Appeals

1. For graduate students/prospective students who are denied admission or declared ineligible to re-enter/continue, an appeal to this committee is the only way to gain entry or reentry into the Graduate School. According to the University Catalog, this kind of appeal must be made in accordance with the following procedures:  

• the graduate student/prospective graduate student must submit a letter of petition to the Graduate School   
• this letter of petition should be addressed to the Committee on Graduate Student Appeals  

• this letter of petition should address the following questions:  
• What happened? Explain to the committee what happened to cause the need for this appeal.  
• Why did it happen? Explain to the committee what factors contributed to these circumstances.  
• What have you learned and what will you do differently now? Explain to the committee what you have learned from this situation. Perhaps more importantly, what corrective actions will you take in the future to avoid the circumstances described here? What have you done to resolve any contributing factors identified in your appeal?  
• additional documentation (e.g., letters of support and/or supporting documentation) may be included with this letter of petition  
• if appealing for reinstatement, your letter of petition should be uploaded as you complete the Petition of Appeal to the Graduate Council Appeals Standing Committee Webform 
• if appealing for reinstatement, your letter of petition should be uploaded as you complete the Petition of Appeal to the Graduate Council Appeals Standing Committee Webform  
• a copy of the letter of petition will be provided by the Graduate School to the graduate coordinator for the program where the student/prospective student was or wishes to be  
• the graduate coordinator shall return a letter of response to the Graduate School that includes the decision of the program-level committee charged with responding to appeals  
• the departmental letter of response must include a justification and may recommend support for the appeal, support with conditions, or denial of support  
• the appeal will not be heard until this departmental letter of response is received  
• if appealing as a non-degree-seeking entree or master's +30 graduate student, a departmental letter of response is not required  
• Receipt of the letter of petition shall serve as official notification to the Graduate School that an admission/reinstatement appeal has been initiated.  

2. Similarly, a graduate student who wishes to transfer credits earned at a non-U.S. institution:  

• must complete the “Application for Use of Transfer Graduate Credits” form and submit it to the Graduate School  
• must provide official transcripts from the non-U.S. institution(s) that awarded the credits  

Receipt of the completed graduate credit transfer form (with approval of the graduate coordinator) and official transcripts shall serve as official notification to the Graduate School that an international transfer credit appeal has been initiated.  

3. And, finally, a graduate student/prospective student seeking academic amnesty must provide:  

• a letter of application that sets forth the reason and justification for the amnesty request (send via email to megan.trahan@louisiana.edu)  
• a letter of support, with any conditions deemed necessary, from the graduate coordinator for the program to which the applicant is seeking admission (and endorsed by the Department Head and Dean of the College)  
• all other materials required for graduate admission  

Please take care to review the Amnesty Policy online at Academic Amnesty | University of Louisiana at Lafayette (and in the University Catalog at https://catalog.louisiana.edu/content.php?catoid=12&navoid=3140) for the guidelines governing academic amnesty.  

Receipt of the letter of application shall serve as official notification to the Graduate School that an amnesty appeal has been initiated. 

Students who are not in regular admission status are ineligible to hold assistantships. A department or other campus unit may submit an appeal to the Dean of the Graduate School to offer an assistantship to a graduate student admitted conditionally. The Dean may rule independently on these appeals or refer them to the Graduate Council Standing Committee on Graduate Appeals; decisions of the Dean may be appealed to the committee.  
 

Only graduate degree programs (through the graduate coordinator), the Permanent Investigator of a research grant, or other campus hiring authority may appeal to offer an assistantship to a graduate student who is not in regular admission status; graduate students themselves may not initiate an assistantship appeal. Contact the Graduate School for deadlines and required materials for these requests. 

A graduate student who wishes to transfer credits older than six years must submit a request in writing for a time extension to their graduate coordinator. If the graduate coordinator approves the transfer appeal, a notation of approval is submitted to the Graduate School for action by the Dean. 

A graduate student who does not complete a degree within the specified time (six years for a master’s degree or seven years for a doctorate) must submit a request in writing for a time extension to their graduate coordinator. If the graduate coordinator approves the time extension appeal, a notation of approval is submitted to the Graduate School for action by the Dean. 

When a graduate student who feels that they have received an unfair and/or capricious final grade in a course initiates a grade appeal, the Graduate School is not immediately involved. Rather, the Grade Appeals Committee hears these appeals and the University’s “Guidelines for Appealing Unfair and/or Capricious Final Grades” governs this appeal process. 

When a graduate student is accused of or has been disciplined for violating any rule or regulation of the Board of Supervisors, the University, or its various divisions, the Graduate School is not directly involved (though notification is sent to the Graduate School). Rather, this process is handled by the Dean of Students and the Student Discipline Committee. Graduate students have the right to appeal any sanction or probation or suspension, dismissal, or expulsion. Information on this process can be found in the University’s “Code of Student Conduct and Appeal Procedures.” 

When a graduate student initiates a tuition and fee appeal to request that the tuition/fee charges for a particular semester be removed from their account, again the Graduate School is not directly involved. Rather, the Registrar’s Office manages this process, and the appeal is considered by the University’s Fee Committee. These kinds of appeals may be filed for situations beyond the student’s control (e.g., medical emergencies, military obligations, transferring to another institution, or personal hardships). The policy and procedures governing this appeal process can be found online on the Office of the Registrar’s website.