Johns Hopkins University seeks to provide a supportive educational, training, and professional environment. The University provides several avenues of redress for students and postdoctoral fellows who believe they have been adversely affected in their professional or educational activities as a result of an arbitrary or capricious act, or failure to act, or a violation of a University, division, school, or center procedure or regulation by their supervisor, department chair, center director, or other administrator or administrative body. The University encourages individuals involved in such disputes to resolve the matter informally. This Policy is only to be used to resolve serious matters which meet the definition of a “grievable” matter and cannot be resolved through informal discussions or processes, and is only to be applied after reasonable efforts have been made to settle the dispute informally.
Review the full policy in the JHU Policy and Document Library.
The following matters are not grievable and are specifically excluded from consideration under this Policy:
No. Grade appeals are covered by another University or School policy or procedure. Therefore, they are not “grievable matters” under this policy. The exception would be if your grade appeal is completed and you believe that the University or School did not follow its grade appeal policy correctly. You may file a grievance regarding the potential violation of policy but not about the grade.
No. Complaints alleging discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristic; sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence, are within the purview of the University’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE). Your complaint should be directed to OIE.
There is no need to contact the IGO or SGO before you file your grievance unless you have specific questions about the process. All grievances submitted through this site are reviewed by the IGO and/or SGO within 30 days of submission. The IGO or SGO will contact you regarding the submission within 120 days to inform you of next steps. If you have general questions about the Grievance Policy or process, you can also email us at [email protected].
Typically, no. The Dean’s decision, informed by the Grievance Committee’s recommendation, is final and binding. You can only appeal the finding on one of the following grounds:
If you are unsatisfied with the grievance process, you can submit a complaint to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Your complaint must be related to the institution’s compliance with Commission Requirements of Affiliation, standards, or policies or regarding the institution’s compliance with its own policies or procedures.
Please note that matters outside of the Commission’s purview include disputes between individuals and affiliated institutions about admission, grades, granting or transferability of credits, application of academic policies, fees or other financial matters, disciplinary matters, contractual rights and obligations, personnel decisions, or similar matters. In addition, the Commission does not involve itself in collective bargaining disputes.
For more details on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education process, review the full policy for complaints involving member and candidate institutions.
All complaints must be submitted online using the Commission’s official Complaints and Third Party Comment Form. Complaints submitted without this form completed in its entirety will not be reviewed.
Questions about the Grievance Policy? Please email us at [email protected].
Office of the Provost
265 Garland Hall
3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218
Phone: (410) 516-8070
Fax: (410) 516-8035
[email protected]