Student Appeals

The University Calendar provides detailed information about the University's regulations and procedures relating to academic appeals. In addition, each faculty has its own guidelines and procedures for formal appeals within the faculty.

If you are attempting to resolve a problem, it is always preferable to first try informal resolution by talking to the party directly involved in the dispute, such as your instructor. If it is not resolved at this level, the dispute can still be discussed informally with the course coordinator or program chairperson (collaborative sites) especially if this is an issue related to grades, teaching methods, professional conduct or other classroom concerns.

Undergraduate Appeals

Students have the right to appeal decisions related to:

  • Final examination reappraisals
  • Academic standing decisions including:
    • Probation requirements or conditions set for continuation in a program requirements
    • Graduation/Degree Classification
    • Requirement to withdraw from a program in the Faculty of Nursing
    • Student Academic Integrity Policy
    • Practicum Intervention

Students cannot appeal

  • A faculty's decision for admission and re-admission;
  • Decisions related to granting credit for courses taken or to be taken outside of the University of Alberta;
  • Standards of student academic performance, including foundational minimum pass, for promotion and graduation
  • Specified consequences (e.g. required to withdraw) for failure to meet Probation or Continuation in program requirements.

We encourage students considering making an appeal to contact the Office of the Student Ombuds for assistance and support with the appeal process.

Appeals Submission Form

Appeal chart
Type of Appeal When to use it Criteria at a glance
Reexamination Request Submit this appeal if you have failed a course and would like to request the opportunity to re-write the final examination.
  1. You must have failed the course
  2. The final exam, as scheduled, must be worth at least 40%.
  3. For a Fall Term course, you achieved a Term Grade Point Average of 2.0 inclusive of the failed course. For Winter Term and Fall/Winter courses, a Fall/Winter GPA of 2.0 inclusive of the failed course.
  4. Reexaminations are NOT permitted for students who were granted a deferred final examination in accordance with Absence from Final Exams but did not write.
Reappraisal of Final Examination Request Submit this appeal if you would like your final examination reappraised.

Undergraduate Students who would like to request a reappraisal of a final examination can do so, providing the student has good reason to believe that a mistake has been made. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Errors in calculation
  • Procedural errors
  • Failure to consider all relevant factors
  • Bias and/or discrimination

NOTE: Any grievances concerning grades should first be discussed with the instructor. If the problem is not resolved, you can then submit a Reappraisal of Final Examination Request Form
Grade Appeal Request Submit this appeal if you would like to appeal your final grade in a course.

The following constitute grounds for a grade appeal:

  • Errors in calculation
  • Procedural errors
  • Failure to consider all relevant factors
  • Bias and/or discrimination

NOTE: Any grievances concerning grades should first be discussed with the instructor. If the problem is not resolved, you can then submit a Grade Appeal Request Form
Informal Appeal

Submit an Informal Appeal if you would like to appeal an issue related to academic standing such as:

  • Graduation/degree classification
  • Requirement to withdraw from a program in the Faculty of Nursing
  • Probation or Condition(s) requirements for continuation in a program

The following constitute grounds for an Informal Appeal:

  • Procedural errors
  • Failure to consider all relevant factors / mitigating circumstances
  • Bias and/or discrimination

NOTE: Some Academic Standing decisions, such as Practicum Interventions and Student Academic Integrity Policy (SAIP) Decisions are automatically considered at the Informal Level. The next right of appeal for a Practicum Intervention would be to submit a formal appeal. The next right of appeal for a SAIP decision would be to submit an appeal to the University Appeal Board.
Formal Appeal

Formal Appeals are used to further appeal an issue related to academic standing, or to appeal a decision related to a Practicum Intervention or Student Academic Integrity Policy.

Formal appeals will only be considered after all informal procedures have been exhausted by the student.

Appeals Submission Form

If you do not have grounds for appeal but you have concerns about your experience of any academic or non-academic service, you should initially raise these concerns with your course coordinator or program chairperson. If you are still dissatisfied, you can request the course coordinator or program chairperson escalate your issue to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs.

Some Academic Standing decisions will automatically be considered by the Faculty of Nursing Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs or designate and therefore do not need an informal appeal application form. These include:

  • Clinical Failures and Withdrawals
  • Practicum Intervention
  • Student Academic Integrity Policy

Some important things you should note:

  • You cannot appeal the standard of student academic performance required for promotion or graduation as described in the Academic Regulations in the University of Alberta calendar. Therefore:
  • If you fail or withdraw from a course that is a prerequisite for another course, you cannot progress until all the required prerequisites for that course have been met.
  • You cannot progress in an undergraduate program until you have successfully met the foundational courses minimum pass (C+/71%) requirements. (As of Fall 2017: See Faculty of Nursing Calendar). A grade appeal can be submitted if appropriate; however, if you have not met the academic standard (C+) in any foundational course, you cannot appeal to progress in the program on that basis.
  • The Associate Dean (or designate), Undergraduate Programs may impose probation requirements or certain conditions, including completing remedial work and/or repeating previous coursework, that students must meet to continue in the program. Students have the right to formally appeal the probation requirements or conditions within 15 (fifteen) days of when the decision letter is received. Conditions set by the Faculty of Nursing Academic Appeal Committee are final and binding and no further appeals can be made. If the student does not appeal the conditions and the specified consequences within the specified time frame, any further appeal rights are waived. If probation requirements or conditions are not met, then students do not have the right to appeal the specified consequences which is normally the requirement to withdraw from the Faculty of Nursing.
  • Your disagreement with a mark you have been awarded does not, in itself, constitute a procedural error.

Collaborative Sites (Northwestern Polytechnic, Keyano College, and Red Deer Polytechnic):

As per the Collaborative agreement between sites, students in their fourth year are considered University of Alberta students and therefore must follow the University of Alberta Appeals Policies and Procedures.

If you have failed a course or failed to meet requirements to progress to the next level, submitting an academic appeal does not, in itself, permit you to continue as a student. You may be allowed a temporary registration but you are not permitted to progress unless the outcome of the appeal process results in a change in your status.

Additional Resources: