The awarding of grades and all other academic evaluations rests entirely with the faculty of Columbia, and students have the right to understand how their grades were determined. If a student has a concern relating to a particular grade or other assessment of his or her academic work, the student first should speak with the instructor of the class to understand how the grade or other evaluation was determined and to inquire about the specific concern. If the student does not feel comfortable speaking with the class instructor about the matter, he or she should bring the issue to the attention of the department chair, the director of undergraduate studies, or his or her advising dean in order to seek advice on how best to address the issue.

If a student believes that there has been a procedural breach in the determination of a final grade, the student can take the following steps:

Step 1

The student should ask the instructor for information about how the grade was determined. This information is usually sufficient to clarify and conclude the matter.

It is important to note that instructors have a great deal of autonomy with regard to their methods of instruction and their criteria for grading. The way that one instructor assesses and grades students in a class may be very different from the way that another instructor assesses and grade students in a class, and those differences in approaches to teaching and grading can be a normal part of the University culture.

It may be the case that a student is disappointed if a final grade for a course is lower than the student expected, and yet the grade is also appropriate according to the instructor's evaluation. This is not a cause for a grade grievance: rather, students in this situation would be encouraged to talk with the instructor about how to improve the work in that class or in similar classes, and also encouraged to talk with their advising deans about their concerns more generally in order to better understand the academic context for the matter.

If a student believes that the information provided by the instructor seems to reflect a procedural error of some kind, the student should first point out the perceived error to the instructor. If there is disagreement between the student and instructor about whether a procedural error has occurred, then the student can pursue further discussions about the matter with other advisers (see below).

Step 2

If student continues to have concerns about whether a procedural error has occurred, the student can can consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) in the relevant academic department or program about the matter.

Students do not need to be declared majors or concentrators in a department or program in order to consult with a Director of Undergraduate Studies: the DUS is responsible for supporting the overall academic experience of undergraduate students in the courses offered in the department or program.

If a student has a concern about a foreign language class in particular, it may be better to consult with the relevant Director of Language Program (DLP) of that academic department or language program.

If, after consultation about the details of the matter, the Director of Undergraduate Studies or Director of Language Program determines that a procedural error has not occurred in the instructor's determination of the final grade, the matter is usually considered to be concluded. Again, a student may be disappointed with the outcome of the consultation, but the DUS (or DLP) is considered an authoritative voice in matters of undergraduate instruction in a department or program.

Step 3

If a student continues to have concerns, the student can consult the Dean of Academic Affairs of the College. Students should understand that the dean supports the principle of faculty authority in matters of instruction and grading, given the expertise of instructors in their fields, the autonomy of instructors in their teaching methods, and the academic freedom of faculty in the construction and instruction of their courses. So students should be aware that the dean is not in a position to second-guess the way that work in particular classes has been evaluated, and that it is quite rare for the dean to raise further questions once the DUS and/or Chair of a department or program has assessed the situation and made a determination.

The dean will, however, want to know of possible procedural errors, to help if a situation warrants further conversation with an instructor or a DUS, or to talk if a student needs help in accepting the outcome of the inquiries.

After meeting with the student, the dean will determine if any further consultation with the faculty would be appropriate and useful. If the dean determines that no further consultations are warranted, the decision will be final. If the dean does consult with the instructor and/or DUS and confirms that no procedural breach has occurred and that the final grade was appropriate within the instructor's course, the student will be informed and the decision will be final.

A grade grievance for a final grade in a course must be pursued within thirty (30 days) following the awarding of the final grade. Grade grievances after this time frame will not be considered. Grade grievances through the College will be considered only for final grades in a course, not for individual assignments.

The College is committed to ensuring that classes offer our undergraduate students a valuable intellectual experience. Some of that value comes from the experience of being challenged, not only to stretch one's knowledge and skills to more advanced levels, but also to question one's assumptions and preconceptions about academic fields and their larger contexts. It is the nature of challenges to be difficult and sometimes uncomfortable, but we hope that students will recognize these hard moments as evidence of their intellectual and personal growth, and students are encouraged to talk with instructors and advisers in these moments to have assistance and insight into the best ways to approach these challenges.

However, on occasion, a student may encounter a challenge that seems to go beyond the discomfort that would be considered a normal part of the challenging nature of advanced coursework. If a student has a concern about whether the material in a class or the dynamic of a class has been handled appropriately by an instructor, students are encouraged to consult their advising deans right away. It may be possible to remedy the situation at the time and improve the experience for student and instructor for the remainder of the course, or there may be other steps that the student or College administrators may want to take.

