Complaints not specifically addressed by policies in any portion of the above student support areas should be directed to the Liberty University Online Student Advocate Office by following the complaint procedure below and completing the Student Complaint Form.

The Student Advocate Office will assess the complaint, identify the appropriate person(s) to assist the student, and facilitate contact with the student and appropriate office(s) to ensure resolution of the complaint.

It is important to note that this policy is ONLY for complaints not addressed by other stated policies. Additionally, the Student Advocate Office may be contacted in cases where a student is uncertain on how to proceed with a complaint, or if a complaint remains unresolved after a reasonable amount of time.

• Student Advocate Office
• Student Complaint Form

1. Students may submit a formal complaint about an issue occurring during their current or previous term of enrollment.
2. Only complaints submitted via the online complaint form will be considered official complaints. Complaints submitted via other forums will not be reviewed.
3. Student Advocate reviews the complaint and accompanying documentation.
4. Student Advocate, if necessary, assigns the complaint to another university office, (Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Academics, etc.) for research/decision-making.
5. Complaint decision is rendered based on research findings.
6. The decision-making party will rule on the complaint and update the online complaint form.
7. The student is notified via email of the decision.
8. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of their initial complaint, they may appeal within 5 business days of the rendered decision by providing additional support/documentation for review.
9. A second review of the complaint will be completed by a higher authority whose decision will be final.

Once the final grade has been posted, a student may appeal the grade beyond the professor. When accessing the Grade Appeal Form, please use either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox and log in with your Liberty username and password.

Appeals are accepted only when the grade assigned conflicts with:

• The published grading rubrics for the course assignments
• Written communication (i.e., email, announcements, etc.)
• Calculation error on an assignment (resulting in a change to the final grade)

Appeals, other than those mentioned above, will not be reviewed. The student must provide written documentation that demonstrates the occurrence of one or more of the above grounds for appeal. Documentation may be in the form of email correspondence, graded assignments, proof of timely submission, etc. After submitting the appeal, if additional information is needed, the student will be notified via their Liberty email.

A student wishing to appeal a final grade must submit the appeal to their professor and seek to resolve the situation with them. If the student wishes to appeal further, they must follow the process outlined below:

1. Within 30 calendar days of the end of the sub-term, the student may submit a written appeal to the Online Chair but should do so through the Grade Appeal Form. The student must include the information required above. The professor will also be notified of the appeal and will be able to provide pertinent documentation before the Online Chair renders their decision. The online chair will have 7 days to review the appeal from the time of submission. When the review is complete, the student will be notified of the decision via their Liberty email and the appeal portal.
2. If the student has additional support for their appeal, the student may re-appeal to the Online Associate Dean through the appeal portal after receiving the decision of the Online Chair. This written appeal must be submitted within five business days of the Online Chair’s decision. The Online Associate Dean will review the student’s appeal, as well as any information provided by the faculty member. The Online Associate Dean will have 7 days to review the appeal, from the time of submission. When the review is complete, the student will be notified of the decision via their Liberty email and the appeal portal.
3. If the student has additional support for their appeal, the student may re-appeal to the Academic Dean, through the appeal portal after receiving the decision of the Online Associate Dean. This written appeal must be submitted within 5 business days of the Online Associate Dean’s decision. The Academic Dean will review the student’s appeal, as well as any information provided by the faculty member. The Academic Dean will have 7 days to review the appeal from the time of submission. When the review is complete, the student will be notified of the decision via their Liberty email and the appeal portal. The Academic Dean’s decision is final.