Appeal of Course Grade
- Students who would like to dispute their final grade should first contact and discuss their concerns with the instructor of that course. If a satisfactory resolution is unattainable, the student may file a grade appeal with the Department Chair for that course.
- Students must submit their grade appeal within five business days from the final grade posting date or before the semester grade appeals deadline (whichever comes first). Failure to check grades until a later date is not an acceptable reason to delay the grade appeal process.
- To be considered for an appeal the student must explain, in writing, any procedural error or omission that impacted their academic performance during the course such as substantiated bias or material deviation from established procedures.
- The student’s appeal will be reviewed by the Department Chair and a decision and response will be sent to the student’s DigiPen email account within five business days of the date the appeal was received.
- If the resultant resolution is still unsatisfactory, then students may file an appeal with the Dean of Academic Affairs and a decision and response will be sent to the student’s DigiPen email account within five business days of the date the appeal was received.
- If the appeal is granted, the student’s course grade will be updated. If the appeal is denied, the student’s course grade will remain unchanged.
Appeal of Academic Suspension
Students must submit their academic withdrawal appeal to the school Registrar within five business days from the time they receive their academic suspension email in their DigiPen email account.
Appeal for Refund of Tuition
Students who would like to file an appeal against a decision regarding their tuition refund shall file a written request to the Managing Director. If dissatisfied with the decision of the Managing Director, students may file a second appeal with the Chief Operating Officer – International.
Other Disputes
Students who feel that they have any other type of dispute with the Institute should first file a complaint with the person or department they are having the issue with. A copy of this complaint shall be given to those involved with this dispute. If the student is unable to resolve the issue directly with the individual or department they are working with, then they may reach out to the admin office for student concerns or the Dean of Academic Affairs for academic/faculty concerns.
If the student is still not satisfied with the decision, they may file an official complaint to the Managing Director. A copy of this complaint shall be given to those involved with the dispute.
Once the decision of the Managing Director is determined, students may submit a final appeal by contacting the President of the Institute.
Filing a Complaint with an External Party
A student may file a complaint with an external party should they feel that the Institute has not adequately addressed a complaint or concern after they have followed the institute’s Process for Grievances and Appeals.
Student Compliant Procedure
Schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges must have a procedure and operational plan for handling student complaints. If a student does not feel that the school has adequately addressed a complaint or concern, the student may consider contacting the Accrediting Commission.
All complaints reviewed by the Commission must be in written form, and should grant permission for the Commission to forward a copy of the complaint to the school for a response. This can be accomplished by filing the ACCSC Complaint Form. The complainant(s) will be kept informed as to the status of the complaint as well as the final resolution by the Commission. Please direct all inquiries to:
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
2101 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 302
Arlington, VA 22201
Tel: (703) 247-4212
www.accsc.org | complaints@accsc.org
A copy of the ACCSC Complaint Form is available at the Institute and may be obtained by contacting Ignacio de Otalora, Managing Director, via iotalora@digipen.edu, and may be obtained by contacting complaints@accsc.org or www.accsc.org/Student-Corner/Complaints.aspx
If students are unsure of whom to speak to regarding a complaint, they may contact Mandy Wong at the following address:
Mandy Wong
Senior Vice President of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs
DigiPen Institute of Technology
9931 Willows Road NE
Redmond, WA 98052
Tel: (425) 558-0299
Email: compliance.us@digipen.edu