Academic Appeals

Conduct Appeal

Students who have been the subject of student conduct proceedings have a right to appeal, as stated in Regents' Policy & University Regulation (see excerpts below).  For additional assistance, you may contact the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability (ORCA) at 907-474-7300.

Regents' Policy & University Regulation

(Note: This Handbook is not the official publication of Regents' Policy & University Regulation.  Policies and regulations may be updated from time to time. To see the current versions, please visit the Board of Regents website.)

Chapter 09.02 - Student Rights and Responsibilities [Excerpts] 

R09.02.040. University Student Conduct Procedures.

F.  Rights Afforded Students in Student Conduct Proceedings

1.  Students have the right to due process in conduct proceedings. This regulation articulates a level of process meeting constitutional requirements. However, a violation of this regulation shall not be grounds for overturning a determination if the proceeding otherwise meets constitutional due process requirements. 

2.  Students have the right not to respond to the allegations during the student conduct proceeding. However, the university maintains the right to make a determination regarding responsibility and administer sanctions based on the available information. 

3.  A student may be accompanied by an advocate of their choice during student conduct proceedings. 

4.  Students may have access to records of their student conduct proceedings. 

5.  Students may appeal decisions to impose minor sanctions and/or the severity of the sanction to the MAU senior student services professional or designee. Students will be afforded an opportunity to provide comments to the MAU senior student services professional on recommendations to impose major sanctions.

[…]

L.  Appeal Procedure for Minor Sanctions
The respondent may appeal a decision to impose a minor sanction.

1.  Appeals may be made on the basis that:

a.  a procedural error was made during the process which significantly impacted the finding or sanction; 

b.  the sanctions imposed are substantially outside the parameters of guidelines set by the university for this type of offense or the cumulative conduct record of the respondent;

c.  there is new information that was not available at the time of the decision that, if introduced and credible would have significantly impacted the finding or sanction. Any party’s unwillingness to provide a statement or participate in the student conduct process will not satisfy this ground for appeal; or 

d.  the decision is not supported by a preponderance of the evidence.

2.  Appeals must be submitted in writing within seven days of the day the decision is sent to the student, and in accordance with MAU rules and procedures.

3.  The MAU senior student services professional or designee will conduct a review of the record and will ordinarily render a decision within seven days of receipt of the appeal, barring extenuating circumstances. The MAU senior student services professional or designee may:

a.  uphold a decision and/or sanction; 

b.  dismiss the case; 

c.  alter or lessen a sanction; 

d.  refer the matter back for further review; 

e.  authorize a new administrative review; or 

f.   take such other action as the senior student services officer or designee deems appropriate.

4.  Except in cases referred for further proceedings, the decision of the MAU senior student services professional or designee constitutes the university’s final decision on the matter. Notification to the affected students must be made in writing and in accordance with Regents’ Policy and University Regulation.

M. Review Procedures for Major Sanctions
The student conduct administrator will forward a recommendation to impose a major sanction to the MAU senior student services professional for review.

1.  The respondent will be given an opportunity to comment upon the findings, conclusions, and recommendation of the administrative review. Comments must be submitted in writing within seven days of the day the findings, conclusions, and recommendation are sent to the student, and in accordance with MAU rules and procedures.

2.  The MAU senior student services professional or designee will review the record and render a decision within fourteen days of receipt of the recommendation, barring extenuating circumstances, and may:

a.  uphold a decision and/or recommended sanction; 

b.  dismiss the case; 

c.  alter or lessen the sanction; 

d.  refer the matter back for further review; 

e.  authorize a new administrative review; or 

f.   take such other action as the senior student services professional or designee deems appropriate.

3.  If the MAU senior student services professional has recommended a major sanction, the chancellor will review the record and, barring extenuating circumstances, render a decision within seven days of receipt of the recommendation. The chancellor may:

a.  uphold a decision and/or impose the sanction; 

b.  dismiss the case;  

c.  alter or lessen the sanction;

d.  refer the matter back for further review; 

e.  authorize a new administrative review; or 

f.   take such other action as the chancellor deems appropriate.

Except in cases referred for further proceedings, the decision of the chancellor constitutes the university’s final decision on the matter. Notification to the affected students must be made in writing and in accordance with Regents’ Policy and University Regulation.

R09.02.080. Final University Decision.

The university will inform a student in writing when a decision constitutes the university’s final decision in any review procedure. Where applicable, the notification of final decision will also state that further redress on the issue may be had only by filing an appeal with the Superior Court of Alaska; that, in accordance with Alaska Appellate Rule 602(a)(2) regarding appeals from administrative agencies, the student has thirty (30) calendar days after the university has mailed or otherwise distributed the final decision to file an appeal; and that failure to file an appeal constitutes acceptance of the decision and a waiver of any further legal rights.

Employee Decisions Affecting a Student

UAF provides one level of administrative review for decisions made by university employees. Individuals are encouraged to first attempt informal resolutions with the employee making the decision or the employee’s supervisor. An individual seeking further review has the option of filing a written request with the employee’s supervisor for decisions made by university employees not covered elsewhere in these complaint procedures or in other university policies, regulations and procedures. The request must be signed and include all relevant information to be considered during the review.

