Statement of Policy

The End of Course Grade Appeals Policy applies only to students taking Excelsior College courses. A formal grade appeal will be pursued only if the student presents evidence of error, bias, or capriciousness on the part of the instructor in determining the student's final grade for the course.

Note: Refer to the Plagiarism Policy if any form of plagiarism is suspected and involved in determining the final grade.

Procedure

Students taking online courses have access to the course email system for 10 days after the end of the course term (instructors have 5 days after the end of the course term to submit final grades). They should attempt to contact the instructor (informal appeal) during this time to resolve any grade issues. If they miss this 10-day window, or are unable to resolve the issue with the instructor, students will have an additional 20 days to seek mediation from the appropriate school's dean or designee.

Students taking CD-ROM courses should contact their instructors by email within 10 days after the end of the course term in order to resolve grade issues. If they miss this 10-day window, or are unable to resolve the issue with the instructor, students will have an additional 20 days to seek mediation from the appropriate school's dean or designee.

The Toll Free Telephone for Course Issues and Concerns: 877-852-5692
Students can utilize this resource for contact information for their instructor or school designee.

2067 Course help-Liberal Arts
2068 Course help-Business & Technology
2069 Course help-Nursing
2070 Course help-Health Sciences
2071 Course help-Liberal Arts Masters
2072 Course help-Nursing Masters

Undergraduate Courses Email Addresses

Liberal Arts courses: sla-courses@excelsior.edu
Business/Technology courses: btwebctstudent@excelsior.edu
Health Sciences courses: healthscience@excelsior.edu
Nursing Baccalaureate courses: nursingbachelors@excelsior.edu

Graduate Courses Email Addresses

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies courses: mlsadmin@excelsior.edu
Master of Business Administration courses: btwebctstudent@excelsior.edu
Master of Science in Nursing courses: nursingmasters@excelsior.edu
Graduate-Level Health Sciences courses: healthscience@excelsior.edu

If the instructor is unavailable during this time period, and if the student can show evidence that he/she attempted to contact the instructor to no avail, the student should communicate his/her concerns with the associate or assistant dean or dean’s designee of the school. Or, if the student discusses the issue with the faculty member, but remains dissatisfied with the outcome, he or she should then discuss the issue on an informal basis with the associate or assistant dean or dean’s designee of the school.

If informal discussion with the instructor and the dean or dean’s designee still does not resolve the difficulty, the student may file a formal, written appeal.

Formal Appeal

If the student can document error, bias, or capriciousness or has been unsuccessful with resolving the grade issue, they have the right to file a formal appeal. To file a formal appeal, the student must submit the appeal by email (specific school contacts above) or a letter to the appropriate school within 60 days of the end of the course.

The formal appeal must include the following:

• Course name
• Course department and number
• Term
• The student's name and ID number
• Instructor's name
• A detailed explanation of the grounds for appeal including supporting documentation

Receipt of formal appeal will be acknowledged within 72 hours. A final decision will be rendered by the school within 30 days of receipt of the appeal.

The Grade Appeal decision is final. No further appeal will be accepted.