Appeals
Drop and refund appeals are granted based on the policies of Colorado State University and the Division of Continuing Education (applicable to courses offered through CSU OnlinePlus). It is the student's responsibility to read and understand the drop and refund policies as published by OnlinePlus. However, students may appeal a policy if sufficient evidence of extenuating circumstances is provided.
Academic (grade) appeals are granted based on the policies of Colorado State University. It is the student's responsibility for maintaining standards of academic performance established for each course in which they are enrolled. However, students may appeal instructors' grading decisions.
Drop and Refund Appeals
OnlinePlus offers an appeal process to provide students, who experience unavoidable or extenuating circumstances, the opportunity to request a waiver of a policy that, if enforced, would result in unsatisfactory academic progress or financial consequences. Appeals are honored only if sufficient evidence and support of extenuating circumstances exist. The appeal process applies to all courses, credit and noncredit, offered through OnlinePlus.
Submitting an Appeal
Appeal submissions must include (1) a letter explaining your circumstance along with (2) supporting documentation as required. Send your appeals submission to OnlinePlus via email to onlineplus_appeals@colostate.edu.
To be considered, your appeal must be received within 65 days after a semester grade is posted for a credit course or 65 days after the last day of class for a noncredit course. You will receive an email confirmation that your appeal has been received. All appeals will be reviewed.
Include the following in your appeal submission:
- Letter - Addressed to the Appeals Committee which states the outcome you seek and outlines the circumstances of your appeal. Your letter should be thorough with explicit details including dates and times you missed class sessions.
- Supporting documentation - If you have extenuating circumstances of which you would like the committee to be aware, provide the necessary documentation to support your appeal. Below are examples of circumstances in which supporting documentation is requested.
- Death of immediate family member or family relative - Submit documentation related to the notification of death (i.e. obituary, funeral announcement, or a copy of death certificate) as well as documentation which indicates relationship to you, the student. A family member is considered to be a spouse, child, or parent. A family relative must be a member of the student’s family or under the care of the student.
- Serious health condition - Submit appropriate medical documentation related to your health condition. Note: OnlinePlus is committed to protecting your medical information and will not use or disclose your health information without your written authorization.
- A "serious health condition" is defined as an illness, injury, physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care; incapacity and treatment; and/or chronic conditions requiring treatments.
- "Incapacity" is defined as an inability to work, attend school, or perform other regular daily activities due to the, treatment of, or recovery from a serious health condition.
- Work-related matter - Submit documentation from your immediate supervisor verifying the circumstances supporting your appeal. Documentation must be submitted on letterhead of your organization.
- Military deployment - Submit a copy of your deployment orders.
Notification of Appeals Decision
Notification of the decision will be emailed or mailed to you within three business days. Appeals are reviewed on the second and fourth Thursday of every month.
Financial Aid
If you are appealing to drop a credit course and have financial aid, it is your responsibility to understand that you may only keep financial aid for classes in which you began attendance, and aid is proportional to the length of time you were enrolled in the course. Thus, you may be required to return funds immediately if your appeal request is granted.
Additionally, if you are seeking a University Withdrawal and have received financial aid, you must contact Student Financial Services to be informed of the consequences as you may be required to repay financial aid.
Academic (Grade) Appeal
Academic appeals must be submitted in writing to the department chairperson of the academic department. The request must be submitted or postmarked, if mailed, no later than 30 calendar days after the first day of classes of the next regular semester following the date the grade was recorded. If no appeal is filed within this time period, the grade shall be considered final. See the Advising and Registration (pdf) section of the General Catalog for complete policy information.
OnlinePlus will not review academic appeals and will return the appeal request to the student.
