Student Resources

Undergraduate courses:

As of Fall 2017, the University has adopted a new policy for all Undergraduate level course withdrawals. Please find more information on the Office of the Registrar's web page devoted to this new policy. Scroll down the page to the "Withdrawal" section.

Graduate courses:

As of March 2017, all Graduate level withdrawals should be processed using this form. Student must submit the following:

• Completed appeal form with contact information and full information on courses student desires to withdraw from.
• A letter explaining circumstances preventing student from withdrawing by the deadline including the dates involved. This letter must demonstrate that something beyond the student’s control occurred that prevented him/her from successful completion of the course, and that this event occurred after the deadline to withdraw without academic penalty.
• Supporting documentation (for example, hospital or police records) that substantiates the claim noted in the letter of explanation.
• By university rule, all appeals for late withdrawal must be completed within one semester after the student has taken the course. (Summer semester is not counted in this calculation. Spring courses must be petitioned no later than the last day of the following fall semester.)

In the College of Arts and Sciences, a faculty committee reviews appeals for late withdrawal. If the petition is approved, the information is forwarded to the Office of the Registrar and the grade(s) will then be changed to W(s). If the petition is denied the grade(s) will stand as entered by the faculty member

Before beginning the grade appeal process, the student must meet with the instructor of the course to discuss the assigned grade and make every effort to solve the problem at the informal level. If dissatisfied with the instructor’s decision, or if the instructor is not available, the student may continue to pursue an informal solution with the Chair or Director of the department in which the course is housed. If not satisfied with the resolution of the complaint proposed by the Chair or Director, the student may proceed within ten (10) school days of receipt of the Chair’s or Director’s decision to file a written appeal with the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.

The Student Grade Appeals Policy is published in the Student Guidebook provided online by Judicial Affairs. Students should read the policy before beginning the grade appeal process. Failure to follow the correct procedures may result in a delay of the resolution of a grade appeal. Failure to submit a written appeal to the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts And Sciences within ten (10) school days of receipt of the Chair’s or Director’s written decision will be considered implicit acceptance of that decision and will end the student’s grade appeal process for that course. Read the full process for the Student Grade Appeal.

Students may appeal their final grade in a course (after the grade is entered by the instructor) if they believe that the grade was lower than it should be as a result of the instructor’s:

1. Alleged deviation from established and announced grading policy;
2. Alleged errors in application of grading procedures;
3. Alleged lowering of grades for non-academic reasons.

NOTE: The professional judgment exercised by an instructor in assigning a grade or in conducting a class are excluded from the provisions of this rule except as noted in (1), (2) a, b, and c above.

Additional forms to assist students may be accessed from the Registrar's site including: Application to Graduate (Bachelors/Masters), AA Application, Drop/Add Form, Grade Forgiveness, Transient Student, Transcript Request, and more.

Incomplete Grade Assignment Form: This form may be used by an instructor/faculty member to create a contract between themselves and their student regarding the completion of work in a course where they have agreed to award a student an "I" grade for the term.