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Rule R6-100C: Appeals of Academic Actions

Revision 0. Effective date: August 1, 2026

 

The rule on this page will take effect on August 1, 2026 and is being provided as a courtesy to prepare for implementation. Appeals of Academic Actions are covered in Policy 6-100 until August 1, 2026.

Contents

I. Purpose and Scope
II. Definitions
III. Rule

A. Initial Appeal

B. Appeal to Academic Appeals Committee (AAC)‌

C.  Review and Decision by Dean or Designee‌

D. Appeal to Cognizant Executive Vice President or Designee‌

IV. Policies/Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources
V. References
VI. Contacts
VII. History

  1. Purpose and Scope‌

    1. Purpose.

      This rule establishes a process for a student to appeal an Academic Action.

    2. Scope.

      This rule applies to all academic units of the university and all students.

  2. ‌Definitions‌

    The definitions provided in Policy 6-100 apply for this rule. In addition, the terms below apply for the limited purpose of this rule.

    1. “Academic Appeals Committee” means a committee established in Policy 6-410.

    2. “Arbitrary or Capricious” means without a principled basis or in a manner that substantially deviates from applicable policies.

    3. “Notice” or “Notification” refers to the date of delivery if notification is delivered personally or ten (10) business days after the time of postmark if the notification is mailed by U.S. mail. In the case of grades, notification refers to the date the grades are available on the World Wide Web. Correspondence to a Umail address is considered Notification for purposes of this rule.

  3. ‌Rule‌

    1. ‌Initial Appeal‌

      1. A student who thinks that an Academic Action is Arbitrary or Capricious should, within twenty (20) business days of notification of the Academic Action, discuss the Academic Action with the involved faculty member and attempt to resolve the disagreement. If the Academic Action results from the decision of a committee, the chair of the committee is the involved faculty member for purposes of this rule. If the faculty member does not respond within ten (10) business days, if the student and faculty member are unable to resolve the disagreement, or if the faculty member fails to take the agreed upon action within ten (10) business days, the student may appeal the Academic Action in accordance with the following procedures. It is understood that all appeals and proceedings regarding Academic Actions will initiate with the faculty and administrators in the college or program that took the Academic Action in question. If the Academic Action was taken in a cross-listed Course, appeals and proceedings shall take place with the faculty and administrators offering the section for which the student is registered.

      2. Appeal to the Department Chair or Dean's Designee. Within forty (40) business days of notification of the Academic Action, the student may appeal the Academic Action in writing to, and consult with, the department chair regarding such Academic Action. Within fifteen (15) business days of consulting with the student, the department chair shall notify the student and faculty member, in writing, of the determination of whether the Academic Action was Arbitrary or Capricious and of the basis for that decision. If the department chair determines that the Academic Action was Arbitrary or Capricious, the department chair shall take appropriate action to implement their decision, unless the faculty member appeals the decision. If the department chair fails to respond in fifteen (15) business days, the student may appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee.

        a. In single-department colleges, the student may appeal in writing to the college dean. The college dean shall appoint one or more faculty members from the college to serve as department chair for purposes of these procedures.

    2. ‌Appeal to Academic Appeals Committee (AAC)‌

      1. If either party disagrees with the department chair's decision, that party may appeal to the AAC of the college within fifteen (15) business days of notification of the chair's decision or inaction.

        1. The appeal to the AAC shall set forth in writing the reasons for the appeal, shall be addressed to the Academic Appeals Committee, and shall be delivered to the chair of the Committee with a copy to the other party.

        2. The faculty member whose decision is being appealed, or the student in the case of a faculty member’s appeal, may deliver a response to the appeal to the chair of the AAC, with a copy to the other party, no later than five (5) business days after receipt of the department chair’s decision.

      2. The AAC shall follow the committee membership and procedures established in Policy 6-410 Section III. P.

      3. To recommend that the original Academic Action be overturned, the AAC must find that the Academic Action was Arbitrary or Capricious.

      4. The AAC chair shall prepare a written report of the Committee's findings and recommendations and present it to the college dean or designee, within ten (10) business days after the conclusion of the hearing.

      5. Following the preparation of the written report, the Academic Action appeal process follows the process described in this rule.

