Appeal Procedures
Taken from the 2006-2007 Undergraduate Catalog
Academic Appeal
An appeal of an academic suspension or dismissal is possible only if plausible evidence is provided that an error has been made or that a course grade was unjustly assigned. For further information, contact the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, 678-839-6445.
Financial Aid Appeals
Students who are no longer eligible to receive fi nancial aid because they do not meet satisfactory academic progress standards may appeal if they have experienced extenuating circumstances. To complete the appeals process, students should obtain an appeals form from the Department of Financial Aid or www. westga.edu/~finaid and submit supporting documentation along with their letter explaining the circumstances. The deadline to submit an appeal for a semester is noon on the second day of drop-add. Any appeals submitted after this deadline will be considered but not before the fee payment deadline.
Appeals are reviewed on a preliminary basis by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, consisting of staff members in the Financial Aid Office. Appeals which are denied will be referred to the Financial Aid Review Board at the student’s request.
The Review Board meets to consider cases referred by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The Director of Financial Aid or another member of the Financial Aid staff meets with the Review Board to explain financial aid policy and to interpret items in the student’s financial aid file. The Review Board makes recommendations to the associate Vice President for Student Services or his designee, who issues a final decision to the student regarding his or her appeal.
Grade Appeal
The responsibility for determining the grade of a student rests on the faculty member who has responsibility for teaching the course in which the student is enrolled. A grade originally assigned may be changed only with the consent of the faculty member responsible for the grade, unless the change is made for process reasons only.
Students who feel that the grade received in a course is arbitrary or unfair are entitled to a hearing before an impartial committee of the faculty; however, before appealing to the Committee, the student should exhaust all administrative remedies through the appropriate department chair and college dean. A grade appeal must be initiated in the semester following the one in which the grade was given. The appeal itself must be completed in one calendar year from the date the grade was assigned. For procedures for filing an appeal, see the Connection and Student Handbook, Appendix E or click here (PDF) to open a form that tells you what you need to do.