The supervisor will consider the information available at the time of the review and provide written notification of the outcome to the individual who filed the request. The supervisor’s written response will be the final decision within the university.

For additional assistance, you may contact the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability (ORCA) at 907-474-7300.

Financial Aid Appeal

Satisfactory Academic Progress

To qualify for and receive financial aid, students must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in a program of study that will lead to a degree or certificate and must be in good academic standing at the University. View our full SAP policy here.

Financial Aid Appeal Process

UAF students can submit an appeal if they are ineligible to receive financial aid due to not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress and experiencing unusual or extenuating circumstances. 

To learn more about maintaining or regaining financial aid eligibility and the financial aid appeals process, please visit our Satisfactory Academic Progress Page.

For additional assistance, you may contact the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability (ORCA) at 907-474-7300.

Grade Appeal

If a student wishes to appeal a faculty decision on a final grade the student must follow the UAF Grade Appeal process and submit a grade appeal form, available at the Office of the Registrar.

There are only two valid reasons for appeal of a grade:

1. an error in the calculation of the grade, or
2. arbitrary and capricious grading.

Evidence of either must be documented for an appeal to be successful. Merely wanting a higher grade is not sufficient grounds to justify an appeal.

For additional assistance, you may contact the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability (ORCA) at 907-474-7300.

Request for Exception

Appeals for refund of tuition are exceptions to policy and are only approved in exceptional cases. A student appealing for refund of tuition must complete and submit the Total Withdrawal Form (PDF) to the Office of the Registrar before the Request for Exception Form will be accepted. Approval is not automatic, and you need to provide documented evidence to support your request.

Acceptable reasons may include:

1. death in immediate family;
2. serious illness or injury of student or immediate family; and
3. factors outside of student’s control (for example, major employment change, fire, flood).

Changing your mind about college, poor academic performance, disciplinary withdrawal or not receiving expected financial assistance are not considered acceptable reasons to seek a refund after the normal deadline. Failure to comply with published deadlines or regulations is not a serious and compelling reason to seek a refund and will not be approved.

The Request for Exception Form must be submitted within 30 class days after the beginning of the next regular semester. Once received, the appeal will be evaluated by a campuswide committee that will return a decision to the student. The decision of the committee is final. A student who files a written appeal under these procedures shall be expected to abide by the final disposition of the review, as provided, and may not seek further appeal of the matter under any other procedure within the university. Submission of appeals and appropriate documentation after published deadlines will not be considered. Contact the UAF Office of the Bursar for additional information.

Late-fee appeal

Late fees must be appealed using the Request for Exception Late Fee form.

For additional assistance, you may contact the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability (ORCA) at 907-474-7300.

Resident Tuition Appeal

A student is always able to appeal their residency if they believe they qualify. Cases for an appeal may include exceptions to policy due to specific circumstances, or errors in previous semesters. In your appeal, you'll describe the circumstances that lead to your appeal for consideration of residency.

Appeals are reviewed on a weekly basis by the residency appeal committee. A student might be asked for follow up or additional documentation as part of the appeal process.

The appeal process generally takes 1-2 weeks.

The online appeal form is available from the Office of Admissions at: https://www.uaf.edu/admissions/residency.php

For additional assistance, you may contact the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability (ORCA) at 907-474-7300.

Transfer Credit Appeal

After you've been admitted to UAF and your official transcripts have been received, we'll complete an official evaluation of your transfer credits. When the evaluation is complete, you'll receive an email with specific instructions on how to view your Transfer Credit Equivalency Report.

While the transfer credit team works diligently to evaluate your credits accurately, sometimes the information available to us is limited and may result in your classes transferring differently than you expected. If this is the case, we're happy to work with you! Submit an appeal and we'll re-evaluate your hard-earned credits.

For additional assistance, you may contact the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability (ORCA) at 907-474-7300.

Withdrawal

Appeals for a late withdrawal after the student-initiated withdrawal deadline — the tenth Friday after the first day of instruction — are exceptions to policy and are allowed only in exceptional cases. Approval is not automatic, and documented evidence needs to be provided to support the request. Acceptable serious and compelling reasons may include:

1. death in the immediate family;

2. serious illness or injury of the student or immediate family; and

3. factors outside of the student’s control (for example, fire or flood).

Failing a course, avoiding an unsatisfactory grade or ignorance of policies are not serious and compelling reasons for seeking a late withdrawal and will not be approved.

Appeals for late withdrawals must be submitted within 30 class days after the beginning of the next regular semester. Forms for an appeal for late withdrawals are available at the Office of the Registrar forms page, through the Office of the Registrar in Signers’ Hall on the Fairbanks campus, or through local campus student services offices. Once received, the appeal will be evaluated by a campus-wide committee, which will return a decision to the student. The decision of the university is final, and a student who files a written appeal under these procedures shall be expected to abide by the final disposition of the review, as provided, and may not seek a further appeal of the matter under any other procedure within the university.

For additional assistance, you may contact the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability (ORCA) at 907-474-7300.