Complaints and appeals

Students are encouraged to resolve any concerns they may have by directly contacting the office or persons responsible for the area relevant to the concern or complaint (e.g., housing/residence director for residence hall complaints; professor or academic chair for academic complaints). If unsure about the proper way to address complaints, students should contact SCADcares (scadcares@scad.edu). As a neutral party, SCADcares staff may seek additional information about the situation, assist with appropriate communication, and mediate disputes.

If unable to satisfactorily resolve issues directly with the relevant office or persons or through SCADcares, the student may submit a formal written complaint using the procedures referenced herein.

SCAD student complaint and appeal policies apply uniformly across SCAD locations and learning modalities. The university protects its students’ right to lodge complaints and appeals according to these procedures and seeks to resolve all student concerns fairly and in a timely manner. The information described herein is a general overview of the policies and procedures for filing complaints and appeals at SCAD. Students are strongly encouraged to consult the student handbook in its entirety and/or MySCAD for information regarding specific complaint and appeal procedures.

Complaints and appeals in the areas of academics and/or grades, general non-academic, student conduct and/or disciplinary action, Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual misconduct, discrimination, and financial aid must be submitted in writing and in accordance with established university procedures, which are published as follows.

Procedures for academic complaints and appeals
The university provides all SCAD students a streamlined process to submit academic complaints and appeals through academicappeals@scad.edu. Appropriate academic services administrators, based on the nature and the university location of the matter, participate in the process to resolve complaints and appeals.

Students must submit their complaints and appeals concerning academic matters in writing via email to academicappeals@scad.edu, in accordance with the policy set forth below. The complaint or appeal must be submitted from the student’s SCAD email address and include the student’s full name, student ID number, and phone number. The complaint or appeal must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the incident and describe the issue of concern in detail, include relevant information or documentation, and indicate the desired outcome. The appropriate academic services administrator shall determine the final action and will respond to the student within 30 calendar days of receipt of the complaint or appeal.

Academic policy appeals
Academic policy appeals are written student requests for exceptions to SCAD academic policies. Students should address all academic policy appeals via email to academicappeals@scad.edu. Appeals must be made within 30 calendar days of notification of the action or decision. An appeal decision is communicated in writing within 30 calendar days following receipt of the appeal or receipt of additional information. The decision is final.

Academic integrity appeals
The student has five business days from the date on the written notice within which to appeal the academic integrity decision of the investigator. Students who wish to appeal should do so by emailing academicappeals@scad.edu. An appeals committee then convenes to review the case. An appeal decision is communicated in writing within 30 calendar days of the written appeal. The decision is final.

Grade appeals
Concerns regarding final grades must be addressed directly with the faculty member issuing the grade or, if necessary, with the faculty member’s department chair. A review of the student’s grade is conducted to validate the grade assignment. The department chair and school dean must authorize any grade change due to numerical miscalculation by the faculty member issuing the grade.

If, after this review, the student is not satisfied, they may file a written appeal via email to academicappeals@scad.edu. This appeal must include evidence of correspondence with all previous parties and should be submitted within 30 calendar days following the last day of the quarter. The student’s grade appeal will be routed to the appropriate SCAD administrator for investigation. A decision from academic services regarding the appeal is made in writing to the student within 30 calendar days following receipt of the appeal.

The decision is final unless a procedural or material error has occurred, in which case the student can request a reconsideration. The opportunity to submit a request for reconsideration is not provided to refute or express dissatisfaction with the appeal response. Instead, a student may submit a written request for reconsideration only if a procedural or material error occurred that significantly impacted the outcome of the investigation. A description of the error and its impact on the outcome of the appeal must be included in the written request for reconsideration. This written request must be received within five calendar days of receipt of the appeal response.

Course retake appeals
The university strives to ensure that each course meets the educational goals of students. If a course fails to meet a student’s expectations, the student may request a one-time exception to retake the course at no additional charge. Free retake requests should be submitted via email to academicappeals@scad.edu within 30 calendar days of completion of the course and describe the issue of concern in detail. Only students who successfully passed the course and met all attendance requirements are eligible to request a free course retake. Students who did not pass a course or did not submit their retake request within 30 calendar days may retake the course through the university’s standard registration process and pay tuition. Retake appeal decisions are communicated to students in writing within 30 calendar days following receipt of the appeal or receipt of additional information. The decision is final.

Procedures for general non-academic complaints
Non-academic student complaints, other than the specific complaints outlined in a subsequent section, are submitted in writing to the dean of students for SCAD Savannah, SCAD Lacoste, and SCADnow online students or the dean of students for SCAD Atlanta students.

The complaint must include the student’s full name, student ID number, SCAD email address, and phone number. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the incident and describe the issue of concern in detail, including the date, time, and place of the occurrence; the names of any persons involved, including any witnesses; other relevant information or documentation; and the desired outcome. The complaint must be signed by the student or sent from the student’s SCAD email account.

A written response will be provided to the student within 30 calendar days of receipt of the written complaint. If dissatisfied with the response, the student may submit a written appeal to the vice president for student success, located in Savannah, in accordance with the following process.

