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Grade Appeals

Grounds for Grade Appeals

Grading is the exclusive responsibility of each faculty member. Absent a calculation error or other mistake by the professor which the professor determines justifies submission of a grade change, grades are final. There are no grounds for appeal of a grade by a student except upon evidence of misconduct on the part of the faculty member, consisting of: i) assignment of a grade on some basis other than the faculty member’s assessment of the student’s performance in the course; ii) assignment of a grade by arbitrary or capricious application of standards different than those applied to other students in the course; or iii) assignment of a grade under standards that are a substantial and unreasonable departure from the instructor’s initially articulated standards.

Informal Resolution

A student who wishes to question their grade may opt to first raise the matter with the instructor. A student is not required to take advantage of this option; however, if they do, it is expected that the instructor will respond to the student’s concerns. If the student and the instructor agree on a grade change, the instructor should complete a change of grade form in compliance with Penn State Law and Penn State University protocols.

Grade Mediation

If the issue is not resolved informally, the student may request grade mediation from the associate dean for academic affairs. If the instructor consents to the mediation, the associate dean for academic affairs will review the issue, will act as mediator in at least one meeting with the student and instructor, and will take other appropriate action to seek resolution.

Formal Grade Adjudication

If the instructor does not consent to grade mediation or if grade mediation by the associate dean for academic affairs does not resolve the issue, the student may seek formal grade adjudication. To request a formal grade adjudication, the student must submit a grade adjudication petition to the associate dean for academic affairs. The petition can be submitted any time during the semester but no later than ten weeks after the last day of the semester (i.e., the last day of final exams).  The basis for a grade adjudication petition is limited to cases in which a grade assignment is based on faculty misconduct as outlined here at i), ii), or iii), and therefore, the petition must present clear evidence that the assignment of the grade was based upon at least one of those, rather than the academic judgment of the instructor.

The associate dean for academic affairs will seek any additional information needed from the instructor, the student, or others and review the petition to determine whether the instructor’s assignment of the grade is based on faculty misconduct as outlined here at i), ii), or iii). Individuals contacted to provide additional information must respond within ten business days.

No Faculty Misconduct

If the associate dean for academic affairs determines that the assignment of the grade was not based on faculty misconduct, they will notify the student and the grade will stand. The adjudication process is thus concluded, and no other appeal will be considered.

Faculty Misconduct

If the associate dean for academic affairs concludes that the assignment of the grade is based on faculty misconduct as outlined above at i), ii), or iii), they will determine a course of action that may include a recommendation for the determination of an amended grade. The associate dean for academic affairs will then notify the student and the instructor and provide them with a brief summary of the reasons for the recommended course of action.

The student and the instructor have ten business days to respond to the course of action recommended by the associate dean for academic affairs following a finding that the grade was based on faculty misconduct. If both accept the recommended course of action, the student and the instructor should implement the recommended course of action. If this leads to a change in the student’s grade, the instructor should complete a change of grade form in compliance with Penn State Law and Penn State University protocols.

If either the student or the instructor does not accept the recommended course of action from the associate dean for academic affairs, they may appeal the determination within ten business days. The dean will appoint a committee of three faculty members with appropriate expertise to determine a grade. This committee will be composed of faculty members at the same or higher rank as the instructor. This committee may be a standing committee appointed at the start of the academic year or an ad hoc committee if no standing committee has been appointed. The associate dean for academic affairs will then transmit the grade to the Registrar, and the adjudication process is concluded.

Faculty Advisor

At any time during the grade appeals process, the student may choose a faculty advisor to assist in preparing and presenting their claims.