Grade Appeal and Grievance Procedure

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Final Course Grade Appeals
A student has the right to appeal a final course grade if one or more of the following reasons can be substantiated:

  • A grading decision was made on some basis other than the student’s course performance.
  • A grading decision was based on significantly different standards from those applied to other students in the same course in the same term with the same instructor.
  • A grading decision was based on a significant and unannounced departure from the course syllabus.
  • The student experienced a significant extenuating circumstance within the last 7 days of the course term that prevented the student from participating in class or submitting coursework.

Before initiating a grade appeal, the student is strongly encouraged to work directly with the course instructor to resolve the concern. Per the Grade Appeal Policy, if the student still chooses to appeal their final grade the student must complete, sign, and submit the school’s Grade Appeal Form by the 3rd day following the end of the term. The form must be accompanied by any relevant documentation to support the student’s reason for the appeal. The burden of proving the reason for the appeal rests solely with the student. An appeal cannot be made solely based on a disagreement with the instructor’s decisions. Students can obtain the Grade Appeal Form from their Dean/Director of Education or Registrar.

Grievance Procedure
Students are encouraged, at all times, to communicate their concerns to members of the faculty and administration. If a situation arises in which a student has a complaint or grievance the student must follow the following procedure, unless they are filing a Final Course Grade Appeal (above), and then the student skips immediately to Step 3; if the Dean/Director denies the appeal, the matter then proceeds to the Campus President under Step 4:

  1. Within 2 business days: Discuss the matter with his or her instructor, if applicable. If not resolved,
  2. Within the following 2 business days: Discuss the matter with the Program Director, if applicable. If not resolved,
  3. Within the following 2 business days: Discuss the matter with the Dean/Director of Education or Nursing. For nursing students enrolled in online courses, this step is directed to the Dean of Online Nursing. If not resolved,
  4. Within the following 2 business days: Discuss the matter with the Campus President.

If a student is still unable to resolve the issue, a written grievance statement along with supporting documentation may be submitted to the Campus President. The written statement should include the details of the student’s issue, a summary of the conversations the student had with individuals while following the above procedure, and an explanation as to why the student believes the issue remains unresolved.

The Campus President will schedule a grievance committee meeting within two (2) business days of receipt of the written grievance. Students are required to appear before the grievance committee. The Campus President will inform the student of the time and place to appear before the committee. The grievance committee has the responsibility of reaching a decision that is in balance with the best interest of both the student and the college/institute. Students will be notified in writing within three business days of the committee’s decision. Legal representation is not permitted because a grievance committee meeting is not considered a legal proceeding.

Further, students have the right to report any apparent inconsistencies with the application of the Grade Appeal and Grievance Procedure outlined in the school catalog. The request must be completed in writing and submitted to the college/institute Ombudsperson at: ombudsperson@edaff.com. The request must include a summary of the student’s grievance and any details and supporting documentation of the student’s conversation with campus staff regarding the grievance, and it must describe how the campus’ management of the grievance procedure was inconsistent with the school catalog. The Ombudsperson will research the student’s report as deemed appropriate, including requesting additional information from the student as needed, and render a final decision that is binding. The student will be notified in writing of the decision. If the resolution is unsatisfactory, the student may choose to address his or her concerns to the state licensing authority, the institutional accreditor, the programmatic accreditor, or other approving agencies, including the following:

The title and address of the state licensing authority is:
Tennessee Higher Education Commission 
312 Rosa Parks Avenue, 9th Floor 
Nashville, Tennessee 37243
(615)741-3605
www.tn.gov/thec

The title and address of the accrediting commission is:
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools & Colleges 
2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 302
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 247-4212
www.accsc.org

Student Complaint Procedure

Schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges must have a procedure and operational plan for handling student complaints. If a student does not feel that the school has adequately addressed a complaint or concern, the student may consider contacting the Accrediting Commission. All complaints reviewed by the Commission must be in written form and should grant permission for the Commission to forward a copy of the complaint to the school for a response. This can be accomplished by filing the ACCSC Complaint Form. The complainant(s) will be kept informed as to the status of the complaint as well as the final resolution by the Commission.

Please direct all inquiries to:
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools & Colleges 
2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 302, Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 247-4212
www.accsc.org | complaints@accsc.org

A copy of the ACCSC Complaint Form is available at the school and may be obtained by 
contacting complaints@accsc.org or at https://www.accsc.org/Student- Corner/Complaints.aspx.

The title and address for the programmatic accrediting body of the Associate Degree in Nursing program:
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) 
3390 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, Georgia 30326
(404) 975-5000
www.acenursing.com

The title and address for the state board approving agency for the Associate Degree in Nursing program:
Tennessee Board of Nursing 
665 Mainstream Drive, 2nd Floor 
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 532-5166 or 1-800-778-4123

The title and address for the programmatic accrediting agency for the Radiologic Technology program is:
Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology 
20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2850, Chicago, IL 60603-3181
Phone: (312) 704-5300
Fax: (312) 704-5304
www.jrcert.org

The title and address for the programmatic accrediting agencies for the Surgical Technology program are:
Accreditation Review Council on Education 
19751 East Mainstreet, Suite #339, Parker, CO 80138
Phone: (303) 694-9262
https://arcstsa.org/

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs 
8355 113th St North, #7709, Seminole, FL 33775
Phone: (727) 210-2350
www.caahep.org

If the student has been dismissed, the student will remain dismissed until the matter is resolved. If the matter is resolved in the student’s favor, the student will be reinstated at the next available course start date.

If the student’s eligibility for Financial Aid has been suspended, the student may remain in school during the Appeals process.

Kentucky Residents-Filing a Complaint with the Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education

To file a complaint with the Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education, a complaint shall be in writing and shall be filed on Form PE-24, Form to File a Complaint, accompanied, if applicable, by Form PE-25, Authorization for Release of Student Records. The form must be mailed to the following address:

Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education 
500 Mero Street, 4th Floor, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Forms may be located at http://www.kcpe.ky.gov/ 

Existence of the Kentucky Student Protection Fund

Pursuant to KRS 165A.450 All licensed schools, resident and nonresident, shall be required to contribute to a student protection fund. The fund shall be used to reimburse eligible Kentucky students, to pay off debts, including refunds to students enrolled or on leave of absence by not being enrolled for one (1) academic year or less from the school at the time of the closing, incurred due to the closing of a school, discontinuance of a program, loss of license, or loss of accreditation by a school or program.

Process for Filing a Claim Against the Kentucky Student Protection Fund

To file a claim against the Kentucky Student Protection Fund, each person filing must submit a signed and completed Form for Claims Against the Student Protection Fund, Form PE-38 and provide the requested information to the following address:

Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education
500 Mero Street, 4th Floor Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Form may be located at https://kcpe.ky.gov/Pages/Student-Resources.aspx