Academic Appeals Procedure
A student who seeks to appeal a grade must follow the academic chain of authority (Instructor – School Dean – Dean of Instruction – Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs – Chancellor). Grades assigned for course assignments, tests, quizzes, projects, etc. must be challenged within two weeks of receiving the grade. Semester grades must be challenged within the first two weeks of the semester following the awarding of the grade. The student is responsible for moving through the process as expeditiously as possible.
Should the appeal be elevated to the Dean of Instruction, the student must submit the Academic Appeals Form below.
This form must be accompanied by a letter detailing what steps have been taken previously to resolve the issue, an explanation of why previous decisions are still being appealed, and documentation in support of the continued appeal.
School of Nursing and Allied Health Appeal Policy
The purpose of this policy is to allow students the opportunity to appeal the entry and progression criteria of a specific Nursing and Allied Health program. This opportunity aligns with Institutional Values and Philosophy of student success.
- Faculty will be named to the Appeal Committee at the beginning of the Fall semester and will serve for one academic year. The chair of the committee will be named by the Dean.
- The committee will meet three times a year: at the end of the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.
- The student appeal must be turned in by 3:00 PM on the day final grades are due (refer to the academic calendar for date). No late appeals will be accepted. If an appeal is received after the due date, the student will be notified that the appeal will not be reviewed until the next committee meeting the following semester. The appeal must be submitted using the School of Nursing and Allied Health Appeal Form (opens new window).
- The following are the reasons students can appeal to the School of Nursing and Allied Health Appeal Committee:
- Exceeded number of repeated courses per program policy.
- Exceeded number of entries into the program per program policy.
- Exceeded number of grades 'D', 'F', or 'W' per program policy.
- All student appeals will be submitted to the Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health. The Dean will then submit the appeal forms to the Chair of the Appeal Committee.
- The committee will utilize the approval appeal rubric to review the appeal. The student will be notified by a committee member of the date and time the appeal will be reviewed. The student may be present during the time their appeal is heard to further speak to their appeal request. The student will be given five minutes to present their case.
- The student will be notified in writing of the committee's decision. While every attempt will be made to get to the decision in a timely manner, there is no guarantee that a finalized decision would be reached before the start of the next semester. If the decision to approve the student appeal is made, the applicable governing body for the nursing programs will be notified. The approval from the applicable governing body may not be received prior to start of next semester, therefore the student may have to wait until a later semester to reenter. Notification of a governing body does not apply to the Surgical Technology and Sterile Processing Technology Programs.
- Following notification of a decision of reinstatement, the student must meet with the appropriate program academic advisor to review the reentry plan. The student must agree in writing to follow the prescribed plan for reinstatement in its entirety. If the student does not agree to any part of the plan, the offer for reinstatement will be rescinded. The reinstatement plan is determined by the committee and forwarded to the advisor.
- Students will be allowed only one appeal while in the curriculum. Students cannot appeal at different campuses.
- All decisions made by the committee are final. Appeals cannot be made to Dean of Instruction, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, or the Chancellor after the decision is rendered by the SoNAH Appeals committee.
