Texas Wesleyan University 2020-2021 Catalog

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Grade Appeal Process

  1. Students wishing to appeal a grade must do so in a timely fashion. For grades assigned during a semester and which are incorporated into the final grade, the appeal must be initiated before the completion of the semester. For course grades or grades on assignments completed within the last week of the semester, the appeal must be initiated before the end of the following semester. For appeals of grades assigned in the fall semester, a student has until the end of the following spring semester; for grades assigned in the spring, the student has until the end of the following fall semester; for grades assigned during the summer, the student has until the end of the following fall semester. No grade may be appealed after one (1) year.
  2. If a student decides to appeal a grade, the student contacts the instructor for discussing the grade assignment. This contact establishes an appeal. The student and instructor may interact face-to-face, by video conference, by telephone, or by email. If an instructor is not available because of part-time, sabbatical, or other circumstances, the student may begin with step (3). Under extremely unusual circumstances, grades may be appealed beyond these deadlines. Students should realize that pertinent documentation (e.g. other students’ papers) becomes less readily available as time passes. If the results of the discussions with the instructor are unsatisfactory, the student contacts the department chair or director*. 
  3. The student will provide the department chair or director with a written complaint (a) stating what grade is being appealed and, (b) on what basis it is being appealed. The student should also provide all pertinent materials such as; the assignment for which the grade is being appealed, the syllabus for the course, previous grades assigned in the course, etc.
  4. The department chair or director* will review the materials and the appeal with the student with the thought of ascertaining the issues involved in the appeal. Additional information may be requested from the student and/or the instructor. The department chair or director will attempt to resolve the appeal informally between the student and the instructor.
  5. If the appeal cannot be resolved informally, the department chair or director will meet with the dean to discuss the issues involved and to transmit the documentation developed to that point. The dean will then contact the student and the instructor to discuss the appeal. The dean will have the responsibility to determine the merits of the appeal. The dean may request assignments submitted by other students, a review or re-grading of the assignment, and a review of the grade(s) by qualified individuals or other faculty, and/or request other materials as necessary to support a decision. The decision to obtain more information or to refer the case to others is that of the dean.
  6. The dean will make a written recommendation to the Provost to approve or deny the grade appeal.
  7. If the grade appeal is denied, the student may appeal to the Provost as the chief academic officer. The Provost has the responsibility to review the procedures followed in the review process in order to determine if due process was followed.
  8. If the grade appeal is approved, the instructor may appeal to the Committee on Faculty Grievances.

*If there is no department chair or director, the appeal discussions occur with the associate dean or dean and steps (4) and (5) are carried out by the dean. If the grade appeal concerns the department chair or director, the contact is made directly with the dean. If the grade appeal concerns the dean, the contact is made with the Provost. If the grade appeal concerns the Provost, the contact is made with the President.