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Academic Appeals

When a student believes a faculty member has treated him or her unfairly related to a course taught or grade received in a course for which the student is registered, the student is encouraged to speak with the faculty member regarding their concern and attempt to reach a mutual agreement. Under very rare circumstances, a student and faculty member may not be able to resolve a matter through informal conversation, or a student may wish to appeal a decision made by the faculty committee of their school (Academic Affairs Committee for the School of Counseling and Faculty Council for the School of Ministry). In a case where a student desires to appeal a decision, the following appeal procedure should be utilized.

The written notice of appeal must contain the following:

  1. A copy of the decision being appealed;
  2. A written statement of the grounds for appeal, which at a minimum should contain a list of alleged errors in the decision or procedure and statement of why the decision or sanctions are in error;
  3.  Documentation (if appropriate) to support the student’s position regarding the alleged errors;
  4. A requested remedy; and
  5. The signature of the student and date the appeal is being submitted.

The student will give a copy of the statement to the faculty member (if the appeal is related to a specific grade) and the Dean of their respective School and attempt to discuss and resolve the matter with the faculty member. If the complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student and faculty member, the student has the right to appeal directly to the Dean. If the complaint is not resolved by the Dean to the satisfaction of the parties involved, the student has the right to request the referral of the matter to the faculty committee of their school.

Faculty committees receive complaints only by referral from the Dean of their school. The Academic Affairs Committee or Faculty Council will meet to discuss the student’s written complaint and may request an interview with him or her to gain greater clarity. After the Committee makes their determination, the Dean will respond in writing to the student and any other parties involved in the decision. All appeals must be received within 30 calendar days from the date that the grade was submitted to the CAMS Student Portal or 30 calendar days from the notification of the decision by the institutional body to which the student desires to appeal. If the complaint cannot be settled at the Academic Affairs Committee (School of Counseling) or Faculty Council (School of Ministry) level, a student may appeal to the Provost.

If the complaint cannot be settled at the institutional level, a student at the Atlanta campus may contact:
Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
2082 East Exchange Place, Suite 220
Tucker, GA 30084-5305
770.414.3300
GNPEC Complaint Form

A student at the Chattanooga or Online campuses may contact:
Tennessee Higher Education Commission
312 Rosa Parks Ave, 9th Floor
Nashville, TN 32743-0830
615.741.3605

Reapplying to Richmont after being dismissed is not considered an appeal of the dismissal decision. In this scenario, a student would be able to apply for readmission to the institution one year after dismissal or the time frame specified in the dismissal letter. Dismissal letters will also state any specific stipulations required in order to reapply to Richmont. Reapplication after dismissal does not guarantee that a student will be readmitted to the institution.