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Office of Student Appeals

Student Services Advocate (Ombudsman)

The Student Services Advocate is a central point of contact who can offer informal and neutral assistance to resolve student concerns. For more information, please contact studentadvocate@daytonastate.edu.

The advocate can:

  • Help identify and evaluate your options, including appropriate appeal processes;
  • Connect you to the appropriate person/campus resource;
  • Clarify DSC policies and procedures;
  • Listen to your concerns or suggestions;
  • Provide feedback to administration and recommend changes when appropriate.

Submitting an Appeal

The appeals process provides students an opportunity to request an exception to a college policy or procedure due to documented extraordinary circumstances. The college will accept an appeal in rare situations involving the following:

  1. Serious illness or personal injury
  2. Unforeseen and unplanned medical emergency
  3. Death of an immediate family member (parent or child)
  4. Documented non-voluntary military activation.

To submit an appeal, students must:

  1. Complete an appeal form in the Question & Answer Center, or obtain an online application;
  2. Write a personal statement clearly explaining the circumstances surrounding the situation or incident that prevented you from completing the class or courses;
  3. Attach relevant supporting letters from medical providers or other third parties;
  4. Support letters MUST INCLUDE a physician's statement, if a medical issue, on letterhead explaining how your condition will prevent you from completing the course(s) you are attempting;
  5. For non-medical situations, you must attach letters (on official letterhead) from ordained clergy, attorneys or mental health professionals to document and explain how that circumstance prevented you from completing the course(s);
  6. Due to student privacy protections, please do not submit personal medical records or other private confidential information.

Appeals may be submitted for the following reasons:

  1. Financial Aid Suspension – GPA and/or completion rate
  2. Financial Aid Suspension – Excessive Hours
  3. Waiver of full cost of tuition for the third attempt of a course
  4. Permission for a fourth attempt of a course
  5. Withdrawal from a class after the posted deadline to receive a "W" grade
  6. Request for grade change from "F" to "W"
  7. Administrative Drop with a Refund
  8. Academic Second Chance
  9. Formal Grade Dispute Appeal
  10. College Suspension Appeal
  11. Student Equity Appeal

The appeal application must be complete with all supporting letters attached to the appeal form.

The completed appeal form must be submitted to the Question & Answer Center, Daytona Beach Campus, or to the Falcon Center on any campus. Reasonable accommodations will be made for distance learning students who are unable to come to one of the College campus locations.

Prior to submitting an appeal, please read carefully and completely the information at the Appeal Policies - Criteria and Deadlines link. Please remember that in order for appeals to be accepted, they must be submitted within the established time frame allowed.

Incomplete and unsigned appeal forms without the required supporting letters (on official letterhead) will not be processed and WILL BE DENIED.

Examples of acceptable documentation include:

  • Dated and signed letters on official letterhead from an attorney, physician, or ordained clergy explaining the extenuating circumstances that prevented you from completing the course or semester;
  • Written statements on official letterhead;
  • Copy of an official death certificate that verifies a relationship of parent or child;
  • Copy of non-voluntary official military orders with the date and signature of the commanding officer.

Special Notice: Issues involving the following circumstances will not be considered and ARE NOT valid situations for requesting an appeal:

  1. Child care issues;
  2. Transportation issues;
  3. Employment changes;
  4. Normal pregnancy;
  5. Incarceration;
  6. Disagreement with the instructor teaching method;
  7. Difficulty learning the course material;
  8. College disciplinary actions and judicial sanctions.

The appeal forms are available online with a link from the Registration and Records home page. All students, including those who are taking online classes only, must print the forms, and fax, email or deliver the information and supporting documents to the Question & Answer Center located on the Daytona Beach Campus (Bldg. 100, Rm. 119).The fax number is 386-506-3037, or email to registration@daytonastate.edu. Appeals can also be dropped off at the Falcon Center on any campus. Reasonable accommodations will be made for distance learning students who are unable to attend one of the College campuses.

Important Notice: Each student applying for an appeal who is receiving a financial aid award must check with the Financial Aid Office Staff BEFORE submitting an appeal. This is necessary to be sure that the requested appeal will not cause unintended problems for your financial aid eligibility. Federal and state financial aid are governed by separate laws and rules regarding standards of progress and course completion. The actions requested by appeals may have an adverse impact on your financial aid award. Please be advised that even if your appeal is approved you may be required to pay back all or part of any financial aid that you received.

Appeals Decisions

All appeals will be reviewed and processed in the order they are received, provided:

  1. The appeal form is signed by the student and is complete;
  2. It is submitted by the established timeline;
  3. All relevant supporting letters are attached to the appeal form.

Appeal decisions will be made as quickly as possible. Review of an appeal will not begin until it is fully complete. Lack of supporting letters will delay an appeal from being reviewed. Some appeal decisions will require contact and verification with multiple members of the college community.

All appeal decisions will be sent to the student's Daytona State Falcon Mail account only. Please activate and check your Falcon Mail account on a regular basis for official notification regarding the status of your appeal. For more information, see Falcon Mail at www.DaytonaState.edu.

Each appeal will be reviewed in relation to the disbursement of financial aid funds. State and federal financial regulations regarding student enrollment may require you to pay back part or all of any financial aid funds you may have received.

All appeal forms and supporting letters used as documentation are subject to verification for authenticity. If it is determined that letters have been forged or misrepresent the facts, the student will be referred to the Judicial Affairs Office for appropriate disciplinary actions.