Student Academic Process Summary

  • 1: When a student believes he or she has an academic grievance, he or she should first seek to resolve that grievance by discussions with the faculty member or administrator involved. If these discussions are not satisfactory, the complaint should be taken to the next highest level listed in the following procedure. If the grievance arises from a classroom situation, the student should take the following steps in seeking redress.
    • 1.1: The student should consult with the faculty member involved, in person or by written contact, no later than within the first five working days of the semester following that in which the grievance occurs.
    • 1.2: If agreement on or compromise of the problem is not achieved, the student should take the grievance to the department head or department chair.
    • 1.3: If the student is still not satisfied that a fair and equitable solution has been found, he or she should take the grievance to the academic dean of the respondent’s school or college (for undergraduate students). Graduate students must concurrently contact the academic dean of the respondent’s school or college and the dean of the graduate school.
    • 1.4: In the case of University courses (UNIV-1000, UNIV-1050, and any other undergraduate course with a UNIV designation), the student should contact the UNIV course coordinator/director in lieu of the department head and the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies in lieu of the academic dean.
    • 1.5: As a last resort and only after steps 2.1.1-2.1.3.1 have been carried out, or have been conscientiously attempted, the student should take the grievance in writing to the Auburn University Student Academic Grievance Committee, specifically appointed to hear such complaints.
    • 1.6: The student should read this entire “Student Academic Grievance Policy” carefully contacting the chair of the Student Academic Grievance Committee.
  • 2: The Committee chair must be notified of the filing of a grievance no later than the 20th class day of the semester following that in which the grievance occurred.
  • 3: No faculty member or administrator shall be allowed to delay the resolution of a grievance by failing to hold a consultation with a student within a reasonable length of time of the initial request. Normally such consultation should occur within two weeks after the student request unless bona fide reasons such as illness, personal emergency or campus absence for professional reasons make this time limit unreasonable.
  • 4: In some instances when the personalities or problems involved would make starting at the lowest level of the complaint too awkward or embarrassing, the student may initiate a complaint at the next higher level listed, e.g., for a faculty member within an academic department, the department’s head or chair.
  • 5: A faculty member may ask that a student grievance be submitted to the Auburn University Student Academic Grievance Committee if, in his or her professional opinion, the resolution procedure suggested by the department head or department chair and academic dean is not educationally sound.