Academic Policies and Appeals Process

If you are having issues and don't think you can be successful in your class or classes, please talk to someone as soon as possible.  

• Start with your professor to see what your options are to get some sort of assistance so that you can complete your work and earn a passing grade.
• If you feel you cannot continue, please follow registrar procedures to withdraw, but don't wait too late to make that decision.  Be mindful of the mid-point of the semester.
• If you pass the mid-point of the semester do your best to work through the issues and get the best grade possible.  WF and F grades are very damaging to your GPA.
• If you need help navigating the policies and processes contact Nikki Palamiotis, Assistant Dean of the Graduate College at npalamio@kennesaw.edu.

Graduate students are expected to maintain at least a 3.00 GPA to be in "good academic standing".  That's a B average.  Falling below 3.00 can lead to being placed on probation or possibly dismissed from the university.  

If your GPA falls below 3.00 you will be place on probation and you will have two semesters to get your GPA back to at least 3.00.  If after two semesters your GPA is not back to 3.00 you may be dismissed.  
If you are on probation you must make at least a 3.00 GPA each semester that you are on probation or you may be dismissed.
If you have a GPA of less than 2.00 (less than a C average) in any semester you may be dismissed.
Keep in mind your GPA and Academic Standing may also affect your financial aid and eligibility to hold a graduate assistantship. 

Current Graduate Catalog

• You can withdraw from classes prior to the "Last Day to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty" (see registrars site for dates) and your grade in that class will be a "W", which does not compute in your GPA.
• If you withdraw AFTER the "Last Day to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty" your grade will be a "WF" which WILL compute in your GPA the same as an F.  
• There is a process for Administrative Emergency Withdrawals through the Office of the Dean of Students. This link takes you to their page with the details.

Appeals of graduate admissions decisions at Kennesaw State University are made to the Dean of The Graduate College. KSU Graduate Catalog, “Graduate Admissions.”  This memorandum details the process such appeals will follow.

1. Notice to applicants.  Applicants will be apprised of their ability to appeal admissions decisions through postings on the University’s Office of Graduate Admissions and The Graduate College’s websites, as well as contemporaneously with admissions decisions.
   
   1. Website Posting. The Office of Graduate Admissions website will prominently feature a link regarding admissions appeals, which will link to an explanation of the appeals process.  This will also be included on The Graduate College’s website under web resources for graduate students.
   2. Notification of Admissions Decisions. Contemporaneously with notifications of admissions decisions, applicants will be informed of their ability to appeal those decisions and directed to the University’s web resources detailing the appeals process.

1. Basis for appeal. Appeals of admissions decisions may follow different processes based on the grounds of the appeal.
   1. Discrimination. If the applicant believes her or his admissions decision is impermissibly based upon the applicant’s real or perceived gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, spiritual beliefs, physical abilities, racial and ethnic background, and economic status, the applicant may directly contact the University’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion at 470-578-2614.
   2. Other basis. If the applicant wishes to appeal his or her admissions decision based on other factors, the applicant needs to submit a written appeal to the Dean of The Graduate College.
      
      
2. Written Appeal. Within thirty (30) days of the mailing date of the admissions decision, the applicant may file an appeal. The graduate school appeal letter should, at a minimum, contain the following:

   1. . An explanation of the admissions decision;

   2. An explanation of why the applicant believes the decision was incorrect;

   3. Identification of any evidence the applicant believes supports her or his position. The applicant may be asked to provide this information to permit The Graduate College to process his or her appeal;

   4. Any other information the applicant believes is relevant to her or his appeal.

      Effective appeals will typically involve information the applicant may not have provided in his or her original application, but which might have influenced the University’s decision regarding her or his application. 

      For example, following notification of an unsuccessful application, an applicant for the Master of Science in Criminal Justice might speak to a professor regarding his or her application.  During that conversation, the applicant notes her or his five (5) years of successful service as a law enforcement officer.  The professor notes this was not included in the original application and states the program faculty might believe it relevant to their consideration of the application.  The professor then suggests the applicant file an appeal, providing specific evidence of his or her successful law enforcement record and an explanation of why the applicant believes it contributes to his or her strength as a graduate student in that discipline.

      Please note The Graduate College is unlikely to be influenced by arguments in which the applicant is challenging the judgment of a program’s faculty regarding particular aspects of the program’s application.  This is particularly true regarding the faculty’s assessment of an applicant’s undergraduate grade point average or his or her scores on an admissions examination required by the program (e.g., GRE, MAT) or the weight to give such items in the faculty’s evaluation of the applicant.

3. Submission of Appeal. The appeal may be submitted electronically, as an attachment, or in writing to The Graduate College. It should be submitted to:

Assistant Dean for Graduate Students
3391 Town Point Dr. NW
Room 2809, MD 9106
Kennesaw, GA 30144

gradcollegeforms@kennesaw.edu

 The Graduate College will acknowledge receipt of the appeal electronically or through US Mail. 

Upon receipt of the appeal, The Graduate College will identify an appropriate process for reviewing the appeal. This process may vary based upon the grounds of the appeal(such as a need to solicit input from the graduate program faculty). After identifying and receiving information and evidence relevant to the appeal, The Graduate College will empanel a group of at least three (3) members of the University’s Graduate Faculty to review the appeal. The Graduate Faculty members will make a recommendation regarding the appeal to the Dean of The Graduate College.

In the absence of exceptional circumstances, within fourteen (14) of the receipt of the appeal, the Dean of The Graduate College will issue a decision regarding the appeal. It will be communicated to the applicant through U.S. or electronic mail.

Appeal of The Graduate College’s Decision. Within fourteen (14) days of the mailing date of the Dean’s decision, the applicant may appeal The Graduate College’s determination by sending a written appeal to the Provost of Kennesaw State University.