Students who seek to appeal a grade should familiarize themselves with the policy governing grade appeals in the College of Letters & Science. In brief, this policy only permits changes to grades in cases of clerical error, miscalculation, or discrimination against individuals based on their protected status or affiliation with someone of protected status. For students who believe they have been discriminated against in the grading process, please see UW information on allegations of discrimination in the awarding of a grade.
Once students have familiarized themselves with L&S policy, if they still wish to appeal their grade, the first person whom they should consult is the person who assigned the grade. Appeals for final grades must occur no later than the first semester after the semester in which the course has been completed. If the student and instructor do not come to an agreement, the student will provide a formal written grade appeal to the chair of the department. The written appeal must include: the class, instructor, copy of the course syllabus showing grading guidelines, grade received, date and conclusion of meeting with instructor, the specific reason(s) for appealing the grade, and email address and telephone number where they can be reached for follow-up. The documentation must demonstrate how the student was either incorrectly graded for the work they did or treated in a way that was inconsistent with the standard grading policy/practice for all students taking the same course.
Students who are dissatisfied with the result of this initial consultation may consult the instructor’s supervisor. If the person who assigned the grade is a teaching assistant in 100-300 level Latin classes, this is the Supervisor of the Latin Program; otherwise, it is the Instructor of Record for the course. If the grader is a lecturer or professor, their supervisor is the Chair of the Department.
Once the supervisor has received the appeal, they will request relevant information from the person who assigned the grade, including grading criteria and the reason for denying the student’s request. If the supervisor determines that there are grounds for a change of grade, that decision will be determining.
In the rare case that the dispute cannot be settled in the Department, the Associate Dean of the Humanities determines the outcome. Students will be apprised of how to proceed to this level of appeal by the Chair of the Department.