There are two ways of opposing a grade or notified failure: a procedure at EPFL, called request for reassessment, and a procedure outside of EPFL, through the Commission de recours interne des EPF, called appeal. Both methods are described in detail in the information document about dispute procedures, which we recommend you read before proceeding.
If a mark is contested on the grounds of an error in correction or assessment, the teacher responsible will be asked to check the correction. He/she is the only person authorized to make any corrections. If he/she modifies the mark, he/she must justify the modification to the program’s direction, who will check whether the reason is justified. If the result is contested on the grounds of a formal defect, the matter is referred to Legal Affairs, who can only conclude that the examination should be cancelled if the formal defect is significant and has been shown to have had an impact on the result. In the event of cancellation, the exam must be repeated and will be corrected and marked by the teacher. Under no circumstances may a test be assessed by anyone other than the teacher in charge.
The costs are charged ahead of the procedure by EPFL and the appeals authority. They are refunded only if the student’s claim succeeds.
The deadline to start these procedures is within 10 days for the request for reassessment and within 30 days for the appeal. Both deadlines are calculated from the reception, at the address given by the student, of the grade or notified failure (transcripts sent by post).
Before you start one or the other of these procedures, we strongly recommend that you read our webpage about withdrawing from exams as well as the texts regulating EPFL studies with great care. Without any grounded and verifiable motive, your request as no chance of succeeding. In case of doubt, do not hesitate to get more information from the Legal Affairs of from the Student Services Desk.
Moreover, it is recommended to go and consult one’s copy before contesting the obtained grade (according to article 15 of the Ordonnance sur le contrôle des études à l’EPFL, every student is allowed to consult his copy within six months of the communication of the result). To do so, please contact the teacher in charge of the subject and follow the consultation procedure put in place.