Grade Appeal Letter

When a student receives a low grade which he considers to be unfair for reasons he can document, it makes sense to write a grade appeal letter. Most colleges and universities have a specific process that must be followed in order for a grade appeal to be considered. In many cases the letter would be addressed to the dean of the college, but there could also be an appeals board that would receive the letter. When possible, it is a good idea to personally deliver the letter to the appropriate individual.

Format and Content

The date, student ID number, name of the course in question, name of the professor and the grade that is being disputed are items that should be included in a grade appeal letter format. It is important that the letter be as brief as possible while still presenting all relevant facts. Leave emotions out of the equation and make the letter polite and respectful.

Sample

This grade appeal letter sample is from a second year law student who is disputing a grade he received in a Contracts II Course. The student’s professor was ill for much of the semester which caused him to be absent from class. The professor’s absences negatively impacted this student and he feels his poor grade in the course is a result of the professor’s inability to focus his full attention on teaching the course due to his health issues.

Dear Dean Brown,

My name is Aaron Smith and I am a 2nd year law student here at ABC University School of Law. I am writing to appeal the grade I received in my Contracts II Course for Fall Semester. I believe there were situations that were beyond my control that contributed to my low grade, and had circumstances been more typical of a normal Contracts II Course I would have scored a much higher grade than the D that was posted.

As you know, Dr. Phillip Lee has experienced some serious health problems over the last 3 months. While I am very sympathetic to Dr. Lee’s health issues and wish him all the best for a full recovery, I do not think it is right that his health problems should mar my otherwise stellar record at ABC. Out of 24 lecture classes scheduled fall semester, Dr. Lee missed 15 which is over half.

We had no book for the class, only lecture notes. Our syllabus indicated that we would have 6 tests that counted for 10% of our grade and a final exam that would count for 40%. We only had 2 tests, each counting 10% of our grade and the final exam counted for 80%! There were items on the final that were never covered in class. I know for a fact that the highest grade in the class was a C and that I am not the only student filing an appeal.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would look at my record at ABC University School of Law along with Dr. Lee’s attendance in class and reconsider my grade in this Contracts II Course. I am happy to do extra work over the fall break and take the other tests we were never given. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Aaron Smith