Grade Appeals

Faculty members are vested with the authority to establish course requirements and standards of performance. It is the responsibility of faculty to articulate and communicate course requirements and standards of performance to students at the beginning of each course and apply all grading criteria uniformly and in a timely manner. Final grades submitted by faculty to the Registrar's Office are presumed to be accurate and final.

A student, who has questions about a grade received in a course, should ordinarily seek to resolve the issue by first consulting with the instructor. If the issue has not been resolved after consultation, and the student believes there are grounds for appealing the grade, the student may invoke the grade-appeal procedure outlined below.

Grounds for a Grade Appeal
Students can appeal a grade only when they can document that one or a combination of the following has occurred:

• An error in calculating the grade
• Failure of the instructor to notify students clearly and promptly of the criteria for grade determination
• Assignment of a grade based on reasons other than the announced criteria and standards
• Assignment of a grade based on factors other than student achievement, e.g., personal bias
• Inconsistent or inequitably applied standards for evaluation of student academic performance
• If the student believes that the grade received is based upon unlawful discrimination, or sexual harassment, as defined in these policies and procedures, the student should proceed under the procedures in this handbook for "Complaints Relating to Discrimination and Sexual Harassment."

The Appeal Process
When students believe that they have grounds for appealing a grade issued by an instructor because of an occurrence of one or more of the above mentioned circumstances, the following procedures must be followed:

The student must submit a written appeal to the School Dean within forty-five (45) days of the end date of the course. The student must provide clear documentation that demonstrates the occurrence of one or more of the above-listed grounds for appeal. Documentation may be in the form of e-mail correspondence, graded assignments, proof of timely submission, etc. The student must also provide evidence of the level of achievement in support of the particular grade that the student believes he/she should have been awarded. If the evidence meets the criteria, the dean forwards the student's written statement to the instructor for a response, which the instructor must provide within fifteen (15) days. The dean then refers all documentation to the grade appeals committee.

Grade Appeals Committee
A standing committee within each school in San Diego, the grade appeals committee consists of three faculty members (full-time or associate) appointed by the appropriate school dean. The grade appeals committee considers the documentation and may decide either to change or uphold the grade.

The grade appeals committee will render a final decision within thirty (30) days of receiving the grade appeal information from the dean. This decision is forwarded to the dean who informs the student, the instructor and the Registrar's Office of the decision in writing.