Grade Changes/Appeals

Changing a Final Grade

After the final grades are filed in the Office of the Registrar, a grade may normally be changed only to correct a clerical error. For these changes, the instructor must file a completed Change of Grade form in the Office of the Registrar.

Appealing a Final Grade

The academic evaluation, resulting in grade assignment, will be subject to appeal if the instructor’s evaluation is based on any factors other than the student’s performance in the course and/or adherence to course requirements. Refer to the Grade Appeal Policy and Procedure under the Student Code of Conduct and Policies section of the catalog for additional information.

Appealing Grades Received for Improper Withdrawal

Under certain circumstances, students who do not withdraw from the university in accordance with official procedures may appeal the grades they have received that semester. The appeal procedure applies only to emergency or hardship situations, as defined below:

  • Personal illness or accident involving extended hospitalization
  • Sudden and unexpected departure from the area resulting in the student’s inability to return to the university (e.g. death in the immediate family, induction to military service)

The appeal must be made for all course work in the semester in question and must be made within six months of the issuance of final grades, unless the student can demonstrate incapacity beyond that date. It is the student’s responsibility to support the appeal with written, documented evidence, such as an official hospital record, to substantiate the claimed hardship. In addition, if the date of departure from the university comes after the 60 percent of the course instruction, the student must also provide documented evidence from each instructor that he/she was passing each course listed on the record for that semester. Students who meet the specified criteria and elect to file an appeal must submit a written statement with supporting documentation to the Dean of their school.

Academic Renewal

Under certain circumstances, undergraduate students may petition the Office of the Registrar for Academic Renewal. Eligible students may have a maximum of two (2) consecutive semesters of coursework disregarded. This calculation does not affect Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) calculations required for financial aid eligibility. Students may have eligible unsatisfactory coursework removed from all calculations regarding academic standing, grade point average (GPA), and graduation eligibility.

Eligibility for academic renewal is subject to the following conditions:

  • The student’s overall or NS cumulative GPA is below 2.0;
  • The student has completed all necessary credits and all major, core curriculum, and college graduation requirements;
  • At the time the petition is filed, at least five (5) calendar years must have elapsed since the most recent coursework to be disregarded was completed.

Students must file a petition with the Office of the Registrar to apply for Academic Renewal. The student's filed petition shall specify the semester(s) or term(s) to be disregarded. If more than one semester or term is to be disregarded, the semester(s)/term(s) must be consecutive. If summer work is to be included in the disregarded coursework, a six-week summer term shall count as one-half semester.

If the petition qualifies under this policy, the student’s permanent academic record will be suitably marked to indicate that no work taken during the disregarded semester(s), even if satisfactory, may apply toward graduation requirements. However, all coursework will remain on the student’s academic record, ensuring a true and accurate academic history.

Academic Renewal can only be applied prior to graduation with the first earned undergraduate degree. After a student graduates, Academic Renewal cannot be retroactively applied.

For additional information, refer to the Undergraduate Academic Renewal Policy located in https://nevadastate.edu/college-policies/.