Grade Reports & Changes

In general, your grades will be available in My Hawkeye > My WebAdvisor (SOAR) four working days after the final day of the course.

Early alert reports are sent to your Hawkeye Community College email half way through the semester if you have a grade of C-, D, or F.

Grades cannot be given out over the phone. If you question if a grade is valid, contact your instructor or academic dean. Grades are considered to be correct fifteen days after the final day of the course. 

Grade Changes

If you question a grade you received, contact your instructor. If your grade needs to be adjusted, your instructor will submit a Grade Change form to the associate dean. The signed form is submitted to the Student Records and Registration office and will be recorded on your permanent record (transcript).

Student Appeal of Final Grades

Assigning of final grades is the responsibility of the instructor teaching the course. No other instructor or staff member has the right to change or alter the assigned grade except as provided for in college policy or procedures.

Appeal Process

You may challenge the final grade from an instructor. At any point in the process, you can seek the advice of a counselor to help work through the appeal process, to assure you understand your rights and procedures. You and your instructor should maintain documentation of communication throughout this process.

1. Discuss the matter with your instructor. This discussion must be initiated within 15 college days following the completion of the course, and must be documented via email to confirm the initial contact. Grade disputes due to computational errors by your instructor, computer errors, misunderstandings in completion or quality of assignments, etc., may be resolved by you and your instructor. In the event of a grade change, a grade change form must be completed and submitted.

2. If you and your instructor continue to disagree on the final grade, you may choose to appeal the grade.

3. The grade may be appealed to the appropriate Academic Dean. You should complete a grade appeal form and request a meeting with the Academic Dean to discuss the situation. This request must occur within five full college days of receiving a decision from you instructor.

4. After communicating with you and your instructor, the Academic Dean will render a decision and will communicate this to you and your instructor. This should occur as soon as is reasonable, but should take no longer than two weeks.

5. If you don't agree with the decision of the Academic Dean, you may appeal in writing. The Academic Dean will inform you of this right. The written appeal should be delivered to the Dean of Students within five full college class days after receiving the Academic Dean’s decision. Your written appeal should include a request for a hearing by the Academic Appeals Review Board. The Dean of Students will forward your written appeal to the chairperson of the Academic Appeals Review Board within five full college class days of receiving your written appeal.

6. Within five full college class days, the chairperson of the Academic Appeals Review Board will notify you of the receipt of the request for a hearing. The Academic Dean will certify to the Academic Appeals Review Board that the steps in the grade appeal have been fulfilled and will forward a copy of all actions taken up to this point in the appeals process.

7. The Academic Appeals Review Board hearing will be scheduled within 10 full college class days of receipt of your written request.

8. The decision of the Academic Appeals Review Board will be final.

If any timelines are not met by college personnel, the appeal automatically goes to the next higher level. If timelines are not met by you, the appeal process is cancelled.

Academic Appeals Review Board

Voting members of the board include:

• Dean of Students or neutral Academic Dean
• three faculty members from Academic Standards and Issues committee
• one Student Senate representative

Members serving in ex-officio:

• Director of Student Records and Registration or appropriate substitute
• Student Services representative

College Catalog | Student Handbook | Next Page >