When you started school, you made a conscious decision to invest in your future. Nevertheless, poor academic performance can temporarily end your academic career. If your school has placed you on academic dismissal and you feel your situation warrants an appeal, you’ll need to craft an informative, persuasive letter to convince the appropriate authorities to reconsider.It’s understandable if you have difficulty composing your appeal letter. Fear and anxiety may get in the way, undermining your ability to write. Alternatively, you may not be sure how to adequately explain the circumstances surrounding your academic performance. In either case, a badly written missive will fail to accomplish your goals and you’ll have to leave school. Fortunately, our appeal letter for academic dismissal templates give you some best practices for framing your thoughts and formatting your message.
Below, you’ll see an appeal letter from Peter Vincent. Peter’s university has placed him on academic dismissal due to his failing grades. While he has always struggled in school, he did not know that his troubles stemmed from ADHD. He obtained an official diagnosis near the end of his fall term. In his communication, Peter explains his situation and requests an appeal.
Dear Dean Eberhardt,
I received your letter dated December 15, 2017, informing me of my dismissal due to poor academic performance and my prior academic suspension. My cumulative GPA as of Spring 2016 was 1.85, and my Fall 2017 GPA was 1.80. I understand Bowling Green State University’s policies and take ownership for my grades. I’d like to explain my recent disability diagnosis and ask you to consider reinstating me for Fall term 2018.
Until this year, I was unaware that I had Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. After extensive problems focusing on my studies and completing assignments, I sought out screening options during the fall. According to Dr. Mena Patel, who has diagnosed me with Combined Type ADHD, my disability accounts for past and present challenges with concentration, memory, organization, and planning,
I’ve reached out to the Accessibility Services office and have submitted documentation of my disability. Additionally, I am working with Dr. Patel to determine what accommodations I’ll need and have applied for assistance from the Falcon Learning Your Way program, which will offer an individualized support plan to help me succeed. I have attached a copy of Dr. Patel’s diagnosis, dated November 17, 2017. I am willing to retake any courses and am certain that with this action plan, I can bring up my grades. Given my situation, I humbly request that you reconsider my academic dismissal.
Writing your appeal letter will require a combination of honesty and diplomacy. You must inform your audience, who will likely be an academic dean or another type of administrator, why your academic performance was unacceptable. Not only that, but you’ll also have to detail a plan to raise your grades.
As the writer of this appeal letter for academic dismissal template has done, you’ll need to state the applicable facts right away. In your first paragraph, give a brief review of the academic progress that led up to the dismissal. Next, explain that you’re asking for an appeal of the decision and give your reasons.
In the next section of your missive, you should reveal specifics about the situation that impacted your grades. You need to document how your challenges affected your ability to study or attend class. Be truthful about your problems and present them in concisely composed text, as Peter has done in his message.
It’s vital to close your letter on a confident note while continuing the respectful tone you adopted in the beginning. The final portion of your message should include a brief description of how you’re going to improve your academic performance if you’re reinstated. Don’t overwhelm your recipient with too many minutiae, but give a basic overview with the most salient details, as our writer demonstrates in his letter. Refer to any documentation you’re enclosing with your communication. Make sure you take ownership of any mistakes on your part and don’t forget to restate your request for an appeal.
You must strike a careful balance when crafting an appeal letter for academic dismissal. Bending details or outright dishonesty will probably backfire and may result in you being permanently barred from attending in the future. Integrity will be your best friend in this endeavor, so sidestep the temptation to embellish details and tell only the truth. Also, ensure your explanation is clear and easy to follow. You want the college administrator reading your message to understand the connection between your difficulties and your academic progress leading up to your school’s decision.
At the same time, you also shouldn’t avoid including your plan to bring up your grades. Your audience desires to see that you explicitly intend to make improvements, along with the specifics on how you’ll accomplish the objective. If you started putting your strategy into action prior to composing your letter, make sure you document any steps you’ve already taken. Finally, don’t forgo including any supporting documents for your appeal request and mention these in your communication.
You likely have a lot on your to-do list at term’s end, but don’t let your appeal letter for academic dismissal slip off your radar without a response. Similar requests from other students are probably inundating your recipient, so get back in touch with him or her about a week after you submit your appeal. Phone the office of the administrator in question and speak to him or her directly about your communication. While you want to observe existing policies your institution has in place for decisions on academic dismissal appeals, you also don’t want to leave your educational future uncertain.
1. Clarify and detail the reasons for your poor academic progress
You must explain the challenges that affected your ability to study and finish class assignments. In considering whether to reinstate a student after academic dismissal, your university administrator wants to see a cause-and-effect relationship between your difficulties and your grades.
2. Take ownership for any missteps on your part
While students might end up with academic dismissal for any number of reasons, modesty and honesty will probably go a long way towards convincing your recipient to rule favorably on your appeal. Apologize and own up to any faults on your part.
3. Document your strategy to improve your grades
Asking for an appeal is one thing, but you also need to lay out your plan for improvement. Elucidate exactly how you’re going to do things differently during the next term.
4. Mention and enclose supporting evidence for your appeal request
Don’t forget to provide proof of your claims with your missive. This can include communications from your doctors, police reports, or anything else that gives solid evidence that you are telling the truth about your circumstances.
5. Keep your letter professional in tone and free of grammar and spelling errors
It would be tragic to compose and send a persuasive appeal letter that’s full of grammar and spelling mistakes. Also, it’s vital to watch the tone of your message and make sure it stays respectful. Proofread it yourself and ask someone you trust to review it before submitting.