Admission Denial Appeal Process
Applicants denied admission to a graduate program may appeal the decision within five days of receiving the admission decision. The appeal must be based on the grounds that the denial was a violation of the admissions policy and procedure or that the applicant’s application was not evaluated in accordance with the criteria for admission set forth by the intended graduate program/department. Denials to graduate programs with restricted admissions based on their capacity to effectively serve students may not be appealed.
Students may appeal their admission decision by completing an application for appeal of an admission decision. This form is published on The Graduate School Forms website. The appeal should include any supporting documentation that supports the appeal.
Any appeal of an admission decision to a graduate program shall be submitted in writing to the advisor for the program. The advisor shall have 10 work days to respond in writing to the appeal. If the applicant is not satisfied with the decision, he or she may appeal in writing to the chairperson of the department. The chairperson shall respond in writing within 10 work days. The next level of appeal is the dean of the college in which the program is located. The dean will respond in writing within 10 work days of receiving the appeal. The final level of appeal will be the Admission Appeal Subcommittee of the Graduate Council. The subcommittee will respond in wiring within 10 work days of receiving the appeal. The decision of the committee is final.
Any appeal of an admission decision to a professional program shall be submitted in writing to respective program’s Office of the Dean. The Dean, or designee, shall have 10 work days to respond in writing to the appeal. Since professional programs are capacity limited, further appeals are not available.
Appeals must be received prior to the term for which the applicant is seeking admission. If there is insufficient time to complete the appeal process before the beginning of the term for which the applicant seeks admission, the admission semester may be moved to the subsequent semester so the case may be reviewed.