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Policy Topic: Courses

Policy 3.8: Academic Grievance Procedure

The academic grievance procedure for graduate students, intended to ensure uniform and fair application of program, department, unit, or university-level academic policy, adheres to the principle of unit-level determination and University guidelines outlined in Executive Order 58 for undergraduate and professional students, except as specified below. The “units” for this policy refer to schools, colleges, or campuses.

See also: Guidance (Academic Grievance) – Student Guidance for Academic Grievances

3.8.1 Application

Graduate students who believe they have been subjected to unfair treatment in the administration of academic policies must follow the grievance procedure established within their school, college, or campus.

Note that the following areas have their own procedures and policies:

3.8.2   School-, college-, or campus-level grievance procedures

Each school, college or campus will develop and implement an academic grievance procedure for graduate students that adheres to the general provisions described in Executive Order 58 as well as the specifics in Sections 2A, 2B, and 2C.

  • EO58 – 2A: “An informal conciliation stage, where assistance will be provided to the student by the appropriate departmental personnel, or when requested, through the Office of the University Ombud.” This stage may include, but does not require, assistance from the Graduate School when requested by the student.  If the grievance is not resolved in the conciliation stage, and once a particular policy (or policies) has been identified as potentially unfairly applied, the grievance procedure may move to the next stage.
  • EO58 – 2B: “The appointment of a college or school Student Academic Grievance Committee, composed of both faculty and students.”
  • EO58 – 2C: “The establishment of hearing procedures, under which the Grievance Committee will proceed to arrive at advisory recommendations for submission to the dean.” Here, the “dean” refers to the dean of the academic school or college.
  • EO 58, – 2D (appeals) will be administered by Dean of the Graduate School as described in Graduate School policy section 3.8.3 below.

Information concerning the availability of grievance procedures shall be provided to students and shall be readily available as part of program student handbooks and other student-facing resources.

Each school or college must share its current academic grievance procedures and related policies with the Graduate School and notify it of any updates. This ensures the Graduate School can fulfill its responsibility to coordinate grievance procedures with the Provost, as outlined in EO 58.4.

3.8.3 Appeal on grounds of procedural uniformity

Within 15 business days of the conclusion of the school or college-level grievance procedure, a graduate student may file an appeal with the dean of The Graduate School alleging a lack of procedural uniformity in the unit’s application of their grievance procedure.  The complaint must be initiated by a written statement that indicates the exact nature of the non-uniformity including the date(s) the action(s) occurred; the deviation of the grievance procedure from the unit’s documented procedure, EO 58, or from other applications of grievance procedure within the unit; and the relief requested. The statement should also include a description of the results of the unit-level procedure, as well as any background information that the student deems pertinent to the complaint.

A designated representative (or representatives) of the Dean of the Graduate School will review the appeal, consult with the unit and allow a written response, and recommend to the Graduate School Dean whether further action is warranted. Evaluation criteria will be whether the unit-level grievance procedure is clearly articulated and available to all students, as well as whether it was uniformly applied in the student’s case.  The Dean of the Graduate School or their designee will notify the student and academic unit leader within 15 business days during an academic quarter of submission of the formal complaint by the student of their determination and any recommended remediation.

Policy 3.8 revised November 2000; May 2007; February 2023; March 2025; September 2025; November 2025

Policy 3.8.3.7 revised August 2023

Policy 3.8.1 revised January 2026

Policy 3.7: Academic Performance and Progress

This section articulates policies for the academic performance and progress of graduate students, including guidance on appropriate processes for cases where student academic performance does not meet program expectations.

3.7.1     Communicating Performance and Progress Requirements

A student admitted to a graduate program may continue graduate study and research in that program at the University of Washington as long as the student maintains satisfactory performance and progress toward completion of the student’s graduate degree or certificate. The definition of satisfactory academic and professional performance and progress may differ among graduate programs. Each graduate program is required to document and distribute performance and progress requirements to each of its graduate faculty and graduate students upon student enrollment.

Documentation shall include the following information:

  • General expectations for graduate student performance and progress within the program that includes, but is not limited to, required coursework, research, scholarship, professional behavior relevant to the program, fieldwork, practicum requirements, and length of time allowed for completion of various phases of the program.
  • Performance and progress measures including:
    • key academic and professional milestones, as defined by the program.
    • expected timelines.
    • evaluation of progress and milestones by faculty.
  • Performance issues that would lead to Academic Notification, Academic Alert, Final Academic Alert, or Academic Drop, as outlined below.
  • Consequences of not meeting a milestone or expectations, including process and timing for managing repeated attempts at a milestone if graduate program policy permits.
  • Procedures for appealing program decisions.

