Why Do Students Write A Grade Appeal Letter?

If a student receives a lower grade that he or she believes is unfair, they can write a grade appeal letter to the professor, dean of the college or an appeals board requesting that the grade be raised. If an exam or course was graded very severely by a professor, ant this standard was applied to every student in the class, a grade change will not usually be considered. Even if a professor is antagonistic towards a student, it must be proved that the antagonist attitude resulted in a lower grade. If the student has a doubt or concern that they deserved a higher grade, but they don’t know how to go forward, their best option is to talk to the chairperson of their school or college’s Grade Appeals Committee or someone in the Dean of Student’s
The student may feel that he or she has put many hours of diligent work into a project, and received an unfair low grade. The student must have a strong foundation for the argument that harmonizes with the instructions for the assignment or class. For example, he or she must have proof that they followed the instructions for the assignment or class, addressed the proper points in an essay or followed any instructions in the syllabus. If the student can’t prove that he or she crossed all the Ts and dotted all the Is, they will be putting the professor in the delicate position of being asked for extra consideration and to give an unfair grade.

It is important for the student to read the professors comments carefully about an assignment. Often, a misunderstanding of the meaning of the comments is the reason a student feels the grade is unfair. Once they understand the comments, they may agree with the grade.

The student should also consider carefully if changing a particular grade is worth the time an effort. If it is a grade for a class and may make the difference of being accepted to graduate school, it is worth going to the trouble to try to change it, but if it is a minor grade that is a small percentage of the overall grade point average, it might be better just to accept the grade even if the student thinks it is
This should be done in a polite and respectful manner. Teachers will not think kindly of a belligerent student that uses confrontation to change a grade. Teachers also have little time to devote to grade disputes. The student should be well organized and able to make his or her point quickly and clearly. A professor of Economics may have a different way to handle grade appeals than a professor of History. The student shouldn’t assume that every request will be handled in the same manner.

Before writing a grade appeal letter, the student should determine if the school has an official format for appealing grades. Some schools have a prescribed format for a grade appeal letters and some have no special requirements. Some professors have teaching assistants who give the grades. If the grade was given by a teaching assistant, that person should be included in the appeal.

This is a sample grade appeal letter to a professor as a first attempt to have a grade in a class changed. If the professor is not willing to change the grade, the student has the option of sending another letter to an appeal board. If this is done, the required forms or documents need to be included with the letter.

Name of Student
Address of