Grade Appeals

At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater it is expected that instructors will evaluate students regularly and consistently by criteria and guidelines presented to students at the beginning of each grading period. If a student has reason to believe the grade is incorrect, the student may act on that by taking the following steps in chronological order. A complaint which is timely filed under any other student complaint procedure and then referred for processing under these procedures shall be considered to have met the deadline for filing as a grade appeal.

Initial Appeal Process

1. Consult the instructor whose grade is being appealed. This consultation must take place no later than 7 calendar days from the start of classes in the next fall or spring semester.
2. If the student/instructor consultation does not resolve the issue or if the instructor is unwilling or unable to participate, within 7 calendar days the student may schedule a meeting with the chair of the department in which the course was offered.
3. After reviewing the student's initial appeal, the chair will attempt to resolve the problem within 7 calendar days.
   If this resolution is unsatisfactory the student may then, within 7 calendar days of the chairperson’s response, submit a written appeal.

Written Appeal Process

1. The appeal shall be sent to the department chairperson from the student’s university email address and shall clearly indicate that it is a written grade appeal.
2. The Department Grade Appeals Committee, as constituted by the department as a standing committee or by the department chairperson as an ad hoc committee, will convene to examine the appeal and then render its conclusion in writing to the chair, the student, and the instructor within 14 calendar days of receipt of the appeal. While the Grade Appeals Committee cannot require the instructor to change a student’s grade, the Committee can recommend such a change to the instructor and to the Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
3. If after receiving the Committee’s findings the student is unsatisfied with the Committee’s conclusion, within 7 calendar days the student may submit the Committee’s findings to the Dean of the College in which the course was offered. The Dean will review the appeal and the findings of the Committee and then recommend appropriate action to the department and instructor within 14 days of receipt of the appeal. The Dean is unable to change a student grade without the instructor’s consent.
4. If the Dean and the Grade Appeals Committee do not support the grade change, there is no further appeal. If the Dean and the Grade Appeals Committee both support the grade change but the student notices that the change has not been completed, the student may make a written request to the Provost to change the grade. The Provost is the only individual authorized to change a student grade without the instructor’s permission, but the Provost may change a grade only when the faculty department committee and the Dean support the change.

Approved by Faculty Senate Resolution 4/8/2025