How to Appeal Your Nursing School Grade

You only get so many chances, in nursing school. A low enough grade may get you expelled, and students are typically only allowed to retake one class. But what if you feel like the grade you were given was unfair? What if you have provable, concrete evidence that your professor gave you biased treatment? In that case, you can appeal your grade to the higher-ups. This can be a grueling and time consuming process, but the option is available for those who truly feel wronged by the system. This article goes over how you can appeal your grade and what to consider.

Resolve things one-on-one

Before anything else, it would help to discuss things with your professor first. If you have issues with how you were graded, the course content or their teaching methods, you can bring this up one-on-one to see whether or not the situation can be addressed moving forward. It is far preferable to settle things personally when you can, rather than bringing it up as a time-consuming appeal case.

Collect and present demonstrable evidence

If neither side is willing to budge, then you may have to file an appeal. To even be considered, any claims must be backed up with clear evidence of unfair treatment. There are a number of reasons that are legitimate grounds for appealing your grade:

• The teacher simply marked your items incorrectly.
• Grading did not comply with school policy or procedures.
• The student was graded with clear bias based on race, ethnicity, marital status, nationality, religion, sex, gender, disability status or age.
• The professor was behaving unethically or violated a student’s rights somehow.

It is impossible to proceed further without incontrovertible proof. For example, say that you suspect that your professor is marking you down just for being gay. You need to show evidence that points to this. You could collate a list of different grades, organize them by “gay’ and “straight’ to compare and contrast. Even then, you may have to dive into the nuts and bolts with individual test results.

Follow the appeal process

If you cannot sort things with your professor, you have to file an appeal to present your case up the chain of command, until it is resolved. Different schools have different appeal processes, which are usually outlined in the student handbook. You want to be sure that you follow this step-by-step process accordingly or your request may fall on deaf ears. Every step of the way, you want to record who you spoke to regarding this case, and when. This lets you maintain a consistent timeline of events, for when you have to present a case. If faculty asks you to submit documentation, keep a copy of each document to maintain that consistency.

Is it worth it?

If a student successfully appeals their grade, the dividends are enormous. They get to raise their GPA, avoid failing out of class and continue pursuing their dreams of furthering their nursing education. None of this is a given, however. Appealing your grade is a lengthy and stressful process that will take time away from studying or your hobbies. If your appeal fails or it turns out that your professor graded you correctly, all that extra effort would have been for naught. Your grades may even get lower, depending on what they find. This may fracture your relationship with your teacher as well, who would also be deeply affected by the ordeal.

Appeals need concrete evidence that shows that your teacher was treating you unfairly, and how that treatment extended your academics. Even when your case seems bulletproof, there is no guarantee that your request will be accepted or even heard. When you pursue an appeal, you need to be absolutely sure that you are in the right. If you can help it, however, it is best to resolve things behind closed doors.