When students are enrolled in multiple graduate programs, the extent to which they are meeting expectations is independently determined for each program.

3.7.2     Reviewing Performance and Progress

Faculty should assess student progress using a variety of professional behavior and academic metrics to determine if a student has completed sufficient work at reasonable performance levels. It is acceptable to compare a student’s performance and progress relative to that of other students in the program or to individually negotiated schedules if consistently used. The following elements may be considered when evaluating a student’s performance and progress:

  • Performance and progress in the fulfillment of degree program requirements as outlined in the graduate program’s documentation distributed to students upon enrollment.
  • Maintenance of a minimum cumulative and quarterly 3.0 grade point average (GPA) while the student is enrolled in the UW Graduate School. A program may petition the Graduate School to consider exceptions to the 3.0 GPA minimum requirement for graduation if the student demonstrates steady and consistent progress.

Program faculty, the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC), Graduate Program Advisor (GPA), or an advisory/supervisory committee designated by the graduate program, are responsible for regular reviews of student performance. Fellow students should not be involved in or present for these reviews. At doctoral candidate level, the doctoral supervisory committee reviews student progress and does so, in consultation with the GPC as needed.

  • The graduate program faculty should review a student’s performance and progress at least annually.
  • For graduate programs that are under two years long, student performance and progress should be reviewed at least quarterly. Unsatisfactory performance may require mid-quarter reviews and interventions.
  • The GPC and GPA should provide ongoing advising of students.
  • Students not meeting milestones, including those whose cumulative or quarterly grade point average (GPA) falls below a 3.0, should be reviewed quarterly.
  • Students not meeting milestones should be provided with a written explanation of performance expectations, clear descriptions of performance benchmarks and outcomes that would demonstrate improvements, and a timetable for demonstrating progress or achievement of these benchmarks.
  • For students in the research or fieldwork phase of a graduate program, program faculty should review student progress at least annually, with greater frequency as determined by program length, expectations and student performance.

3.7.3     Unsatisfactory Performance and Progress Documentation

The following three status levels are used to indicate unsatisfactory performance, and to communicate to students clear expectations and consequences should those expectations not be met in the time indicated. The goal of each step is to establish clear expectations and outline a path to return to satisfactory progress. Alert status changes are recorded in the student record but do not appear on the student transcript, except when a student is dropped from the program.

Academic Notification: This is an early status for a student who is failing to meet expectations for performance or progress but where the program is confident the student will be able to resolve the problem once notified.

  • Academic Notifications are optional in the Academic Performance & Progress process and are managed internally by the program with a goal of resolving problems before escalating to Academic Alert.
  • The program may issue multiple Academic Notification letters to the student and the Graduate School is not notified.
  • The program may issue an Academic Notification letter at any time of the quarter, but it should give the student a reasonable amount of time to address the documented issue.

Academic Alert: This status is used for a student who has failed to meet student performance or progress expectations that have been documented in program handbooks or previously communicated to the student as an Academic Notification and/or for students whose performance will likely risk their ability to complete their degree.  

  • The Graduate School recommends that longer programs use an Academic Notification status prior to an Academic Alert status, but that shorter programs (2 years or less) consider bypassing Notification, except in areas of minor concern.
  • Programs send an Academic Alert recommendation to the student with a copy to the Graduate School no later than the 10th business day of the academic alert quarter (in circumstances where it will not impact the ability of the student to meet deadlines, the Graduate School will consider petitions to accept Alert recommendations up the 15th business day). The Graduate School does a post review of academic alert letters sent to students by the department.  All alert letters must cite:
    • The reason for the Academic Alert
    • Steps the student must take to remove the Academic Alert
    • The consequences the student will face if steps are not taken to remove the Academic Alert
    • Timing and/or deadlines by which those steps must be met or taken.
      • Care should be taken to consider how the timing of the Alert will impact the ability of students to meet deadlines.
      • In those circumstances where the program determines the student will be unable to meet deadlines within the quarter of the Alert, the recommendation can establish a student in Academic Alert for up to 3 quarters (excluding Summer, e.g., Winter through Autumn). If additional progress or performance issues arise, the Alert can be escalated to a Final Academic Alert superseding the timeframe established in the Alert recommendation.
  • Additional quarters of Academic Alert may be issued at the program’s discretion. The Graduate School must receive updated Academic Alert recommendations for each additional quarter. If an update is not received before the 10th business day of the end quarter established in the Alert recommendation, the Graduate School will consider the student’s Alert status lifted.
  • Normally, at least one quarter of Academic Alert must be issued prior to Final Academic Alert, except in clearly documented situations described in 3.7.5 below.

