Academic Complaint & Appeal Policies

Student Complaint and Appeal Policies

Southeastern University has instituted the following procedures for student complaints and adheres to these procedures. All students are free to submit written complaints and appeals. Appeals and complaints are dealt with fairly and judiciously on a case-by-case basis. Students have the right of complaint and appeal in the following instances:

Transfer Credit Appeals

Transfer students have the right to appeal transfer credit decisions made by the Office of the Registrar. The student must write a letter of appeal accompanied by any additional documentation requested by the Office of the Registrar. The appeal will be reviewed by the appropriate academic department chair/college dean with additional documentation and the student will be notified of the decision rendered.

Course Appeals

A student who has an unresolved issue in a course after communicating with the instructor is encouraged to appeal to the Chair or Dean of the discipline of the course. If the student is unable to meet with the Chair or Dean, he/she may meet with the Registrar to receive assistance in bringing a resolution.

Advising/Registration/Degree Completion Appeals

If a student has an unresolved issue related to degree completion, application of transfer of credit toward degree requirements, or advising questions—and has not received satisfactory answers from their assigned Faculty or Staff Academic Advisor—they may appeal to the Director of Academic Advising. The Director will respond via email or schedule a meeting to review the student's concerns with the goal of ensuring successful degree completion. If the issue remains unresolved after this meeting, the student may escalate their appeal to the Provost for further resolution.

If there are issues related to the non-responsiveness of an advisor, students should contact advising@seu.edu.

Academic Suspension Appeals

A student may appeal an academic suspension if there are valid extenuating circumstances that contributed to poor academic performance. The student must submit a complete academic suspension appeal with supporting documentation addressed to the Academic Condition Committee by the deadline provided in the notice of suspension. If the appeal is granted, the student will be permitted to continue enrollment without a period of suspension, thereby continuing enrollment on academic probation. The student must agree to a set of conditions that must be met until the student has successfully raised the cumulative G.P.A. to the minimum of 2.0. If the student fails to meet one or more of the conditions, an academic suspension dismissal notice will be issued.

Course Registration Appeals

Course drops after a semester drop/add deadline are not permitted without a written appeal from the student to the Office of the Registrar. The appeal must contain reasons that justify such an exception to the deadline. Students may submit a course drop appeal in JICS.  The outcome of a student appeal request will be based on the student’s financial aid awarded, the point in time during the semester, and other contributing factors. A class that has been attempted cannot be dropped without an approved written appeal after the add/drop deadline.

Late Registration Appeals

Late registration after the add/drop deadline is permitted only by the permission of the Registrar and requires a written appeal.  Students may submit a late registration appeal in JICS.

Grades and Quality Point Appeals

Students who wish to appeal a grade must do so within the immediate succeeding semester. Otherwise, the recorded grade is permanent. Appeals begin with the instructor, then the Department Chair over the course, then the Dean over the course, if necessary.