At times, you may find it necessary to appeal Sandburg's current processes for extenuating circumstances. The categories below list the common situations for appeals.
Appeal for a refund of tuition due to extenuating circumstances
Sandburg gives you a period of time at the beginning of the semester to decide if you’re able to continue with the course. Review the course syllabus to ensure you’re able to complete the course requirements and have the proper resources, including the required textbooks, online access codes and technology when appropriate. Sandburg provides a full refund of tuition and fees if you drop the course before the deadline.
- 16-week courses: First nine calendar days of the course
- Eight-week courses: First five calendar days of the course
If you experience extenuating circumstances after the 100% refund deadline that prevents you from completing the course, you may be eligible to appeal for a refund after you drop the course. Submit the refund request form along with any documentation to support your claims. Appeals are considered if you couldn’t have anticipated the circumstances and they were out of your control.
For questions, or to return a completed appeal form, visit the Business Office in Student Development, call 309.341.5210, or email us.
Appeal to withdraw from a class after the deadline
You’ll be notified of the last day to withdraw from a course each semester. Talk with your instructor and academic advisor to ensure you know your current grade in the course to make an informed decision prior to withdrawing. If there are extenuating circumstances, and you’re unable to withdraw before the deadline, you may be eligible to appeal for a class withdrawal.
- Last day to withdraw for 16-week courses: Tuesday of the 14th week
- Last day to withdraw for eight-week courses: Wednesday of the 7th week
You’re not eligible to appeal for a class withdraw after the deadline for reasons such as:
- Forgetting to contact your advisor to withdraw
- Not knowing the date of the last day to withdraw
- Thinking the instructor would drop you
Complete the appeal form, and provide documentation supporting your claim of extenuating circumstances that prevented you from dropping the course prior to the deadline. Return the completed appeal form to Angel Rohrig by the Monday of finals week.
Appeal to be reinstated after academic suspension
If you’ve been suspended from Sandburg for academic reasons, you can appeal for reinstatement using the academic suspension appeal form. Submit your appeal at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester in which you want to enroll. Contact your academic advisor to develop a plan to improve your academic performance if your appeal is granted.
Email the completed appeal form to Student Development. Appeals must be submitted two weeks before the beginning of the semester in which you wish to re-enroll.
Satisfactory academic progress appeal (financial aid)
If you lose your financial aid due to grades, completion rate or maximum timeframe, you can appeal for reinstatement of financial aid, using the satisfactory academic progress appeal form. Learn more about satisfactory academic progress.
Appeal process and reinstatement
To receive consideration for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility, if you fail to meet the satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards for financial aid due to a crisis situation, such as personal illness, accident, serious illness or death within the immediate family, or other circumstances beyond your reasonable control, you may:
- Complete the financial aid appeal form. Provide a written explanation of your situation and supporting documents to verify your situation.
- Take classes at your own expense to get back into good standing.
Deadline
Appeals are reviewed only for the current term through the midterm of the enrollment period. Appeals submitted after this timeframe are reviewed for the following term.
Veterans benefits appeal
To fulfill the VA Satisfactory Progress requirement, you have to maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA, or you’ll be placed on Sandburg VA warning. While on warning, you have one semester to bring your cumulative GPA up to the 2.0 requirement.
If you’re on warning and don’t satisfy the cumulative GPA requirement during the warning period, you’ll be placed on Sandburg VA dismissal and won’t be eligible for education benefits through the VA. If you’re placed on Sandburg VA dismissal, you can file an appeal using the veterans benefits appeal form [Update current jotform to new branding/style, following Military-Appeal-Update.doc.] to reinstate your benefits for an additional semester if approved.
Email the completed appeal form to the coordinator of financial aid, veterans & military services.