Final Academic Alert: This status is normally used for a student who has failed to resolve the documented problems in the student’s Academic Alert status as submitted to the Graduate School.

  • Programs send a Final Academic Alert recommendation to the student with a copy to the Graduate School no later than the 10th business day of the Final Academic Alert quarter. The Graduate School will review the Final Academic Alert letter and, if accepted, the Graduate School will send an additional letter from the Dean of the Graduate School to the student confirming the Final Academic Alert status. All Final Academic Alert letters must cite:
    • The reason for the Final Academic Alert
    • Steps the student must take to remove the Final Academic Alert
    • That the student can be immediately dropped from the program if steps are not taken to remove the Final Academic Alert.
    • Timing and/or deadlines by which those steps must be met or taken.
      • Care should be taken to consider how the timing of the Alert will impact the ability of students to meet deadlines.
      • In those circumstances where the program determines the student will be unable to meet deadlines within the quarter of the Final Academic Alert, the recommendation can establish a student in Final Academic Alert for up to 3 quarters (excluding summer). If additional progress or performance issues arise as described in 3.7.5, the Final Academic Alert can be escalated to an Academic Drop superseding the timeframe established in the Final Academic Alert recommendation.
  • A program may request an additional quarter of Final Academic Alert in extenuating circumstances. The Graduate School must receive documents supporting this recommendation and will send letters to the student informing the student of Final Academic Alert status. If an update is not received before the 10th business day of the end quarter established in the Final Academic Alert recommendation, the Graduate School will consider the student’s Final Academic Alert status lifted.
  • The graduate program must issue one quarter of Final Academic Alert prior to a drop from the program, except in clearly documented situations discussed in 3.7.5 below.

3.7.4     Academic Drop

An Academic Drop is an official action that terminates a student’s enrollment from a graduate program because either the student has failed to resolve documented problems in the student’s Final Academic Alert status, or in circumstances outlined in 3.7.5.

  • Graduate programs should submit Academic Drop recommendations to the Graduate School (to GEMS via their SharePoint site) prior to the start of the quarter but no later than the fifth business day of the drop quarter.
  • After the Graduate School approves the Academic Drop, drop status will appear on the student’s official transcript and Academic Drop letters are sent to the student from the department and from the Dean of the Graduate School.
  • When dropped, a student is not eligible to complete the program or return later to complete the degree and may be removed from any currently enrolled courses.
  • A student who is dropped from one graduate program may apply to and enroll in a different graduate program if accepted. For students enrolled in more than one graduate program, being dropped from one program does not affect their enrollment status in other programs.

3.7.5   Expedited Status Changes

Graduate programs may describe in their policy and handbook the circumstances in which students will move directly into Final Academic Alert status, or in rare circumstances, immediate Academic Drop without having previously been in a prior Academic Alert or Final Academic Alert status. Established examples of this are in the following circumstances:

  • Failure to meet clearly defined academic milestones:
    • Qualifying or Preliminary Examinations (as defined in the relevant degree or unit program policy).
    • Doctoral General Exam or Final Exam performance: if graduate faculty determine the student did not pass the general or final exam, the graduate faculty may indicate on the committee signature form that the student is recommended to be moved to Final Academic Alert or dropped from the program. See Policy 1.1 for general exam and final exam requirements.
    • Required courses in lockstep cohort-based programs.
  • Fieldwork or professional performance (as defined in the relevant graduate program policy)

Programs considering policies where other types of progress or performance issues lead directly to Final Academic Alert or immediate Academic Drop should consult with the Graduate School Office of Academic Affairs (gsacad@uw.edu).