    3. ‌Review and Decision by Dean or Designee‌

      1. The college dean or designee, shall consider the documentation submitted to the AAC and the findings and recommendations of the AAC in making a decision. Based upon such review, and without conducting further hearings, the college dean or designee, shall, within ten (10) business days, take one of the following actions:

        1. accept the AAC’s findings and recommendations;

        2. return the report to the AAC chair, requesting that the AAC reconvene to reconsider or clarify specific matters, materials, and issues, and then forward to the college dean or designee a second report of the AAC findings and recommendations relating to the specific matters referred by the college dean or designee, for further consideration; or

        3. reject all or parts of the AAC's findings and recommendations, stating reasons and actions to be taken therefore.

      2. Written notification of the dean's or designee's decision shall be communicated to the parties, to the AAC chair, and to the cognizant executive vice president within ten (10) business days after receipt of the recommendation.
      3. The dean's or designee's decision is final unless appealed to the cognizant executive vice president within ten (10) business days after receipt of the decision.‌
    4. Appeal to Cognizant Executive Vice President or Designee‌

      1. Within ten (10) business days of receipt of the dean's or designee's decision, either party may appeal the decision by filing a written notice of appeal with the cognizant executive vice president or designee and delivering a copy to the other party. The other party may file a response to the appeal with the executive vice president or designee within five (5) business days of receipt of the notice of appeal.

      2. The executive vice president or designee shall consider the appeal and response to the appeal, and may solicit whatever counsel and advice the executive vice president or designee deems appropriate to arrive at a final decision. The executive vice president or designee may also convene an ad hoc committee composed of students and faculty members from outside the college or department to determine if there were substantial defects that denied basic fairness and due process. After receiving the appeal, the executive vice president or designee shall within ten (10) business days, or within twenty (20) business days if an ad hoc committee is formed, take one of the following actions:

        1. accept the decision of the dean of the college or designee;

        2. return the report to the college dean or designee, requesting that they reconsider or clarify specific matters, materials, and issues, and then forward to the executive vice president or designee a second report of the dean’s or designee’s decision relating to the specific matters referred by the vice president for further explanation; or

        3. reject all or parts of the dean's or designee's decision, stating reasons and actions to be taken therefore.

      3. Written notification of the executive vice president's or designee’s decision and the basis for that decision shall be communicated to the parties, to the AAC chair, and to the college dean or designee within ten (10) business days after receipt of the appeal, or within twenty (20) business days after receipt of the appeal if an ad hoc committee is formed.

      4. The decision of the executive vice president or designee is final. At the conclusion of the appeals process, the department chair or college dean shall take appropriate action to implement the final decision.

      5. Copies of Documents to Department Chair. During the appeals process and at the time they are submitted, the following documents should be copied to the department chair considering the academic appeal: the first written appeal, all subsequent appeals, all responsive documents, and all written recommendations or decisions made at each level of the appeal.

      6. Programs That Do Not Report to Academic Deans. In cases where a program does not report directly to an academic dean, the program director will serve as department chair, and the cognizant associate vice president will serve as dean for purposes of these proceedings. Any ambiguity concerning appeal procedures for Academic Actions (e.g., determination of the relevant Academic Appeals Committee) shall be resolved by the program director, in consultation with the cognizant associate vice president, and in a manner that preserves the spirit and intent of this rule.

        Sections IV- VII are for user information and are not subject to the approval of the Academic Senate or the Board of Trustees. The Institutional Policy Committee, the Policy Owner, or the Policy Officer may update these sections at any time.

  4. ‌Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources‌

    1. Policies/ Rules.

      1. Policy 6-100: Instruction and Evaluation

    2. Procedures, Guidelines, and Forms. [ reserved ]

    3. Other Related Resources. [ reserved ]‌

  5. References‌

    1. Policy 6-410: Student Academic Performance, Academic Conduct, and Professional and Ethical Conduct

  6. ‌Contacts‌

    The designated contact officials for this regulation are:

    1. Policy Owner(s) (primary contact person for questions and advice): Vice Provost for Student Success

    2. Policy Officer(s): Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

      See Rule 1-001 for information about the roles and authority of policy owners and policy officers.

  7. ‌History‌

    Revision History.

    1. Current version. Revision 0.

      1. Approved by the Academic Senate on April 6, 2026, with effective date of August 1, 2026.

      2. Legislative History

      3. Editorial Revisions

    2. Previous versions.

    3. Renumbering

      1. Renumbered from Policy 6-100 Section III. J. Previously numbered as Policy 6-400 Section IV.

Last Updated: 4/28/26