Grade Appeal Process

Overview

If, after completing a Grade Petition, you feel that your grade is demonstrably wrong or that there was an error in the grading or Grade Petition process, you can submit a Grade Appeal to request that the Grade Appeal Committee review your case. The Committee will determine whether the evaluation of your performance was fair and reasonable and whether the instructor’s conduct in assigning the grade was arbitrary* or capricious**, and will decide what changes to the grade, if any, will be made. Decisions made by the Grade Appeal Committee are final.

If the grade/comments are not changed but there are circumstances or information worth documenting, you may submit a letter providing your perspective on the grade or comments for inclusion in your academic file. More information is available in the Academic Grievance and Appeal Policy.

*Arbitrary is defined as “an unreasonable or unpredictable use of one’s authority in accordance with one’s will or desire”.
**Capricious is defined as “implying an instability or irregularity that seems to be the product of whim or erratic impulse”.

Timeline for Grade Appeal Requests

IMPORTANT: Grade Appeal requests must be submitted prior to the end of the academic quarter following the quarter in which the course was taken (e.g., a grade appeal request for a course taken in Spring quarter must be submitted by the end of Summer quarter). You must have correctly completed the Grade Review and Petition processes prior to submitting a Grade Appeal request. More information about the Grade Review, Petition, and Appeal process is available here.

After you submit a request, the following steps occur:

• The Curriculum Office will verify the information you submitted and verify your eligibility. You may be contacted to provide additional details about your request.
• The department will confirm that you have met the Grade Review and Grade Petition requirements and provide information about those meetings.
• After the Curriculum Office and department confirm your information, the Grade Appeal Committee Academic and Executive Co-Chairs will review your request and contact the department for additional context about how and why the grade was assigned.
• After fact-finding is complete, your appeal will be forwarded to the Grade Appeal Committee and discussed at the next scheduled meeting.

Related Links

• Grade Review, Petition, and Appeal Process
• Grade Review, Petition, and Appeal FAQs
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Academic Grading Policy
• Academic Grievance Policy
• Department Contacts – Foundations Phase
• Department Contacts – Clinical Phases

Questions? Contact somappeal@uw.edu