Student Appeals
As members of the educational community, students have the right to seek resolution of their concerns through the student appeal process, whether the concern is course related or non-course related. The most common example of a non-course related issue is a withdrawal from courses due to physical or financial hardship. The most common example of a course-related appeal is to appeal a grade in a course.
Students should seek issue resolution as soon as they become aware of the concern. Students must appeal within 30 business days from the end of the semester in which the issue occurs that is the basis of the appeal. HCC officials will make reasonable efforts to resolve student appeals by the end of the following semester, provided the appeal is filed with sufficient time for the designated College official to respond accordingly. The time frames set forth within the Student Appeal process may be modified if additional time is needed by the designated HCC official(s) to sufficiently review and respond to the appeal.
Students who are experiencing financial or physical hardship have the option to appeal to be withdrawn or removed from classes. Examples of hardship include but are not limited to: serious injury or illness; chronic illness; medical issue of a family member that impacts the student; mental health condition; a sudden or consistent lack of transportation; and significant cost of living increase.
Step 1: Students with a non-course related issue should immediately email or meet with the First Contact listed in the table below. Appeals due to extenuating circumstances, including financial or physical hardship, are initiated when the student completes the Student Appeal Due to Extenuating Circumstances form. The student should explain the extenuating circumstance which necessitates the student's withdrawal from the course and provide supporting documentation along with the form. Supporting documentation may include physician's report, medical records, or other relevant information. Once the form is submitted, the student will be emailed a letter with a meeting day and time to meet with the Dean of Students. Failure to attend the meeting and submit required documentation will result in the appeal expiring or being denied.
Student Appeal Due to Extenuating Circumstances
Step 2: Students who are unsatisfied with the decision from Step 1 above may escalate the appeal to the next level supervisor, in accordance with the table below. The appeal must be submitted to appeals@heartland.edu within 10 business days of the dated Dean of Student’s or designee’s response/Step 1 decision. The student should include a written explanation outlining the reason for the appeal, supporting documentation, and the proposed resolution.
The designated administrator (see below) will issue a dated and written response to the appeal. The College will send communication to the student's official myHeartland email, and the College will include the communication in the student's record.
Students who submit an appeal of any other non-course related issue will be processed in accordance with the table below, following the above steps.
Non-Course Issues First Contact Formal and Final Appeal Academic Probation & Dismissal Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Assessment & Placement Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Comptroller Collection Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Financial Aid Director of Financial Aid Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Graduation Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Late Withdrawal Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Hardship Withdrawal Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Military Deployment Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Past Student Accounts/Bills Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Refund of Tuition/Fees Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Registration Dean of Students Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services Students appealing a decision relating to issuance of financial aid must follow the financial aid appeal process and policies linked below:
Before initiating a Grade Appeal, students should immediately email or meet with their instructor to discuss their concern. The student must explain the concern and inform the instructor of what outcome or resolution they seek. If the instructor does not agree with the proposed outcome or resolution, the student may initiate the Grade Appeal process outlined below. While there may be situations in which the student may want to move straight to the appeal process prior to communicating with their instructor, grade appeals should always start with the instructor.
Step 1: If a student is unsatisfied with the initial decision from their instructor (described above), the student may complete this form to initiate a formal Grade Appeal: Grade Appeal Form. Once submitted, their instructor will respond to the appeal. Instructor’s supervisors are notified of submitted appeals. The instructor will review the appeal and issue a written decision within 5 business days.
Step 2: Once the student receives the instructor's decision, if they are unsatisfied with the decision from Step 1, they have the option to escalate the appeal to the next level supervisor (Dean or Associate Dean of that department) within 5 business days. At this level, the appeal decision will be based on an assessment of whether or not there was an error in the grade calculation or if there was any misconduct on the part of the instructor. The Dean or Associate Dean of that department will provide a decision within 5 business days.
Step 3: Once the student receives the decision from the Dean or Associate Dean of that department, if they are unsatisfied with the decision from Step 2, the student will have the option to escalate the appeal to the next level supervisor (Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost) within 5 business days. Again, at this level, the appeal decision will be based on an assessment of whether or not there was an error in the grade calculation or if there was any misconduct on the part of the instructor. The Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost will provide a decision within 5 business days. This is the final step in the appeal process, however, a student can elect to end the appeal at any step. The decision of the Vice President/Provost will be final.
Step 1: Students with a course-related issue for Continuing Education courses should immediately email or meet with the instructor explaining the issue and stating what they want the College to do. The instructor will provide a dated decision in writing within 5 business days.
Step 2: If the student is still unsatisfied with the decision from Step 1 above, they can appeal to the Dean or Associate Dean. The student should explain in writing the issue and state what they want the College to do. The Dean or Associate Dean will provide a dated decision in writing within 5 business days.
Step 3: If the student is still unsatisfied with the decision from Step 2 above, they can initiate a final appeal to the Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost. The final appeal must be made within 5 business days of the dated Dean or Associate Dean's response. A final appeal includes a written document explaining the reason for the appeal and the proposed resolution. Each appeal must provide supporting documentation.
Appeals may be emailed to: appeals@heartland.edu. The Vice President will provide a dated and written response to the final appeal. The College will send communication to the student’s official myHeartland email if available, and the College will scan the communication into the student record.
*Note: Students enrolled in the Nussbaum Trucking Academy at HCC must follow the steps listed in the “Communicating Concerns” section of the syllabus.
If after following the College’s process for addressing Student Appeals, an issue cannot be resolved internally, students may file a complaint about Heartland Community College with the Illinois Community College Board or with the Higher Learning Commission. Students who are living out of the State of Illinois may also file a complaint with the state in which they reside.See Student Complaint Information by State (PDF) for more information.
Students with concerns about discrimination because of race, color, sex, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, marital or civil union status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any basis of discrimination precluded by applicable federal and state statutes may also direct complaints to the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, or pursue both avenues of complaint resolution.
Reports alleging discrimination or harassment on the basis of any legally protected characteristics will be processed in accordance with the College’s Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Policy or the College’s Policy Prohibiting Sex Discrimination.
Other Class-Related Issues
If a student has a class issue not related to a grade appeal or course withdrawal, it likely falls within the general complaint process. Students may submit a complaint about an instructor and/or course using the complaint form located on the complaints page. Complaints submitted through this form are routed to the appropriate party, and theany resulting resolution will beis recorded. Complaints may be submitted anonymously, but should include contact information if the student would like someone to follow up on their submission.