Academic Appeals Policy

Grade Appeal Process

Rationale for Grade Appeal

A student must document a reason for requesting the change of a final course grade.

Grade Appeal Advocate

A student can utilize the aid of an advocate to help him or her through the grade appeal process. A grade appeal advocate may be anyone, including any OCC faculty, staff member, or student, who is familiar with the grade appeal process. The grade appeal advocate may attend any meeting that includes the student and may advise the student but may not speak for the student in accordance with Title IX guidelines (i.e., the student must present his or her own case but can receive guidance and support from the advocate).  Students have the right to an advocate as they traverse the grade appeal process.  This advocate may include any family member, or OCC community member, who can make themselves available to be present during grade appeal proceedings.

Summary of the Grade Appeal Process

After gathering the proper documentation, a student will communicate first with the instructor and attempt to resolve the appeal. If the appeal is not resolved, the student will then communicate with the instructor's department chair, who will mediate the appeal. If the appeal is still not resolved, the student will communicate with the instructor's academic dean, who will make the final decision about the appeal.

Details of the Grade Appeal Process

Step 1: Submit Grade Appeal Material to Instructor

  • Student completes Part 1 of the Grade Appeal Form.
  • Student submits completed material to the instructor within 60 business days of the start of the semester following the semester in which the grade was received.

Step 2: Instructor Responds to Grade Appeal Material

  • Instructor completes Part 2 of the Grade Appeal Form within 15 business days of the instructor's receipt of it.
  • Completion of the form could include the instructor's acceptance of the appeal, communication between the instructor and student, or the record of a scheduled meeting between the instructor and student.
  • If the instructor fails to respond to the request or is unavailable, of if the student is unsatisfied with the resolution of Step 2, the student may proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Submit Grade Appeal Material to Department Chair

  • Student completes Part 3 of the Grade Appeal Form (PDF).
  • Student submits completed material to the instructor's department chair within 15 business days of the last communication or meeting with the instructor in Step 2, or after 15 business days have passed since Part 1 of the Grade Appeal Form was initially submitted to the instructor without a response from the instructor.
  • If the grading instructor is the department chair, another faculty member of the instructor's department or division will be designated to act for the chair in Steps 3 and 4.
  • The role of the department chair or designee is to mediate between the student and instructor.

Step 4: Department Chair or Designee Responds to Grade Appeal Material

  • Chair or designee completes Part 4 of the Grade Appeal Form within 15 business days of the chair or designee's receipt of it.
  • If the chair or designee fails to respond to the request or is unavailable, or if the student is unsatisfied with the resolution of Step 4, the student may proceed to Step 5.

Step 5: Submit Grade Appeal Material to Academic Dean

  • Student completes Part 5 of the Grade Appeal Form.
  • Student submits completed material to the instructor's academic dean within 15 business days of the last communication or meeting with the chair or designee in Step 4, or after 15 business days have passed since Part 3 of the Grade Appeal Form was initially submitted to the chair or designee without a response from the chair or designee.

Step 6: Academic Dean Responds to Grade Appeal Material

  • Academic dean completes Part 6 of the Grade Appeal Form within 15 business days of the academic dean's receipt of it.
  • The dean may consult with faculty in the instructor's division to aid in the decision making.
  • The Grade Appeal Process is final with the decision of the dean and the completion of Part 6 of the Grade Appeal Form.

Academic Amnesty

The Academic Amnesty Program is designed for those students whose GPA from a prior period is significantly lower than the GPA of work completed in more recent semesters.

Amnesty is applied to a maximum of 24 semester hours of courses that have grade values below 2.00. No grades will be removed from the academic record. The courses accepted for amnesty will be annotated “AMNESTY GIVEN” on both the transcript and the academic record. These courses will no longer be considered in the GPA computation.

Credit is not earned for courses for which amnesty has been granted. Amnesty may be granted only one time and is not revocable. Amnesty cannot be awarded for any courses completed prior to the effective date of any Oakland Community College degree or certificate.  Courses eligible for amnesty must have been completed at least five years prior to the submission of a petition. Students are eligible to petition for amnesty when their 16 most recently earned OCC credits are from courses that each have a grade equivalent of 2.00 or higher. A course within a semester with an “I” or a grade lower than required negates all courses in that semester from consideration in the determination of eligibility. All courses used in determining eligibility shall have been taken since, not in, the most recent semester containing a course being petitioned for amnesty.

Once granted, amnesty excuses courses from GPA computation and academic record summation. In situations where the GPA or earned credits are a factor or condition of OCC program admission or status, the GPA and record summary resulting from the granting of amnesty shall be recognized without prejudice. Students interested in this program should contact their campus counseling center for more information and materials.

Eligibility for financial aid may require a GPA computation that ignores the effects of amnesty as provided herein.