Grievances and Appeals

Grievance Appeals

Graduate students have two levels of appeal when they disagree with the outcome of a grievance or academic decision made at the program/departmental level:

1. Appeal to the school/college
2. Final appeal to the Graduate School

For students in the Biophysics and the Cellular and Molecular Biology programs, housed in the Graduate School, the school/college in which their faculty advisor has their primary appointment will handle program decision appeals before the Graduate School may consider an appeal.

Graduate School appeals process

Graduate students who believe their appeal was not appropriately resolved at the school/college level may appeal to the Graduate School.

Appeals to the Graduate School should be based upon one or both of the following grounds:

• There was a procedural error that substantially affected the fairness or outcome of the school/college grievance or academic decision appeal process.
• The information in the record does not support the school/college decision.

If a student believes their appeal qualifies, they may file an official appeal of a school/college decision with the Graduate School:

1. You must submit an appeal within 14 calendar days of the school/college decision. 
2. You are encouraged to contact the Assistant Dean for Academic Services, ervin.cox@wisc.edu, to learn about the process, timelines, and to clarify any questions.
3. Email ervin.cox@wisc.edu with the following information:
   • Your contact information:
     • Name
     • Local address
     • University email address
     • Phone number
   • Your program name
   • Your degree level
   • The ground(s) upon which the appeal is based
     • For each ground stated, an explanation of why your appeal meets those criteria.
   • Copies of the department and school/college appeal decisions
   • Any other relevant communications

Upon receipt of your appeal:

• You will be notified in writing within 10 calendar days acknowledging receipt of the formal appeal and giving you a timeline for your appeal to be completed.
• The Graduate School will provide your program and school/college with a copy of your student’s appeal statement and associated documents. The program and school/college may submit a written response.
• The Dean of the Graduate School will appoint an advisory committee comprised of faculty and/or staff with the appropriate expertise to evaluate the appeal.
• The advisory committee will review your appeal, including all the materials previously submitted, and make a recommendation to the dean.
  • If necessary, the committee may request and review additional information relevant to the appeal from the student and/or program, department, school, or college before making a recommendation.
• The dean will issue the final decision in writing.

The time frame for a Graduate School appeal is within 30 calendar days in the fall and spring semester; appeals received in the summer may take up to 60 calendar days.