4.3 Policy on Disputed Grades

The presumption in the administration of grades at Scripps is that professors alone are qualified to evaluate the quality of the academic work of the students in their courses.

A student can only pursue a grade dispute if they can present evidence of factual error, violation of the terms of the syllabus or of an assignment prompt, or of discrimination.

Students will follow this procedure:

• The student must first discuss the matter with the professor.
• If the outcome of that discussion is not satisfactory, the student will consult with the Associate Dean of Faculty. If the Associate Dean of Faculty finds, based on the evidence the student has provided, that there are grounds for further investigation, one of two options may be available to the student:

The student may ask the Associate Dean of Faculty to contact the professor and discuss the student’s claim and evidence. If, following these discussions, the claims of the student and professor are still unreconciled, the student may request that the Associate Dean of Faculty arrange for a group meeting of themself, the Dean of Students, the professor, and the Dean of Faculty for a more formal discussion. After this discussion, the Dean of Faculty will work with the professor on a resolution. The professor will make the final determination.

The student may pursue a claim of discrimination by contacting the Title IX office if they believe that discrimination was involved.

Please refer to Section 4.4 for policies governing academic dishonesty and grade disputes in cross-registration situations.

[faculty approved: 11/17/2022]