Students MUST follow department/program procedures to appeal a grade in a graduate course if department/program procedures exist. 

For any department/program with NO department/program procedure to appeal  a grade in a graduate course, a graduate student who wishes to make such an appeal shall follow these steps:

1. Any student wishing clarification about, or who is dissatisfied with, an assigned grade in a graduate course should first discuss the matter with the course instructor, who will review the work in question. This discussion should take place within 14 days of the grades being available. If the instructor agrees to change a grade, a change of grade form shall be processed in the usual way.

2. If the instructor confirms the original grade, and if the student is still dissatisfied, then the student should appeal to the Department/Program Head or Graduate Coordinator in the department/program, stating clearly the grounds on which the grade should be raised. If the Head or Graduate Coordinator believes the grounds to be reasonable, then the Head or Graduate Coordinator should initiate a review of the grade.

3. If the Head or Graduate Coordinator does not agree to a review of the grade, then the student has the right to formally request a review of the grade through the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The Dean will forward the request to the Head or Graduate Coordinator in the department/program, who will conduct a review of the grade. 

4. The grade determined by means of the review shall be recorded as the final official grade, irrespective of whether it is identical to, or higher or lower than, the original grade. The Head or Graduate Coordinator will inform all parties, including the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, of the result of the review.

5. Further appeal of an assigned grade can be made only on the basis of a specific procedural error or errors made in the department/program grade review procedures. This would be done through convening the Academic Appeal Board of the School of Graduate Studies (see Step 4 through Step 5,Appeals Against Academic Decisions.Note: These procedures for review of an assigned grade do not apply when a failing grade (FA) has been received on courses numbered 899 (Master’s Thesis) or 999 (Doctoral Thesis).  Appeal of a grade of Fail on a graduate thesis is appealed through the Appeal of Thesis Examination Committee Decision, under Appeals Against Academic Decisions.