The rights, duties, and obligations for faculty in their instructional capacities are delineated in the Faculty Handbook, and the description of the expectations for an appropriate learning environment is quoted here for reference:

The University seeks to provide a learning environment that promotes intellectual inquiry and analytical thinking. In pursuit of those goals and the objectives of their courses, faculty may find it necessary to engage their students in discussions about issues that are contentious and emotionally charged, to respond critically to students’ reasoning, and to challenge them to reexamine deeply held beliefs. Faculty should allow the free expression of opinions within the classroom that may be different from their own and should not permit any such differences to influence their evaluations of their students. This is an important part of the faculty’s responsibility to their students and the educational mission of the University, but it must be done with civility, tolerance, and respect for ideas that differ from their own. When students feel that one of their instructors has not met that requirement, they are encouraged to resolve the problems directly with the faculty member but may instead turn to the department chair or dean. They may also seek a formal hearing of their complaints against the faculty member under the grievance procedures of their school. Each school has its own procedures for evaluating student complaints about the conduct of their instructors. These are posted on the individual school’s website and may also be obtained by contacting the office of its dean or visiting this list of grievance procedures for students.

Step 1

Students should first consult their advising deans, who can help provide context and can help clarify the nature of the concerns, and then help students prepare for a conversation with the instructor. Students may want to work with their advisers to prepare notes about their concerns and to consider the most effective ways to present their concerns to others.

Step 2

Students should arrange a time to have a conversation with the instructor; it may be best to schedule a time outside of office hours to ensure a set period of time to allow a full conversation. Students are encouraged to be direct about their concerns but not accusatory toward the instructor, in case there is a sincere misunderstanding or miscommunication at the heart of the concern; it may be very illuminating to instructors to hear students' responses to, and experiences of, the course material and classroom dynamic. The conversation hopefully will help both students and instructors feel heard and will allow students and instructors to understand the goals of the material or discussion in question, and the concern will have been addressed and will continue to be addressed in the remainder of the course.

Step 3

If the conversation with the instructor does not result in a better understanding on the part of student and instructor, and the student continues to have concerns about the course, the student should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) of the relevant academic department or program.

Students do not need to be delcared majors or concentrators in a department or program in order to consult with a Director of Undergraduate Studies: the DUS is responsible for considering the overall academic experience of undergraduate students in the courses offered in the department or program.

If a student has a concern about a foreign language class in particular, it may be better to consult with the relevant Director of Language Program (DLP) of that academic department or language program.

Step 4

If, after consultation about the details of the matter and any possible advice or action on the part of the DUS or DLP, a student feels that there continues to be a serious concern about the materials or dynamic of a class, the student can consult an administrator in the College. Students can contact their advising deans, the Dean of Advising for Columbia College and Columbia Engineeirng, or the Dean of Academic Affairs for Columbia College. These administrators will want to know of student concerns about their experience and will want to help if the situation warrants further conversation with an instructor or a DUS, or to help if the student needs assistance in understanding the outcomes of the various consultations.

University Offices for Concerns regarding Discrimination or Harassment and Other Specific Types of Misconduct

If the alleged misconduct involves discrimination or harassment by a faculty or staff member, the complaint should be filed with the Office for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in accord with the University’s Policies and Procedures. The use of the term “discrimination and harassment” under these policies and procedures includes discrimination, discriminatory harassment, gender-based harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.

If the alleged misconduct involves scientific or scholarly misconduct by a faculty member, the complaint should be filed according to Columbia's Institutional Policy on Misconduct in Research.

According to University policy, no faculty member may initiate or accept sexual or romantic advances or engage in a romantic or sexual relationship with any undergraduate student enrolled in Columbia College, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of General Studies, or Barnard College or other affiliate of Columbia, regardless of whether the faculty member has a supervisory role over the student.

Other University Resources Available to Students

When a student believes that a faculty member has failed to meet his or her obligations in an instructional setting, the student can follow the steps outlined above to consult with faculty and administrators in the school and/or the student can consult with the University's Ombuds Office. The Ombuds Office is available to help students find solutions to a wide range of problems arising in the context of their association with the university, including those involving faculty misconduct in an instructional setting. Students may wish to consult with the Ombuds Office before taking their concerns to the School, or they may wish to consult with the Ombuds Office at any time in the course of their discussions with School officials.

There are also grievance procedures available through the office of the Vice President for Arts and Sciences -- which are intended to complement, not substitute for, the procedures available in each of the Schools that are designed to address multiple types of concerns. The grievance procedures of the office of the Vice President for Arts and Sciences are designed to address only those cases involving professional misconduct by a faculty member of Arts and Sciences in an instructional setting in which there were significant irregularities or errors in applying School procedures. Information on this process can be found on the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Website. (If the instructor at issue is not a member of the Arts and Sciences faculty, the student should consult the instructor’s particular school for its procedures.)