ACADEMIC PETITIONS AND APPEALS PROCEDURES
May, 2003

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All students should first seek to explore options and resolve issues through discussion with appropriate faculty (e.g., advisor, supervisor) and/or administrators (e.g., program coordinator, department chair, director of school-university partnerships).*

Undergraduate Student Appeals

Undergraduate students who consider that they are entitled to relief from or deviation in the academic regulations of the University or the College of Education should apply to the Petitions Committee of the College through the Director of Undergraduate Programs.

Graduate Student Appeals

Graduate students requesting exceptions to academic policies should address appeals, in writing, to the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Appeals will be reviewed and ruled upon by the Student Affairs Committee or, when decisions are required outside the fall-spring academic year, a faculty committee appointed by the Associate Dean that includes representatives outside the student's department.

Graduate student appeals procedures are as follows for specific conditions:

1. Individual exceptions to program requirements (e.g., course substitutions) for special circumstances may be approved by the program advisor and the Graduate Director/Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.
   
2. Appeals to the 4 C's rule for students with a GPA of 3.0 may be approved by concurrence of the program advisor, department chair, and Graduate Director/Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. If the request is denied by these designated faculty and administrators, the student may appeal to the Student Affairs Committee. The appeal must be made in writing and submitted to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
   
3. Appeals to the Graduate School may be supported by the College of Education upon concurrence of the program faculty, department chair, and Graduate Director/Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. If an appeal is not supported by these designated faculty and administrators, the student may request, in writing, that the appeal be considered by the Student Affairs Committee. The Committee will report its recommendation to the Graduate Director/Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs who will forward the results to the Graduate School.

*For alleged violations of the Teaching Responsibility or Free Expression policies of the University, see the College of Education Student Academic Grievance Policy and Grievance Committee Procedures. Neither an appeal nor grievance is considered to extend to matters of grading student work. Final authority for grades remains with the teacher.