Sept. 21 marks the deadline for students wishing to appeal their grades from the spring and summer semesters.

Between 40 and 70 people contact the Office of the Ombudsman every year in hopes of having their grades appealed, said Ombudsman Tim Griffin. Appeals are available to any student that has received a grade.

Bill Siemek, a senior engineering student who had a grade appeal denied last year, describes the appeal process as “a lengthy process that involves time and effort.”

There are only three reasons a grade may be appealed, as stated in the NIU academic policies and procedures manual: a student is assigned a grade on some basis other than their performance in the course, a grade has been assigned to a student on more demanding standards than were applied to other students, or a substantial departure from the instructor’s criteria distributed in writing during the first fourth of the course.

If a student meets one or more of these criteria, they have legitimate cause for a grade appeal.

The grade appeal process consists of four steps. First, the student meets with the instructor in hopes of clarification. This is done in hopes of determining mutual understanding of the assigned grade as well as correction of any errors to the grade.

“[Students should] begin the process by being non-confrontational. Be polite and cordial,” Griffin said.

Many cases are resolved after the first step of the process, Griffin said.
However, if the issue is not resolved, the instructor and student meet with the department head in another attempt to reach a decision or agreement.

If no resolution is met, the student may submit a petition for a grade review board, which consists of two faculty members chosen at random from the department in which the class was offered, plus at least one student. From this, the review board decides if the student has met the appeal criteria or if the grade will stand as assigned.

This process is designed to protect students from unfair academic treatment, Griffin said.

The final step is designed to maintain the appeals process and to make sure it is observed correctly. If the grade appeal process is brought into question, a dean may intervene and request the review board reconsider its decision.

The dean may also make the instructor change the grade, or uphold the decision as decided by the review board.

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