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FYO Grade Appeal Policy and Procedure

University of Georgia students have the right to appeal academic decisions.

The burden of proof for an appeal rests with the student. The policies governing the process of appealing grades are covered in the Academic Affairs Policy Manual, General Academic Policy: Student Appeals (Section 4.05-01). All grade appeals must be initiated in writing to the instructor within one calendar year from the end of the term in which the grade was recorded. The process for appealing a grade in a First-Year Odyssey seminar is as follows:

  1. The student first appeals a grade to the instructor who assigned the grade. If the appeal is not resolved with the instructor, the student makes an appeal to the FYO Director.
  2. The student may appeal their grade to the FYO Director by emailing their petition to fyo@uga.edu with "FYO grade appeal" in the subject line. The petition should include:
    1. Documentation of a good faith effort to resolve the matter with the instructor.
    2. An explanation of the grade that the student believes should have been assigned and why that grade is more appropriate than the one that was assigned.
  3. The FYO Director appoints a faculty committee to collect evidence and make a recommendation to the FYO Director. The committee will include the chair of the FYO Faculty Advisory Committee. The process will include:
    1. A review of the student's petition and any other related evidence that the committee deems necessary to understand the situation.
    2. An opportunity for the student to meet with the committee.
    3. An opportunity for the faculty member to meet with the committee.
  4. The committee makes a written recommendation to the FYO Director. As explained in the Academic Affairs Policy Manual: “A primary criterion for a successful grade appeal is the demonstration that the grade was the result of a factual error or that it was influenced by improper or unprofessional bias on the part of the instructor.”
  5. The FYO Director communicates the committee's response to the student and the instructor.
    1. If the FYO Director decides not to change the grade, the student may appeal (in the following order) to the Vice President for Instruction, the Educational Affairs Committee of the University Council, and the President.
    2. If the FYO Director decides to change the grade, the instructor will be given the opportunity to sign the grade change form. If the instructor chooses not to sign the form, the FYO Director will sign for the instructor and send the form to the Registrar's Office.