Occasionally, situations arise in which a graduate student in the College wishes to appeal a decision rendered by the Office of Graduate Studies or a standing policy that directly affects them in some way. This could arise in a number of contexts, including, but not limited to:
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Request for transfer credits
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Request for a time extension to remove an Incomplete (“N”) grade
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Request for a waiver of the “Application to Graduate” deadline
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Request for extension of the 6-year time-to-graduate requirement (or 4-year time-to-graduate requirement for HRD).
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Request for waiver of Comprehensive Exam deadline
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Request to take a course overload (> 9hrs/semester)
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Request for extension of deadline to “DROP/ADD” courses or to withdraw (WX”) courses
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Dismissal from a graduate program for violations of the academic integrity code or the university’s standards of conduct
Students wishing to appeal a decision should submit a formal appeal in writing to the director of their graduate program, carefully stipulating the reasons for the appeal. Supporting documentation may be necessary for some appeals.
The graduate director will review the student’s appeal following the program’s own standard practices in a timely fashion, and submit its formal recommendation to the Graduate Dean. The Dean will review the appeal and the program’s recommendation and will contact the student with a final decision, copying the Chairperson and/or Program Director of the graduate program involved. In reaching this decision, the Graduate Dean will be most concerned with any perceived failures in due process that might have occurred to ensure fair and consistent treatment of all students.