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Academic Policies (Liberty University Online)

Academic Amnesty

Appeal procedure/guidelines:

Students who are Academically Dismissed from Liberty University must satisfy the subsequent guidelines for readmission:

  1. The student must not have been enrolled at the University for a period of five years.
  2. Eligibility for readmission must be affirmed in writing to the Registrar’s Office by the following:
    1. Department of Student Accounts;
    2. Department of Student Affairs; and
    3. The Dean of the degree program to which the student is applying for admission /readmission. The Registrar will review the reason for Dismissal.
  3. Upon receiving a written appeal from the student, the Senate Committee on Graduate Academic and Admissions Standards MAY approve readmission. Said request must be stated clearly and contain:
    1. Reason for request,
    2. Efforts made to improve during absence from Liberty. Such corroboration as may be deemed necessary may be requested of the student (i.e., transcripts from other institutions, etc.).
  4. Only the allowable number of grade repeats that were remaining at the time of Dismissal can be utilized.
  5. Previously earned grades of A and B will calculate into their GPA. As determined by the Graduate Senate, grades of C, D, and F are revised to Q.
  6. Students in the M.A.R., M.R.E., and M.Div. programs may retain grades of C on their records.
  7. Students who have been granted Academic Amnesty are not eligible for graduation honors, regardless of final GPA.

General Complaint Policies

The following policies can be found on the Graduate Student Affairs and Liberty University Online Student Advocate websites:

A. General policy for online undergraduate and graduate student complaints:

Complaints not specifically addressed by policies in any portion of the above student support areas should be directed to the Liberty University Online Student Advocate Office by following the complaint procedure below and completing the Student Complaint Form.

The Liberty University Online Student Advocate Office will assess the complaint, identify the appropriate person(s) to assist the student, and facilitate contact with the student and appropriate office(s) to ensure resolution of the complaint.

It is important to note that this policy is ONLY for complaints not addressed by other stated policies. Additionally, the Liberty University Online Student Advocate Office may be contacted in cases where a student is uncertain on how to proceed with a complaint, or if a complaint remains unresolved after a reasonable amount of time.

Liberty University Online Student Advocate Office web page: http://www.luonline.com/index.cfm?PID=14289.

Procedure for online undergraduate and graduate student complaints:

  1. Student expresses grievance to academic advisor
  2. Academic advisor submits appeal to Student Advocate’s Office
  3. Student advocate reviews appeal and accompanying documentation
  4. Student advocate contacts other university office (Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Academics) for research purposes.
  5. Appeal is approved or denied based on research findings
  6. Academic advisor is notified of decision and in turn contacts the student with decision.
  7. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome they may re-appeal providing additional documentation for review.

Honor Code

You can view the honor code for all Liberty University undergraduate and graduate students here.

Liberty University Online Grade Appeals

Liberty encourages students to have open and respectful communication with their professor to resolve any concerns regarding individual course assignment grades and/or the final grade for the course.

Please click here to access the grade appeal form.

(To access the for, you will need to login using your Liberty username and password)

Criteria for appeal:

Only final posted grades may be appealed beyond the professor. Appeals are accepted only when the grade assigned conflicts with:

  • The published grading rubrics for the course assignments
  • Written communication (i.e., email, announcements, etc.)
  • Calculation error on an assignment (resulting in a change to the final grade)

Appeals, other than those mentioned above, will not be reviewed.

The student must provide written documentation that demonstrates the occurrence of one or more of the above grounds for appeal. Documentation may be in the form of email correspondence, graded assignments, proof of timely submission, etc.

Appeal process:

A student wishing to appeal a final grade must submit the appeal to their professor and seek to resolve the situation with them. If the student wishes to appeal further they must follow the process outlined below:

  1. Within 30 calendar days of the end of the term, the student may submit a written appeal to the Online Chair/Chair, but should do so through Liberty University Online Advising. The student must include the information required above. The Online Chair will consult with the instructor and review the student's written appeal. The Online Chair will then notify Liberty University Online Advising, the instructor and the student of his/her decision.
  2. If the student has additional support for their appeal, the student may submit a written appeal to the Online Associate Dean, through Liberty University Online Advising after receiving the decision by the Online Chair. This written appeal must be received by Liberty University Online Advising within 5 business days of the Online Chair’s email. The Online Associate Dean will review the student's appeal, as well as any information provided by faculty member. When a decision has been reached, the Online Associate Dean will notify Liberty University Online Advising, the Online Chair, the faculty member and the student.
  3. If the student has additional support for their appeal, after receiving the decision by the Online Associate Dean, the student may submit a written appeal to the Online Academic Dean through Liberty University Online Advising. This written appeal must be received by Liberty University Online Advising within 5 business days of the Online Associate Dean’s email. The Associate Dean will review the student's appeal, as well as any information provided by faculty member. When a decision has been reached, the Online Academic Dean will notify Liberty University Online Advising, the Online Associate Dean, the Online Chair, the faculty member, and the student. The Online Academic Dean’s decision is final.

Privacy Policy and FERPA

Liberty University is committed to protecting your privacy when you visit our website. The University Privacy Policy outlines how we collect information when you visit one of our sites, how we use that information, and how you can update that information.

Liberty University and Liberty University Online respect the rights and privacy of our students, and strictly adheres to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. This means relatives and other individuals may not obtain information about a student unless the student issues formal written consent to the university.

Learn more about the FERPA Act or about Liberty's FERPA policy and release form.

Withdrawal Policy

For more information about our Withdrawal Policies and Financial Aid Policies, visit the Financial Aid Policies webpage.

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