In addition, in circumstances where a program has previously sent multiple Notifications or Alerts to a student, or where continued failure in laboratory, clinical or practicum settings puts community members or partnerships at risk, the program may request (emailing gsacad@uw.edu) to bypass statuses and move students into Final Academic Alert or, rarely, Academic Drop.

3.7.6 Academic Status and Leave or Reinstatement/Re-entry

Programs may recommend (but not require) students consider applying for On-Leave status in their Alert recommendations, when appropriate. The student must apply for leave status each quarter which is then approved by the department (see Policy 3.5).

Programs can recommend students be placed on Academic Alert or Final Academic Alert at the beginning of a quarter in which the student is on leave only if the Alert is based on performance during quarters in which they were enrolled on a full or part-time basis (including approaching or passing degree or certificate time limits).

A student’s alert status cannot be further changed until the quarter (Autumn, Winter, Spring) following the quarter they return from leave.

A student in an Academic Alert status who failed to maintain enrollment and is not on an approved On-Leave status may submit a request for reinstatement (or re-entry for certificates and stacked degrees). If reinstated, the department will determine if the student will be reinstated with whichever Academic Alert status was in place when the student left the university based on the program’s academic performance and progress policy. See Policy 3.5 for leave policy to maintain graduate student status.

3.7.7     Appeals

Appeals must follow the process outlined in Policy 3.8 for the Academic Grievance Procedure.

Policy 3.7 revised: October 2021, November 2024, September 2025

Policy 2.2: Graduate Courses in Non-Degree-Offering Units

Graduate courses normally should be offered only under the sponsorship of academic departments or other units which are authorized to grant graduate degrees. However, in certain cases faculty members of an academic unit not authorized to offer a graduate degree or graduate certificate program may be granted permission to offer courses numbered 500 to 599 and create a new course prefix, if required.

Courses proposed under this provision should not be intended as part of a graduate degree program being developed by the sponsoring unit. Such courses should be offered under the approved prefixes of existing graduate degree programs until the new degree has been established by the Board of Regents. Procedures for authorization of new graduate degrees are described in Policy 1.7.

2.2.1 Review and Approval Process

Graduate courses to be offered by non-graduate-program-offering units must follow the regular UW course and course prefix approval process. This includes curricular review by the appropriate school, college, or campus and final approval by the UW Curriculum Committee. The Graduate School will review and endorse proposed courses and prefixes as part of the course approval workflow. The course proposers must indicate all affected units and the Graduate School in the “Potentially Affected Departments, Schools, or Colleges” section of the course proposal. These units will be asked to review and acknowledge the course proposal.

In requesting approval of courses under this policy the unit must provide a written statement, included with the course application materials, showing that each course meets the following criteria:

  • The academic and budgetary impact of the course has been assessed and approved by the leadership of the academic unit and the school/college/campus.
  • Instructors should be members of the graduate faculty or meet equivalent standards for scholarship and teaching experience. Provide a list of expected instructors and academic titles, including indication of graduate faculty status.
  • Classes should have majority graduate or postdoctoral (as opposed to professional or undergraduate) enrollment. Provide an estimate of the total enrollment for each.
  • The course should have clear interdisciplinary value in the following ways. Provide an explanation of the following criteria:
  1. It should extend and integrate knowledge from more than one discipline to the extent that it is not appropriately offered by a graduate-degree-offering unit.
  2. Its enrollment is drawn from more than one graduate-degree-offering unit.

Policy 2.2 created: March, 1987. Revised: April, 2007; February 2020

Policy 2.1: Graduate Course Numbers, Titles, and Audience

Graduate courses numbered in the 500s through 800s are intended for and ordinarily restricted to either students enrolled in the Graduate School or graduate non-matriculated students who meet the requirements of Policy 3.3.

Graduate courses should be presented at a level that assumes enrolled students bring to the class a background at least equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in the field or a related interdisciplinary field. Graduate courses must not be used to correct deficiencies in the student’s undergraduate work; courses normally expected to be part of undergraduate preparation for graduate study must be identified by undergraduate course numbers.

Some courses at the 300 and 400 levels are open to graduate students; see Policy 1.1 for using these courses for graduate degree requirements. 

