Academic Appeals Policy

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The Academic Appeals Policy provides a vehicle by which students can appeal academic decisions or actions, such as course assignment grading, final grades, or consequences of attendance violations. Students who wish to appeal academic status/eligibility due to failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress should see the “SAP Appeals Policy & Financial Aid Probation” section of the “Satisfactory Academic Progress” policy.

Grounds for Academic Appeals

Academic Appeals may only be considered if one or more of the following reasons can be substantiated:

  • Procedural Error - A documented error occurred in the application of a policy or process that materially affected the outcome.
  • Exceptional Circumstances – Extenuating or unforeseen circumstances beyond the student’s control (e.g., severe illness, family emergency, natural disaster, military service) that significantly impacted academic performance.
  • New Evidence – Relevant information that was not reasonably available at the time of the original decision and could have materially influenced the outcome.

Individual Assignment or Exam Grade Academic Appeal

Students appealing a decision related to classroom policies such as decisions regarding course-specific testing, classroom assignments, or other course grades should first discuss their concerns with their instructor. Should the concern not be resolved at the instructor level, students may choose to file a written academic appeal with the Dean of Nursing. All course assignment or activity grades are considered final within seven (7) days of entry into the gradebook in the learning management system. Should a student want to appeal an individual assignment or activity grade, the written academic appeal must be received by the Dean of Nursing within that seven-day period in order to be considered. Reach out to the Dean of Nursing for any forms or questions regarding this process.

Individual assignment or exam grade appeal procedure:

  1. Student submission of all documentation that substantiate the circumstances that led to the appeal and the completed appeal form must be sent to the Dean of Nursing Education for review within seven (7) days of the grade being entered into the gradebook in the LMS system (but no later than 5:00pm local campus time on the Wednesday of the first week of quarterly break).
    The appeal must include:
    • The decision being appealed (the assignment and grade)
    • Specific grounds for the appeal (see Grounds for Academic Appeals bullet points listed above)
    • Supporting documentation (medical records, military orders, official documents, etc.).
  2. Initial Review by Dean of Nursing
    The Dean will review the appeal for completeness and validity. The Dean may:
    • Render a decision directly if the appeal is straightforward and can be resolved without further review.
    • Forward the appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee if additional review is warranted.
    • If the appeal does not meet the criteria for approval, the Dean will notify the student in writing with an explanation within five (5) business days of appeal submission.
  3. Academic Appeals Committee Review (if warranted by the Dean)
    • The Academic Appeals Committee, composed of faculty and administrators not directly involved in the original decision, will review the appeal.
    • The Committee may request additional information or invite the student to provide clarification.
    • The Committee will make a recommendation and return it to the Dean within five (5) business days of appeal submission.
  4. Final Determination by Dean of Nursing
    • The Dean will review the Academic Appeals Committee’s recommendation (if applicable).
    • If new evidence is submitted after the Committee review, the Dean will determine whether the evidence warrants further Committee consideration.
    • The Dean will make the final decision and notify the student in writing within five (5) business days of appeal submission of either the Committee’s recommendation or the initial review.

Final Course Grade Academic Appeal

Students must meet with their course instructor prior to filing the final grade appeal. Should a student wish to appeal a final course grade, an academic appeal must be received by the Dean of Nursing no later than Wednesday during the first week of the quarter break.

Note: Students who have failed their first nursing course do not need to submit an academic appeal to remain in the program and repeat the failed course. Students who have failed more than one nursing course and are facing academic dismissal should only submit a final grade appeal if they can substantiate one or more of the bulleted reasons listed above in the “Grounds for Academic Appeals” section.

Final course grade appeal procedure:

  1. Student submission of all documentation that substantiate the circumstances that led to the appeal and the completed appeal form must be sent to the Dean of Nursing Education for review by 5:00pm local campus time on Wednesday of the first week of the quarterly break.
    The appeal must include:
    • The decision being appealed (the assignment and grade)
    • Specific grounds for the appeal (see Grounds for Academic Appeals bullet points listed above)
    • Supporting documentation (medical records, military orders, official documents, etc.).
  2. Initial Review by Dean of Nursing
    The Dean will review the appeal for completeness and validity. The Dean may:
    • Render a decision directly if the appeal is straightforward and can be resolved without further review.
    • Forward the appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee if additional review is warranted.
    • If the appeal does not meet the criteria for approval, the Dean will notify the student in writing with an explanation within five (5) business days of appeal submission.
  3. Academic Appeals Committee Review (if warranted by the Dean)
    • The Academic Appeals Committee, composed of faculty and administrators not directly involved in the original decision, will review the appeal.
    • The Committee may request additional information or invite the student to provide clarification.
    • The Committee will make a recommendation and return it to the Dean within five (5) business days of appeal submission.
  4. Final Determination by Dean of Nursing
    • The Dean will review the Academic Appeals Committee’s recommendation (if applicable).
    • If new evidence is submitted after the Committee review, the Dean will determine whether the evidence warrants further Committee consideration.
    • The Dean will make the final decision and notify the student in writing within five (5) business days of appeal submission of either the Academic Appeals Committee’s recommendation or the initial review.

The final determination by the Dean of Nursing is final and the student’s assignment or final grade will be recorded as such. If the action and grade from the academic appeal process leads to an academic dismissal from the student’s program, the student may appeal this dismissal as outlined below in the “Academic Dismissal” section.