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.