For students who would like a decision reviewed, there are options depending on the case’s outcome.
Decisions by the Administrative Board and Honor Council may be reviewed through two separate processes depending on the process and outcome.
Reconsiderations
Students have the option to request that the Administrative Board or Honor Council, as appropriate, reconsider any of its decisions if:
- New materially relevant information becomes available that was not available to the student through the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time of the review; or
- There is reasonable evidence of a procedural error that may change the outcome of the decision.
At least one of the grounds must be identified in a statement or materials for it to be successfully filed. Students who believe they have sufficient grounds for reconsideration should consult with their Resident Dean, the Secretary of the Administrative Board, or their personal advisor (a faculty member or officer of the University affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences).
All reconsiderations of any decision (petitions or disciplinary) must be filed with the Secretary of the Administrative Board within one week of the decision, unless, within that week, the Secretary grants an extension of time. Ordinarily, students will have only one opportunity to request a reconsideration of a decision. All reconsiderations may be filed by submitting materials to adboard@fas.harvard.edu, with students copying their Resident Dean and Academic Coordinator.
If the outcome of a decision is a requirement to withdraw, a student must move out of their on-campus residence within five business days. This timeline and action are independent of the reconsideration process. If a student is needs additional time, please contact the Dean of Students Office in the College.
Once a student has been awarded a degree from Harvard College, the option to have the Administrative Board or Honor Council reconsider a decision is closed.
Appeals
Students required to withdraw or placed on probation for more than one term by the Administrative Board or Honor Council have two options to contest the decision:
- They may ask the Administrative Board or Honor Council, as appropriate, to reconsider its decision (via the process and deadlines described in the “Reconsiderations” section above);
- Additionally, they may appeal to the Faculty Council.
These students may still ask the Administrative Board or the Honor Council, as appropriate, to reconsider a decision and, if unsatisfied with the response to the reconsideration request, may afterwards appeal to the Faculty Council. Alternatively, they may skip the reconsideration option altogether and choose to appeal directly to the Faculty Council. However, once a student appeals to the Faculty Council, they forgo their reconsideration option, and a student may not seek a reconsideration. As with reconsiderations, the appeal timeline and outcome from the Administrative Board or Honor Council are independent of the appeal process.
A student may appeal to the Faculty Council if:
- The Administrative Board or Honor Council, as appropriate, made a procedural error that may change the outcome of the decision; or
- Based upon a review of the annual disciplinary statistics of the Administrative Board or Honor Council, as appropriate, the sanction imposed was inconsistent with the Board’s or Council’s usual practices and inappropriate.
At least one of the provisions must be identified in your statement or materials for it to be successfully filed. For disciplinary cases in which a student requests reconsideration but also wishes to appeal, appeals must be filed with the Secretary of the Faculty within one week of the decision regarding reconsideration. In cases in which a student does not request a reconsideration but wishes to appeal, appeals must be filed with the Secretary of the Faculty within one week of the disciplinary decision of the Administrative Board.
Appeals to the Faculty Council are first screened by the Docket Committee, a group of elected representatives of the Faculty Council. Further information about the appeals process can be obtained from the Secretary of the Faculty at secfas@fas.harvard.edu.
Once a student has been awarded a degree from Harvard College, the option to appeal to the Faculty Council is closed.
In keeping with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a student with a disability who believes that the Administrative Board or Honor Council did not properly consider any claims pertaining to their disability may seek further review from the Director of University Disability Services, including in disciplinary case decisions. For information on grievance procedures, visit the University Disability Services website: https://accessibility.harvard.edu/filing-a-complaint.