Students wishing to file a complaint about a course grade, or a grade received for a particular piece of work in a course, should first attempt to resolve the matter through discussion with the instructor. If the issue cannot be satisfactorily resolved between student and instructor, the student may specify in writing via the Grade Appeal Form the basis for the complaint and request a review by the program's chair. A written complaint about a grade for work completed while the course is in progress must be submitted to the program's chair no later than two weeks after notification of the grade. A student must submit a written complaint about a final course grade to the program's chair no later than four weeks after the end of the exam period for that semester.

A student who wishes to appeal the decision of the department should appeal in writing to the office of the dean of the faculty offering the course. Written notification of the action taken by either the chair or by the dean will be sent to the student within four weeks of the filing of the appeal, excluding those weeks in which classes are not in regular session.

All appeals, at the department and the decanal level, should contain the following information:

  • The course number and section, semester, and instructor’s name
  • An explanation of the grounds for the appeal
  • A copy of the course syllabus and any other course information on the assignment or grading in question
  • The materials at issue – the graded exam or assignment
  • Any and all email or other written exchange you have had with the instructor and/or department about the issue

If a student in an SAS course has followed the grade appeal procedure through the steps of discussion with the instructor and with the department or program, and still wishes to appeal to the office of the Dean of the Faculty, the student should address their written appeal to Kristen Syrett, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, using the SAS Grade Appeal Form that can be found at the SAS Office of Undergraduate Education web site.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Student claims that the assignment of the grade was, in part or in full, attributable to discrimination, should write directly to Susan Lawrence, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Education, who will provide the student with a copy of the nondiscrimination policy. The Vice Dean will refer the student to the Office of Employment Equity and will notify the Office of Employment Equity directly about the complaint. Alternately, the student may write directly to the Office of Employment Equity http://uhr.rutgers.edu/uhr-units-offices/office-employment-equity.

Additional information on the policies and procedures enforced by the Office of Employment Equity is available at http://uhr.rutgers.edu/uhr-units-offices/office-employment-equity. You also may contact Lisa Grosskreutz, Director of the Office of Employment Equity, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..