Grade Challenge Application

This form is to only be used to challenge grades in courses offered by the College of Science and Health (CSH). To challenge grades in non-CSH courses, please consult the appropriate home college or school for that course.

All correspondence realted to your grade challege application should be sent to CSHGradeChallenge@depaul.edu.

Student Contact Information

Enter your name, student ID, address, phone and e-mail contact information. The CSH Grade Challenge Board will use this information to communicate with you during the grade challenge process.

Challenged Course Information

Enter the grade you received and are now challenging.

Enter the course title or topic and provide the name of the course instructor.

Deserved Grade

By submitting this grade challenge application, you stipulate that you have read the appropriate grade challenge policy in your Student Handbook. You also acknowledge that you alone bear the burden of proof that there are sufficient grounds for challenging the grade you received. This proof includes a written statement detailing the specific grounds of the challenge and any supporting documentation, all of which must be submitted in hard copy form to the Office of the Dean. Any grade challenge submitted without supporting materials will be returned to you with a request to provide additional information.

Enter the grade that you believe you earned in the course.

Grade Challenge Grounds

Grades in courses may only be challenged on one or more of the following grounds. Check the box(es) next to the ground(s) you are basing your grade challenge on:

Grounds 1: Evaluation of performance

The methods or criteria for evaluating academic performance, made explicit by the instructor at the beginning of the course, usually in a course syllabus or as subsequently modified with the majority consent of the students, were not applied in determining the grade.

Grounds 2: Inappropriate criteria

The grade was determined or influenced by criteria other than those explained by the instructor or by criteria not relevant to academic performance.

Grounds 3: Unfair application of criteria

The instructor applied pre-determined criteria unfairly which may include, but not be limited to, the following items:

• The instructor's evaluation of academic performance so exceeded the reasonable limits of the instructor's discretion as not to be acceptable to the instructor's peers.
• Pre-determined criteria were not explained at the beginning of the term.
• The instructor unreasonably ignored the general policies on grading or the guidelines for dealing with plagiarism as stated in the current Faculty Handbook

Acknowledgement of Instructor Discussion

Before a grade challenge may proceed, you must discuss the matter with your course instructor to see if the issue can be resolved without going through the grade challenge process. In checking the box below, you acknowledge that you have discussed this matter with your course instructor but could not resolve the issues surrounding your final grade.

If your course instructor, however, is not at the university during the regular term following the one in which the challenged grade was issued, and hence not available for a discussion, check the box below.

Acknowledgement of Grade Challenge Application

By checking the box below, typing your name in lieu of your signature, and entering the date of this application, you understand that the decision of the CSH Grade Challenge Board is final and you will abide by its decision.  A copy of this form will be sent to you at the e-mail address you supplied above.