Grade Appeal Procedure
Colorado Technical University strives to ensure that academic evaluation is objective, fair and professionally performed. Assessment of a student’s performance is one of the primary responsibilities of a faculty member and is solely his/her responsibility. It is essential that academic standards and the integrity of programs and degrees of the institution be the professional judgment of faculty. It is the responsibility of the instructor to explain and interpret the grading system to students. Grades should be determined within accepted University standards. Guidelines for grading should be distributed at the beginning of each course.
If a student’s course grade, or grades for select assignments within a course, have been assigned in error or capriciously (i.e., graded on something other than performance in the course, graded to more exacting standards than other students in the course, or graded outside of stated criteria distributed in the course) a student may take the following steps to seek resolution:
- Confer with the instructor. It is important to fully understand how the grade was determined. The student has an obligation to state the reason(s) why the grade is unjust.
- If a student cannot contact the instructor, the student should contact the appropriate academic official in an attempt to come to a resolution. This process should be done immediately after the grade has been posted.
- If the above does not resolve the appeal to the satisfaction of the student, the student can then elect to submit a petition in writing to the Grade Appeals Committee /Academic Services at their respective campus or division. This appeal needs to be submitted within the subsequent term.
The petition must include evidence demonstrating how the grade was given incorrectly or was given capriciously. The Grade Appeals Committee/Academic Services will then review the petition, confer with the instructor and review any additional evidence that warrants consideration. After reviewing the petition the Grade Appeals Committee/Academic Services will make one of the following recommendations:
- There is not a valid reason for the appeal, and the grade stands as assigned.
- If it is determined there is evidence the grade was assigned incorrectly or capriciously, the assignment(s) in question will be re-examined by another qualified faculty member.
A grade appeal may result in one of three decisions:
- The grade remains the same;
- the grade is raised; or
- the grade is lowered.
Please note that grades assigned after an appeal will not be changed back to the original grade, as it compromises the academic integrity of the University. Any late penalties assessed (or other grading policies not met) in awarding the original grade will continue to be applied during the review. Grades assigned as a result of the grade appeal process are final and may not be appealed again. Appeals will not be considered until final course grades are posted.