2.1.1     Course Numbers and Titles

In order to maintain as much breadth as possible in the course offerings of a graduate unit, graduate level courses normally will carry the prefix designation of the academic unit authorized to offer the graduate program, e.g., English, Drama, Education, etc. However, in certain fields identification of specializations in graduate courses may be necessary or desirable. To propose special designation, the faculty in that unit may transmit to the Dean of the School or College the request to identify the field of specialization in the prefix. Special designation, if approved by the Dean of the College and the Registrar, may be established.

The following standardized course numbers and course titles have been established for graduate courses in all disciplines numbered 600, 601, 700, 800. Courses numbered 801 may have alternate course titles. Descriptions for all courses below are at the discretion of the proposing unit.

  • 600 – Independent Study or Research: Used for individual readings or study, including independent study in preparation for doctoral examinations, research, etc. Prerequisite: permission of Supervisory Committee Chair, Graduate Program Coordinator, or Graduate Program Coordinator’s designee.
  • 601 – Internship: Used for Internships. Prerequisite: permission of Supervisory Committee Chair, Graduate Program Coordinator, or Graduate Program Coordinator’s designee.
  • 700 – Master’s Thesis: Used for research for the master’s thesis, including research preparatory and/or related thereto. Limited to graduate students who have not yet completed the master’s degree in the student’s program of enrollment at the University of Washington. Prerequisite: permission of Supervisory Committee Chair, Graduate Program Coordinator, or Graduate Program Coordinator’s designee.
  • 750 – Educational Specialist Capstone: Used for the culminating capstone experience for Educational Specialist degree programs (see Policy 1.1.3). Course title may vary to reflect the specific nature of the capstone.
  • 800 – Doctoral Dissertation: Used for research for the doctoral dissertation, including research preparatory and/or related thereto. Limited to those who have completed the master’s degree or the equivalent and have been admitted into a doctoral degree program, or candidate-level graduate students. Pre-master students initiating doctoral dissertation research should register for 600. Prerequisite: permission of Supervisory Committee Chair, Graduate Program Coordinator, or Graduate Program Coordinator’s designee.
  • 801 – Practice Doctorate Project/Capstone: Used for the culminating project/capstone experience for practice doctorate degree programs (see Policy 1.1.5). Course title may vary to reflect the specific nature of the project/capstone (e.g., project, practicum, portfolio, applied dissertation, clinical work, etc.).

2.1.2     Course Delivery Location

Graduate courses are offered on campus except for courses where all of the following conditions are satisfied:

  • The course is equivalent in quality to courses offered in residence at the University, as judged by consideration of course content, assignments, examinations, performance expected from students, grading practices, assignment of graduate faculty, etc.
  • It is designed for and presented mainly to students who have been admitted to and are enrolled in the Graduate School of the University of Washington or who have been enrolled by units as graduate non-matriculated students.

2.1.3     Course Enrollment

Under certain conditions, qualified graduate non-matriculated students may be enrolled in graduate courses and earn credit later applicable towards a graduate degree. These conditions are outlined in Policy 3.3.

Postbaccalaureate students, undergraduate students, and non-matriculated students who do not meet Graduate School admission requirements may enroll in 500-level courses provided that permission has been obtained in advance from the faculty member who will teach the class, and from the unit Chair/Director or designated representative. Permission should be granted only when the student appears to be exceptionally well prepared for entrance into the course so that the tempo and quality of the graduate instruction is not adversely affected. Such students should not constitute more than 20% of the total number enrolled in the class.

2.1.4    Parallel 400-500 Courses 

Units that expect regular graduate enrollment in an undergraduate 400-level course should propose a 400-500 parallel course.

There must be significant differences between the undergraduate and graduate courses that are reflected in areas such as course content, grading practices, learning outcomes, readings and assignments, exams, and performance. Student evaluation criteria for the 500-level course should be established such that graduate students completing only 400-level assignments, or completing assignments only at the level expected of an undergraduate would receive a grade of less than 2.7. 

2.1.5 Ungraded courses (CR/NC and S/NS)*

For CR/NC courses, submission of a CR grade indicates that the student has met course expectations at a level such that the course may be applied towards graduate degree requirements.

For S/NS courses, an S grade indicates that the student has met course expectations at a level such that the course may be applied towards graduate degree requirements. A graduate program may restrict S courses from counting towards program requirements.

*these clauses were moved verbatim from Policy 1.1 in Winter 2026

Policy 2.1 revised: August 2021; December 2022; January 2025; November 2025; February 2026;