Appealing a Final Grade

Students in First-Year Writing courses, like in all University of Connecticut courses, are eligible to challenge grades when they believe an error has occurred. According to the University Senate By-laws,

An instructor may neither accept additional work nor give additional examinations once the grade in the course has been submitted. Nevertheless, there can be situations in which course grades may and ought to be changed. These comprise computational errors, clerical errors, and the discovery of overlooked components in a student’s body of work.

If students believe their final grade is in error because of one of the above reasons, they should follow the procedure  below to appeal it:

Within 10 working days of the grade posting, or the last day grades are to be posted, whichever is later, the student should contact the instructor of the course and request reconsideration. If the instructor agrees that a change is justified, they will initiate the grade change procedure.

If the instructor does not agree, the student can appeal to the Directors of the First-Year Writing Program within 10 working days of the instructor’s decision. To do this, the student should submit the original copies of all of their graded projects for the course with comments and grades along with a cover letter that explains why their final grade for the course is incorrect or unfair. Students can either submit a hard copy (deliver to the First-Year Writing office, Austin Building 162) or electronically (submit to firstyearwriting@uconn.edu). Note: As FYW faculty and staff are working remotely during the pandemic, please use the email address only.

A committee of experienced administrators and instructors will review the work and letter independently of one another and determine whether whether or not the grade falls within a reasonable range of judgment. The Director of First-Year Writing will then consult with the instructor for information not offered in the letter of appeal (course work, participation, grading details, and so on). If this process results in agreement between the Director and the instructor that a grade change is justified, the instructor will initiate the grade change.

If the instructor and the Director of First-Year Writing agree that a grade change is not justified, the Director shall notify the student in writing (via email) with a copy to the instructor. If the student is dissatisfied  with the appeal decision, the student has 10 working days to request, through the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a review by a Faculty Grade Change Review Panel.