Student Appeal Process

Undergraduate students having concerns in the academic area are encouraged to resolve these concerns through direct communication with the professor or administrative office involved, with school deans or with the vice-president for academic affairs. Often these concerns will involve a dispute over a grade. On those rare occasions when disagreements may not be resolved directly, the appeals process detailed below may be used.

Students having academic related concerns should first consult with the faculty member involved. In the case of a grade, no grade may be changed after it has been filed in the Registrar’s Office except by action of the faculty member or the decision of an appeal by the vice president for academic affairs. If a grade remains uncontested for a period of 6 weeks into a subsequent semester/term following the date published as the official end of the semester/term, it will be assumed to be correct and will not be eligible for change. For example, a grade from the spring semester must be appealed no later than six weeks into the following fall semester.

Prior to a formal appeal, the student should discuss his/her questions with the faculty member involved. The appeal process is intended for those rare occasions when students and faculty cannot come to understanding of the faculty member’s assessment of the student’s work.

Steps students must take in appealing a grade include:

  1. In writing, the student identifies his/her concerns by drafting a letter indicating the course, instructor, the grade received, the grade the student believes he/she should have received, and the reasons why a grade different from the one assigned is more appropriate in his/her judgment.
  2. The letter must include the student’s signature and is delivered or mailed to the dean of the school for the course in question. For BVUProfessional & Online Studies students, the letter is given to the appropriate director.
  3. Generally within a week’s time, the school dean or BVU Professional & Online Studies director will meet with the student. The student should bring any related course materials from the course in question with them to this meeting.
  4. The school dean or BVU Professional & Online Studies director will meet with the faculty person involved with the grade challenge. At this point, the faculty member may also have documents for review (papers, final exams, etc. for which the student does not have ownership).
  5. Based on the materials and information from the student and faculty member, the school dean or BVU Professional & Online Studies director resolves the question(s) identified in the appeal. The school dean or BVU Professional & Online Studies director may choose to ask for a meeting with the student and faculty member or consult with others as appropriate; the school dean’s or BVU Professional & Online Studies director’s final decision of the appeal will be communicated in writing to the student and faculty person involved. If a change of grade is warranted, appropriate paperwork for a change of grade will be initiated by the school dean.
  6. The student or faculty member may appeal the school dean’s decision to the vice president for academic affairs (VPAA). Such an appeal must state the reason(s) and be presented in writing within two (2) class days after receiving the decision from the school dean and includes forwarding the paperwork the school dean received to the VPAA. The VPAA reviews the materials and may ask for meetings with the student and/or faculty member involved. The VPAA communicates her/his decision in writing within 2 weeks of receiving the request for appeal. The decision of the VPAA is final.
  7. The student or faculty member at a BVUProfessional & Online Studies location may appeal the director’s decision to the associate dean for BVU Professional & Online Studies. Such an appeal must state the reason(s) and be presented in writing within two (2) class days after receiving the decision from the BVU Professional & Online Studies director and includes forwarding the paperwork the director received to the associate dean for BVU Professional & Online Studies who reviews the materials and may ask for meetings with the student and/or faculty member involved. The associate dean for BVU Professional & Online Studies may also need to confer with appropriate school deans or others. The associate dean for BVU Professional & Online Studies communicates her/his decision in writing within two weeks of receiving the request for appeal.
  8. BVU Professional & Online Studies students’ final appeal may be made to the vice president for academic affairs (VPAA) and follows the process outlined in number 6 above.

Student concerns which are for issues other than grades should be handled similarly. Because of the specific nature of a concern a student may have about how the interaction with a faculty member is occurring, it may be most appropriate for the student to meet with the dean of the school or BVU Professional & Online Studies director initially rather than first speaking to the faculty member.