St. Petersburg College values due process and fundamental fairness in its policies and procedures. Students may appeal certain determinations made and actions taken by the college according to the Board of Trustees Student Grievances and Appeals Procedure. An appeal is a formal request asking for a change in a decision made. The Associate Provost, Associate Dean, designee or reviewing Committee will provide a decision in writing to the student within ten working days of the day the matter was lodged. This time period may be extended by the Associate Provost, Associate Dean, or designee in the event of extenuating circumstances.
Any appeal must be submitted no later than 60 days after the end of the term for which the change is requested. When submitting an appeal, please provide as much information and supporting documentation as possible. Appeals submitted after the deadline or without documentation may be automatically denied.
Enrollment Status Change: Change the grading basis in a class that you are currently enrolled in from audit to credit or credit to audit while in progress during the semester. This does not apply to senior waivers.
Reinstatement in a Course or Program: Seek reinstatement into a college course or academic program from which you were withdrawn for non-academic reasons.
Appeal Grade of C or Better: Retake a course one time if you have already earned a grade of C or better in that course. Appeals are only considered if the course is required for one of the following reasons:
Repeating a course to meet program requirements is either: (1) for the purpose of improving the grade to be considered for admission to a specific program, or (2) a significant length of time has elapsed since the course was originally taken and the student needs to update knowledge to meet current program requirements.
Fourth Attempt: Enroll in a course for a fourth attempt if an extenuating circumstance prevented the successful completion of a previous attempt at the course. Students are not allowed to withdraw from a fourth attempt and must receive an earned grade for the fourth attempt.
Final Grade Appeal: Once your final course grade has been submitted, if you believe this final grade was improperly, arbitrarily, or capriciously assigned, you may appeal the final grade (A, B, C, D, F) earned in a class. Before filing a formal appeal, you must first attempt to resolve the issue with your course faculty. Formal Grade Appeals must include evidence supporting the claim including the attempts to resolve the issue with the faculty. A committee including a chair, two faculty members and two students will review the evidence and make a final decision. Do not file this appeal if you are requesting a late withdrawal for a "W" grade.
Administrative Withdrawal: An administrative withdrawal is a request to discontinue the semester or course(s) due to extenuating circumstances. Appeals are considered for the following reasons:
Supporting documentation is required. Appeals for select courses within a term will be subject to higher scrutiny. Subsequent appeals for the same reason will not be considered unless new documentation is submitted confirming a change in circumstances.
If approved, this will result in a withdrawal with a refund (WR). A grade of WR will be placed on your permanent record and will count as an attempt at the course(s). A WR is subject to the college academic repeat policy—Board of Trustees Procedure P6Hx23-4.15. A committee will review the appeal and provide a written decision within ten working days from the submission date. This time period may be extended by the committee if needed. The decision of the committee is final.
Students may receive a refund for classes approved for an administrative withdrawal if the courses were paid for by the student directly. Financial Aid recipients may have their awards adhjusted due to the removal of the courses, and funds may be returned directly to the entity that paid the tuition and fees. In these instances, the student may receive a reduced refund or no refund at all.
The Associate Provost will provide a decision in writing to the student within ten working days of the day the appeal was lodged.
Late Withdrawal: Withdraw from a class after the last day to withdraw with a grade of W. Submission of supporting documentation of extenuating circumstances within the appeal is strongly recommended and may be required. This appeal will result in a grade of W. No refund will be issued.
Exclude Coursework from Grade Point Average Calculations: Exclude coursework completed at least ten years earlier from grade point average calculations. Requires a break of five years or more in continuous enrollment for this exclusion to apply. This request will result in the exclusion of all coursework completed during the same and previous academic terms.
In-State Tuition on Third Attempt: Request to pay in-state tuition on the third attempt of a class if an extenuating circumstance prevented the successful completion of a previous attempt at the course. Submission of supporting documentation of extenuating circumstances within the appeal is strongly recommended and may be required. This appeal can only be approved once per class.
Maximum Course Load: Appeal to enroll in more than 18 credits during the Fall or Spring term or more than 12 credits during the Summer term.
Readmission Decision: Seek readmission to the college following a suspension or dismissal.
A complaint can range from an experience with, or treatment by a college employee, to a matter relating to college facilities.