Suggested Regrade Policy


If you allow students to return graded examinations for a regrade, the Academic Integrity Office recommends a very specific procedure and policy.

Follow these guidelines to avoid miscommunication and reduce incidents of misconduct:

Protect against student alterations, and tell students what you're doing.

To enable you to clearly see if an exam is altered:

  • Photocopy all exams before you return them.
    • If this is too time consuming and costly, try to copy only pages that have incorrect answers, randomly choose pages or exams to photocopy, or photocopy pages with questions you suspect would be altered.
  • Mark incorrect answers in a way that illuminates changes. For example, draw a red circle as close to the text of the answer as possible, or draw a line through incomplete or incorrect answers.

Tell students if you're photocopying or marking exams, and explain why, so they understand you're trying to reduce opportunities for cheating. Honest students will appreciate your efforts and may be more inclined to report cheating to you.

Do not accept exams that look as if they've been altered.

Tell students that no exam will be regraded if there is any additional writing on the exam, in any location.

Accept only formal regrade requests, in writing.

Require students to submit examinations with a cover sheet that puts the regrade request in writing, specifying which questions the student thinks were incorrectly graded.

  • The student should sign and date the regrade request.

See a sample cover sheet that you can use.

Set time limits.

Allow regrades to be submitted only to the instructor during office hours, and only for a limited period after the exam has been returned. This avoids the likelihood of third-party (i.e., TA) miscommunication and misunderstanding.