2026-27 Undergraduate Academic Catalog | Academic Policies and Procedures

Academic Grievance Policy

The Faculty of Roberts Wesleyan University determine and enforce the academic standards of the University. Sometimes, however, students believe that they have been treated unfairly or inequitably by a faculty member or program/department. Students should first attempt to resolve such disagreements informally. [The University abides by a six-month statute of limitations for initiating grievance resolution.]

  • If informal discussion with a faculty member about what is perceived to be unfair or inequitable treatment does not result in an acceptable solution, the student should contact the faculty member’s Program Director or Department Chair to discuss next steps. If the faculty member in question is a Program Director, the student should contact the Department Chair, if there is one, or the School Dean if not. If the faculty member in question is a Department Chair, the student should contact the School Dean. If the faculty member in question is a School Dean, the student should contact the Chief Academic Officer.
  • If informal discussion with the relevant program/department representatives about what is perceived to be unfair or inequitable treatment does not result in an acceptable solution, the student should contact the Program Director, if applicable, or Department Chair to discuss next steps. If the Program Director is directly involved in the situation, or there is no program director, the student should contact the Department Chair or School Dean if there is no Department Chair. If the Department Chair is directly involved, the student should contact the School Dean. If the School Dean is directly involved, the student should contact the Chief Academic Officer.
  • If informal discussion with the department chair or program director does not result in an acceptable solution, then they should contact the Dean of the faculty member’s school.

If there is still no acceptable resolution after exhausting all departmental/program resolution options, the student may file a formal College Student Academic Grievance within ten business days when the College offices are open.*

Student academic grievances may originate with complaints such as the following: a perceived violation, misinterpretation, or inequitable application of course or program requirements; unfair or inequitable treatment by a faculty member; unfair or inequitable application of grading policies; and the like.

Steps to initiate and resolve a formal College Student Academic Grievance

  1. The student shall, within ten business days when the University offices are open.* submit a formal, written grievance to the Dean of the School in which the Department/Program is housed using the University Student Academic Grievance Form. [The Chair/Program Director or designee will ensure the student understands exactly what needs to be done at each step throughout the process.]

  2. The Chair/Program Director of the relevant Department/Program shall document in writing the steps previously taken at the Department/Program level to resolve the grievance and submit this record to the School Dean, who forwards this record to the appointed Dean mentioned in step 3.

  3. A Dean from a different School rotated by alphabetical order per grievance shall, within ten business days of receiving the written grievance, when the University offices are open* appoint and convene an Ad Hoc Committee composed of:
    • Four faculty members from 4 different programs or departments from at least 2 different Schools chosen in consultation with the Deans of those schools. Only one faculty member may, but need not, come from the School of the faculty member mentioned in the grievance, even the relevant Department/Program in this School. To assure impartiality, faculty members included in the informal process to resolve the complaint, or who have experiences with the student that may hinder impartiality (e.g. close personal friendship or prior grievances) should not be appointed to the committee.
    • A student representative appointed by the Student Association (typically either President or Vice-President), or, in Nontraditional or Graduate programs, by the relevant Department Chair/Program Director. To assure impartiality, the student appointee shall not currently be enrolled in courses with the student and shall not be in the same academic program (for traditional programs) or program cohort (for degree completion and graduate programs). Further the student appointee should not have had experiences with the student that may hinder impartiality.

  1. As soon as the Ad Hoc Committee is appointed, the members shall receive from the appointed Dean a copy of the student’s written grievance and a summary of the previous meeting(s) seeking informal resolution.
  1. At the first meeting convened by the appointed Dean, one of the faculty members shall be designated as Convener and Chair for subsequent meetings. The Committee will then:
    • Review the materials.
    • Decide what additional information is needed.
    • Decide who, in addition to the student and relevant faculty member, should be interviewed – e.g., additional faculty, a representative from Student Life, representative from Registration, etc.
    • Schedule a second meeting to consider the additional information and interview those asked to attend. [The second meeting may, in some cases, be scheduled for the same day as the first meeting.] Depending on the nature of the incident and grievance, the student and faculty member may appear separately or together.

  1. The Ad Hoc Committee shall then deliberate and make a ruling, using a simple majority vote.

(1) The appointed Dean will attend this meeting and participate in the discussion but will not vote. Once a decision has been made, the appointed Dean will send a written communication to the student, advisor, relevant department chair/program director, the affected faculty member and the CAO. (Steps 3-5 should be completed within ten business days when the College offices are open.*)

(2)  If the decision is not appealed to the CAO, the Appointed Dean and the School Dean will meet with the Department Chair/Program Director and faculty member (if relevant) within ten business days when the University offices are open to ensure that the practical consequences of the decision are implemented in a fair, timely fashion.