Procedures for appeals of general non-academic complaints
General non-academic appeals are student requests for exceptions to the university’s student services policies. Unless specifically stated otherwise (see below), all such appeals must be submitted in writing to the vice president for student success in the format noted above within 14 calendar days following notification of any decision or action. Submissions may be sent to the office of the vice president for student success, located in Bradley Hall, 115 E. York St., Savannah, Georgia; mailing address: P.O. Box 3146, Savannah, GA 31402; or nonacademicappeals@scad.edu. All supporting documentation must be attached to the appeal; failure to do so may halt the appeal process. The vice president for student success will determine the final action and respond to the student within 30 calendar days of receipt of the appeal. The decision is final.

Procedures for specific non-academic complaints
Following is a summary of the procedures for submitting specific non-academic complaints and appeals, including appeals to student conduct and/or disciplinary action, discrimination complaints, financial and student accounts appeals, and admission appeals. Students should refer to procedures outlined in the student handbook and on scad.edu/policies for the complaint and appeal procedures for other specific non-academic complaints, such as ADA grievances and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct grievances.

Code of Student Conduct and disciplinary action appeals
A responsible finding of a violation of the Code of Student Conduct and/or imposition of a sanction(s) may be appealed by the respondent (or by the complainant) within three calendar days of the decision. Appeals must be submitted in writing from a student’s SCAD email address or as a hard copy to the office of the dean of students. Appeals must be submitted to the office of community standards at communitystandards@scad.edu. The Code of Student Conduct and the process and specific procedures for appealing such decisions are found in the Student Handbook under "Code of Student Conduct."

Sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct policy
The university's sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct policy, and the process and specific procedures for filing a grievance, are available online at scad.edu/policies.

Discrimination complaints
Students who feel that they have been affected by discrimination (other than sex-based discrimination), can contact the university’s compliance officer (complianceofficer@scad.edu or 912.525.5235), SCADcares (scadcares@scad.edu or 912.525.5111), or any of the following: vice president for student success, vice president and executive dean of students, dean of students, or director of community standards.

If a student wishes to file a formal discrimination grievance, the complaint may be submitted in writing to any of the individuals listed above and must include the student’s full name, student ID number, SCAD email address, and phone number. The complaint should describe the issue of concern in detail, including the date(s), time(s), and place(s) of the occurrence(s); the names of any persons involved, including any witnesses; other relevant information or documentation; and the desired outcome. The complaint must be signed by the student or sent from the student’s SCAD email account. If preferred, a student may appear in person at any of these offices to make a complaint. Following an investigation, a written response will be provided to the student within 30 calendar days of receipt of the written complaint. The decision is final.

Financial aid appeals for unsatisfactory academic progress
Students who receive a written notice of loss of financial aid due to unsatisfactory progress may appeal to the university by completing an unsatisfactory progress appeal form. The appeal must be received within 30 calendar days of the date on the unsatisfactory progress notification letter. A decision regarding the appeal is made in writing to the student within 30 calendar days following receipt of the appeal or receipt of additional information. The decision is final.

Student account appeals
Students with extenuating circumstances may appeal to the student financial services department for tuition credit or tuition reimbursement. Appeals should be submitted online and include a statement of request, description of the extenuating circumstances, and supporting documentation. Such appeals must be initiated within 30 days of the end of the quarter for which the refund or credit is requested. The student will receive a written response within 30 calendar days of the date of the written appeal.

Admission appeals
Applicants may appeal admission decisions only once. Those who wish to appeal an admission decision must submit the following to the admission appeal committee:

1. A letter of appeal written by the applicant, specifying the reason(s) for the appeal, with the applicant’s identification number provided.

2. Any updated academic or artistic work that would be relevant to an appeal. Portfolios must be submitted through SlideRoom. Graduate applicants appealing admission decisions must submit portfolio materials that follow their intended major program guidelines.

3. At least one recommendation from a teacher, coach, guidance or career counselor, or other mentor/supervisor. Graduate applicants should submit an additional letter of reference from an academic or professional source.

All documents must be submitted together with the letter of appeal in order to be considered. The deadline to appeal is 30 calendar days prior to intended enrollment at SCAD. The admission appeal committee may consist of admission staff and administrators. Appeals are considered in the order in which they are received; a final decision is rendered to the applicant within 14 calendar days of receipt of the complete appeal.

Applicants seeking appeals on the basis of financial need should contact the admission department. Appeal documents may be delivered in person, by email to admission@scad.edu, or by mail to:

SCAD Admission Appeal Committee
Savannah and SCADnow online
P.O. Box 2072
Savannah, Georgia 31402-2072 USA

SCAD Admission Appeal Committee
Atlanta
P.O. Box 77300
Atlanta, Georgia 30309 USA

Procedures for state complaints
If unable to satisfactorily resolve issues with the university using the aforementioned complaint and appeals channels, and the student wishes to file a complaint, the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission is designated as the state agency responsible for receiving such complaints. The GNPEC is also the agency responsible for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA)-related complaints. More information is available at gnpec.georgia.gov/student-resources/complaints-against-institution.

South Carolina student complaints
If students have complaints about a classroom situation, they should first attempt to resolve the situation with the instructor. If resolution cannot be made with the instructor, or if the complaint is about a general school policy over which the instructor has no jurisdiction, then the students may contact the school dean for mediation. If the complaint cannot be resolved at the school level through its complaint procedure, students may contact the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. The form is available on the Commission's website at https://www.che.sc.gov/sites/che/files/Documents/Licensing%20updates/Complaint_Procedures_and_Form.pdf.