Grievance Process

Texas A&M University-San Antonio is committed to providing an educational climate conducive to each individual's personal and professional development. To ensure that commitment, the university has developed procedures for students to pursue grievances within the university community should such action become necessary. These processes include the Nonacademic Grievance Process and the Academic Grievance Process.

These procedures provide students with a process for addressing complaints not addressed by other established complaint procedures. Open communication between students, staff, and faculty members is encouraged, so resorting to the formal complaint procedure will not be necessary. Students found to have intentionally made false or materially misleading allegations under this procedure will be subject to discipline by the Student Code of Conduct. Students shall have protection from retaliatory action based upon filing a complaint and participation of a witness.

For a list of complaint topics and contacts, please review Section 19.1 of theStudent Handbook.

Suppose you are unsure who to contact about a nonacademic grievance after reviewing the complaint topics and contacts list. In that case, you may file a grievance,and the Division of Student Affairs will be able to assist. 

Nonacademic Grievance Process:

If a student has a Nonacademic complaint, the below process must be followed:

Step 1: Students are encouraged to attempt to resolve complaints informally with the staff member to facilitate the resolution of their concerns and criticism.

Step 2: If a satisfactory resolution cannot be found at the student-staff level, or if the staff member is unavailable or no longer with the university, the student shall submit the complaint in writing within five (5) business days to the appropriate department supervisor. Complaints against supervisors will be submitted directly to the next-level supervisor in the leadership chain. The department supervisor may, at their discretion, meet with the student and any other parties involved if deemed appropriate. The complaint must be as specific as possible. More information is listed in the Student Handbook.

 The complaint should be as specific as possible and use the following guidelines:

1. Identify the particular nature of the nonacademic grievance
2. Explain the grounds for the nonacademic grievance and whether the primary justification is based on a claimed violation of a university rule, policy, or established practice.
3. The name of the person whose decision is being disputed, the dates of occurrence, and the name, current address, and phone number of the complainant.
4. Attach any supporting documents or evidence, names and contact information of witnesses, and short statements summarizing the testimony that the witnesses may present.
5. The resolution sought (i.e., explain how you would like to see it resolved).

The department supervisor will review and resolve the complaint within 15 business days. The student will be notified in writing through their university email address of the final resolution. Upon completion of the solution, the department supervisor will inform their respective supervisor, and all files will be kept in a secure file.

Step 3: Appeal for Step 2- File a Report online if you want to appeal.

Suppose a student believes that the matter is not satisfactorily resolved. In that case, the student has the right to submit a formal written appeal request to The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities within five (5) business days from the date the resolution was sent from Step 2 of the nonacademic student grievance process. Four specific criteria are a valid basis for requesting an appeal. One or multiple criteria in a single draw may be discussed.

1. Substantial new evidence was not available at the time of the original finding.
2. Violation of university policies/processes
3. The finding is inconsistent with the facts presented.
4. The Office the complaint originated in did not resolve it promptly or did not communicate back.

Appeals based on financial considerations, graduation delays, immigration status, or other personal inconveniences are generally not granted. Following Step 3 appeal, the matter shall be considered final and binding on all parties involved, and the decision is final.

File an Appeal

Please Note: This button is to be utilized if you are in Step 3 of the grievance process and are requesting an appeal only. 

Academic Grievance Process

The Academic Grievance Process process is different from the Nonacademic Process. The Academic Grievance is a formal complaint regarding a faculty member or grade. Faculty members are responsible for determining the curriculum of a course, developing appropriate methods of evaluating student learning, evaluating fairly, upholding academic standards, and enforcing policies concerning intellectual honesty.

Please note that if a student wishes to dispute a course grade due to academic misconduct violations, they must only go through the Academic Misconduct Process. Except under unusual circumstances, the process outlined below for student appeals of faculty educational decisions should be completed within three (3) academic work weeks (15 working days) after the student's first meeting with the faculty member to question the faculty member's decision.

The process is as follows:

1. The student must first meet with the faculty member and discuss the faculty member's decision. This meeting should occur as soon as possible after the decision has been made, within one week of the student being notified of the outcome. The faculty member is expected to listen to the student, explain their decision, and be willing to change the grade or decision should the student's argument be persuasive. To change final course grades, a faculty member must submit a "Grade Change Form" and attach an accompanying memorandum justifying the decision to change the status. The faculty member's department chair and Dean must approve the change. Grade changes will not be accepted after one academic year.
2. If the faculty member refuses to alter their decision or grade, the student may discuss the matter with the faculty member's department chair. If the chair believes the student's claims may have merit, the chair will discuss the case with the faculty member.
3. If the student is not satisfied with the chair's assessment of the issue or if the faculty member refuses to alter their decision after discussing it with the chair, the student may request a review of the decision by the Dean. This step is the final step of the process.