Grade Appeals Process

It is the policy of Robeson Community College that students shall have the right to appeal a grade whether derived from a singular course event or the final grade issued for the course. Grades for individual course assignments/events as well as final grades are to be determined by the course instructor of record in accordance with the grading guidelines distributed in the course syllabus at the beginning of a course.

Individual Course Assignment

A student may appeal a grade derived from a singular course event as outlined below:
1. Any student who has an issue with a grade resulting from an individual course event (i.e. test, pop quiz, term paper, etc.) must attempt to resolve the matter with the faculty member who assigned the grade. A written appeal must be submitted to the instructor within three working days from the date the graded product is returned or made known to the student. Instructor’s written response to the appeal should be made within three working days of receipt of the appeal.
2. In the event the matter cannot be resolved, the student may appeal the grade following the procedures outlined below:
  1. The student shall present a written grade appeal to the Program Director of the area which the contested grade was awarded within three working days of the instructor’s response.
  2. Program Director shall confer with the student and instructor to seek a resolution of the appeal and render a decision within three working days of receipt of the appeal. If the instructor happens to also be the Program Director, then the appeal should be submitted to the Assistant Vice President for Instructional Services.
  3. Should the Program Director and student fail to reach a satisfactory resolution, the student shall forward a written appeal to the Assistant Vice President for Instructional Services for review within three working days.
  4. The decision of the Assistant Vice President for Instructional Services shall be made within three working days and the decision shall be considered final.

Final Course Grade

Students may appeal a final course grade as outlined below:
1. Any student who has an issue with the final course grade must attempt to resolve the matter with the instructor who assigned the grade. A written appeal must be submitted to the instructor within three working days from the receipt of the final grade. Instructor’s response to the appeal should be made within three working days of receipt of the appeal.
2. In the event the matter cannot be resolved, the student may appeal the grade following the procedures outlined below:
  1. The student shall present a written grade appeal to the Program Director of the area within which the contested grade was awarded within three working days of the instructor’s response.
  2. The Program Director shall confer with the student and instructor to seek a resolution of the appeal and render a decision within three working days of receipt of the appeal. If the instructor happens to also be the Program Director, then the appeal should be submitted to the Assistant Vice President for Instructional Services.
  3. Should the Program Director and student fail to reach a satisfactory resolution, the student shall forward the appeal to the Assistant Vice President for Instructional Services for review within three working days.
  4. The Assistant Vice President for Instructional Services shall convene a hearing before the Academic Appeals Committee within three working days of the receipt of the appeal. The Assistant Vice President shall serve as the committee chair. The Committee shall consist of four faculty members randomly selected from the Academic Appeals Committee membership. The Committee shall meet to discuss the grade appeal and may hear from the student, the instructor, and any other individuals that the Committee deems appropriate. If the Committee finds the grade received was inappropriate, the Committee shall determine a method by which the grade will be re-evaluated. The resulting grade, if different, must be submitted within College guidelines and may not be appealed further. Should the Committee find the grade received by the student was appropriate, the Committee will direct that no action be taken to change the final grade and notify the student of the Committee’s findings within three working days.
  5. In cases where the Academic Appeals Committee finds that the grade received by the student was appropriate, the student may submit a written appeal to the Vice President for Instruction and Student Support Services within three working days after receiving the Committee’s findings. The Vice President shall review all evidence related to the appeal, conduct any interviews deemed appropriate, and render a decision within three working days. The decision rendered by the Vice President for Instruction and Student Support Services will be considered final.
Failure of a student to pursue a grade appeal in accordance with the provisions of this policy or any publications derived there from shall be deemed unacceptable and the grade assigned will be the grade of record.
This policy shall apply to all credit courses offered by the College regardless of length, credit awarded, method of delivery, time of delivery, or other similar factors.