  1. Any further appeal shall be filed with the Chief Academic Officer (or appropriate designee). The role of the CAO is not to “retry” the case. The CAO’s role is to ensure that policy was followed, the process was free from bias, and that the committee considered all relevant options. To this end, the CAO retains the right to consult with the student, the committee, and/or additional personnel relevant to the situation.
    • Once the Chief Academic Officer has made a final decision, the student, appointed dean, school dean, department chair/program director, advisor, and faculty member (if relevant) shall be notified in writing within ten business days when the University offices are open.* Note: either the student or CAO may request a meeting to receive and review the CAO’s final decision.
    • The school dean will work with the Department Chair/Program Director and faculty member (if relevant) to ensure practical consequences of the final decision are implemented in a fair timely fashion.
  1. Once the grievance is resolved, proceedings of the meetings involved shall be filed in the Dean’s office. If the process involves the Chief Academic Officer, the proceedings of the meetings shall also be filed in that Office.
  2. Retaliation (any targeted, punitive action) by anyone against a student for initiating a grievance under this policy, for supporting a student filing a grievance, or for participating in the grievance process is strictly prohibited. Regardless of the merits of the original grievance, retaliation is a serious offense that can lead to disciplinary action.

*Ten business days refers to ten days when the College offices are open.

Distance Education and State Authorization (NC-SARA)

Roberts Wesleyan University (RWU) is an approved participant in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. NC-SARA participation enables RWU to offer distance education courses and programs to students residing in other SARA-member states and territories without obtaining individual state authorization in each state.

RWU's participation in NC-SARA is administered through the New York State Education Department (NYSED), which serves as the SARA State Portal Entity (SPE) for New York institutions.

SARA and Out-of-State Distance Education Students

Students enrolled in distance education courses or programs at Roberts Wesleyan University who reside outside of New York State may have certain consumer protections afforded to them under NC-SARA policies. RWU's participation in NC-SARA means that NYSED, as the SARA State Portal Entity for New York, is responsible for overseeing RWU's compliance with SARA policies and for investigating and resolving eligible complaints filed against RWU by out-of-state distance education students.

Please note: SARA policies do not cover complaints related to grades or student conduct violations. These matters are governed by RWU's internal academic and student conduct policies.

SARA Student Complaint Process

Roberts Wesleyan University is committed to resolving student concerns through its internal complaint and grievance procedures. Students are encouraged to first utilize RWU's internal processes before filing an external complaint.

Step 1 — Internal Resolution: Students should follow RWU's internal complaint and grievance procedures. [Link to RWU Internal Complaint Procedures]

Step 2 — NC-SARA Complaint Process: If a complaint cannot be resolved through RWU's internal procedures, students may submit a complaint through the NC-SARA student complaint process: https://www.nc-sara.org/sara-student-complaints-0

Step 3 — NYSED Appeal: If all institutional procedures have been followed, all avenues of appeal have been exhausted, and documentation has been provided confirming that such procedures were exhausted and the matter remains unresolved, the student has the right to file a complaint with the New York State Education Department as the SARA State Portal Entity for Roberts Wesleyan University.

Students may appeal an institutional decision to NYSED within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made. Complaints about Roberts Wesleyan University must be submitted to NYSED; complaints may not be submitted to the SARA State Portal Entity of another state.

NYSED SARA Student Complaint Process: https://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/sara-student-complaint-process

Professional Licensure Disclosures

Roberts Wesleyan University offers academic programs designed to prepare students for professional licensure or certification in fields including, but not limited to, Teacher Education, Social Work, Psychology, Occupational Therapy, and Nursing. In accordance with federal regulations (34 CFR §668.14 and §668.43, effective July 1, 2024) and the SARA Policy Manual (Version 25.2), RWU has made program-specific determinations regarding whether its licensure-leading programs meet the educational requirements for licensure or certification in U.S. states and territories where it enrolls or recruits students.

These program-specific determinations are publicly available on RWU's Professional Licensure Disclosure and Outcomes webpage. Students are encouraged to review the disclosure applicable to their program and state of residence prior to enrollment.

Professional Licensure Disclosure and Outcomes: https://www.roberts.edu/about/student-consumer-information/professional-licensure-disclosure-and-outcomes/

Students enrolled in a distance education program leading to professional licensure who reside in a state where RWU's program has been determined to not meet — or has not been determined to meet — the educational requirements for licensure in that state will receive an individualized disclosure from the Office of Registration and will be required to complete a Student Attestation of Professional Licensure or Certification prior to enrollment. Questions regarding professional licensure disclosures should be directed to the Office of Registration.