seek their input.  (The Board will be composed of members of the Final Grade Appeal Committee; details can be found in the full Grade Appeal Policy.)  The dean will either uphold or overturn the chairperson’s decision, communicating that result to the student, the instructor, the chairperson, and the dean’s administrative assistant (to log the outcome).

5. All parties have the right to appeal the dean’s decision to the provost.  If the dean did not convene the Final Grade Appeal Board, the provost has the option to do so.  The provost will either uphold or overturn the dean’s decision, communicating that result to the student, the instructor, the chairperson, the dean, and the provost’s administrative assistant (to log the outcome).  The decision of the provost is final.

6. If at any point a change in grade is deemed appropriate and not appealed, or if a grade change is deemed appropriate by the provost, the instructor may initiate that change or the office of the appropriate dean may be asked to do so.

7. At any time during this process prior to when a final decision is made, the student may withdraw their appeal or the instructor may initiate a grade change consistent with the student’s appeal. Either of these actions ends the appeal process.