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Grade Appeals
Basis for Graduate Student Grade Appeals
A student may base a grade appeal only on the instructor's:
miscalculation in grading,
failure to follow a published grading policy, or
erroneous or unfair application of the published grading policy.
A student may not base a grade appeal on disagreement with the grading policy as established and published by the course instructor.
A student may not initiate a grade appeal until after the final grade has been submitted by the course instructor at the conclusion of the course. Grades on individual course assignments cannot be appealed separately in this process, although demonstration of valid bases for appeal of the grades for individual assignments may serve as the primary evidence for an appeal of the final course grade.
A student may not use the Grade Appeals process to appeal a grade that is the result of an Academic Integrity violation or a Professional Disposition determination. Rather the student should appeal using the appeals processes for those issues.
Informal Efforts at Resolution
In many situations, an academic issue may be resolved through informal efforts, and no appeal will be necessary. Thus, parties must first attempt to resolve an academic issue informally. This means that the student must consult with the instructor concerning the problem.
If a satisfactory resolution to the problem is not achieved and the student wishes to submit a formal appeal, then the student must request a signed and dated acknowledgement of the consultation from the instructor. A handwritten note or signed email is sufficient.
Guidance Regarding Documentation
The burden of proof in a grade appeal is always on the student. Therefore, the student must substantiate the grievance. Retention of all documentation from a course, including but not limited to the syllabus, tests, papers, and any other graded evaluations is strongly recommended.
Preparing a Formal Graduate Appeal
Initial Graduate Academic Action
The Graduate Academic Appeals Procedure is applicable when a student wishes to appeal anInitial Graduate Academic Actionrelated to a grade, an academic integrity penalty, a professional disposition determination, or an academic dismissal. In the case of a grade appeal, the initial graduate academic action is the final course grade.
The appeal request must be formatted as a singular PDFand submitted either through official college email accounts or online appeal form (if available). When assembling the appeal, students should include the following:
A detailed statement of the case outlining the reason(s) why the academic decision should be reconsidered as well as any evidence that supports the appeal request. It should also include the student’s name and contact details as well as the names and contact details for individuals (e.g., faculty, internship coordinators, etc.) involved in the matter that the student is appealing.
Relevant supporting documentation should be identified and included in an appendix.
Submitting Your Appeal
Click on the appropriate step below to access its online appeal request.
Submit this form within 10 business days of receiving your final course grade.
Online Form Submission Notes
1. You will be asked to upload evidence of informally attempting to resolve your issue with the course instructor. An email will suffice.
2. You will be asked to upload your appeal request as a singular PDF file formatted according to the guidelines noted above.
3. When preparing your documentation, save each file as a PDF and refrain from using special characters in the document title. Acceptable format: lastname_appealtype_submissiondate (hugo_gradeappeal_5-15-26).
Upon successful form submission, a confirmation email will be sent to the office of Graduate, Professional & Interdisciplinary Studies (GPIS) who will then notify the Department Chair of the submission.
If you encounter issues completing/submitting this form, you may email your appeal request to gradappeals@newpaltz.edu.
Submit this form within 10 business days of receiving the Department Chair's decision to your appeal request.
Online Form Submission Notes
1. You will be asked to upload evidence of informally attempting to resolve your issue with the course instructor as well as the Department Chair's decision.
2. You will be asked to upload your appeal request as a singular PDF file formatted according to the guidelines noted above.
3. When preparing your documentation, save each file as a PDF and refrain from using special characters in the document title. Acceptable format: lastname_appealtype_submissiondate (hugo_gradeappeal_5-15-26).
Upon successful form submission, a confirmation email will be sent to the office of Graduate, Professional & Interdisciplinary Studies (GPIS) who will then notify the Academic Dean of the submission.
If you have issues submitting the online form, you may email your appeal request to gradappeals@newpaltz.edu.
Submit this form within 10 business days of receiving the Academic Dean's decision to your appeal request.
Online Form Submission Notes
1. You will be asked to upload evidence of informally attempting to resolve your issue with the course instructor as well as the Department Chair's and Academic Dean's decisions.
2. You will be asked to upload your appeal request as a singular PDF file formatted according to the guidelines noted above.
2. When preparing your documentation, save each file as a PDF and refrain from using special characters in the document title. Acceptable format: lastname_appealtype_submissiondate (hugo_gradeappeal_5-15-26).
Upon successful form submission, a confirmation email will be sent to the office of Graduate, Professional & Interdisciplinary Studies (GPIS) who will then call together the Graduate Council Sub-Committee for Academic Appeals.
If you encounter issues submitting this form, you may email your appeal request to gradappeals@newpaltz.edu.
Submit this form within 10 business days of receiving the Graduate Council's decision to your appeal request.
Online Form Submission Notes
1. You will be asked to upload evidence of informally attempting to resolve your issue with the course instructor as well as the Department Chair's, Academic Dean's, and Graduate Council's decisions.
2. You will be asked to upload your appeal request as a singular PDF file formatted according to the guidelines noted above.
2. When preparing your documentation, save each file as a PDF and refrain from using special characters in the document title. Acceptable format: lastname_appealtype_submissiondate (hugo_gradeappeal_5-15-26).
Upon successful form submission, a confirmation email will be sent to the office of Graduate, Professional & Interdisciplinary Studies (GPIS) who will then notify the Provost of the submission.
