Regulations and Appeals
It is the desire of Western Seminary to be responsive to the needs of the student in all areas of his or her life. The Seminary has established policies and procedures in both academic and financial areas, as well as personal, moral, ethical, and spiritual development. These policies and procedures are intended to cover most circumstances which arise, but it is recognized that on occasion there are situations which warrant special individual consideration.
If a student feels that his or her situation warrants an exception to academic or financial policies or regulations, he or she is encouraged to file a petition with the Administrative or Financial Appeals Committee, respectively. It is the responsibility of these Committees to investigate the circumstances and make a judgment whether or not such exceptions are warranted. Petitions can be completed by logging into SIS.
Other Appeals
Certain criteria for appealing decisions made by a professor or committee are presented elsewhere throughout the academic catalog or student handbook. In all other situations for which a formal appeal process is not specified, an appeal should first be directed to the chairperson of the appropriate academic center. If the student is not satisfied with the decision given by the Center Chair, he or she may then appeal to the Dean of Faculty by submitting a written statement of particulars. This statement can be submitted by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The dean will confer with the individuals involved and seek a satisfactory resolution of the problem. If the problem cannot be solved in this manner, the dean may make a decision on the matter, or, at his or her discretion, may refer it to the president for a ruling.
In addition, students living in states served by Western Seminary may have a specialized complaint process available to them:
- For students in California: An individual may contact the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education for review of a complaint. The bureau may be contacted at 1747 North Market Blvd., Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834, http://www.bppe.ca.gov/, (916) 574-8900 (phone); (916) 263-1897 (fax).
- For students in Oregon and all other states in the U.S.: Once the student has exhausted the institutional appeal process, students are able to pursue the complaint process established by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission for the State of Oregon.