UCF College of Medicine — Dismissal & Appeals

Written by Zachary Gaynor, attorney · The Florida Bar, admitted 2016 · court admissions. Reviewed September 3, 2026.

Who decides whether a UCF medical student is dismissed?

The Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee (SEPC) decides at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, though “the dean has final authority.” Appeals run to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and then to the Dean. Every academic deadline is stated in business days, and dismissal appeals are due within 10 business days of receipt.

The best rule in Florida for a student weighing an appeal

“The appeals process may not result in an increase in the level of sanction initially determined by the Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee.”

UCF is the only Florida medical school that says this. At FAU and at both Nova colleges an appeal can produce a worse outcome. At UCF it cannot. The downside of appealing is time and effort, not exposure — which makes the calculation genuinely different here.

The deadlines, all in business days

• Dismissal appeal: 10 business days from the date the original written decision was received.
• Notice of the SEPC meeting: 5 to 15 business days after the chair’s notification; the student’s written response is due at least 2 business days before it.
• Comment on newly requested information: 5 business days from receipt.
• The Associate Dean decides within 10 business days; a further appeal to the Dean is due within 10 business days; the Dean decides within 15 business days.
• Grade appeals: 10 business days from receipt of the grade for M-1 and M-2, but 20 business days from grades posting in myUCF for M-3 and M-4 — different clocks and different trigger events.
• Conduct appeals through Student Conduct: 10 business days from notification.

These windows are expressly soft: they “represent standard operating procedures but may be modified under exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.” That cuts both ways, and it is worth citing where a filing is late for a reason.

Two traps in the grade process

First: do not approach the faculty member directly. UCF provides that attempts to initiate a grade appeal with faculty “may be considered a professionalism issue.” A student trying to sort a grade out informally can convert a grade dispute into a professionalism file.

Second: sequence matters. The SEPC does not hear grade appeals and “only bases its recommendations on grades after any appeals have been exhausted.” If the grade is wrong, fix the grade first — otherwise the committee builds its record on it.

A useful design detail: M-1/M-2 grade appeals are decided by the Assistant Dean for M-3/M-4 and vice versa, a deliberate insulation mechanism.

Advisors and attorneys

At the SEPC and at College appeal hearings, “the student may be accompanied by a person or persons of the student’s choice to provide support and counsel to the student. The supporting person(s) may not participate directly in the proceeding.” An attorney is not barred from the room but may not speak, and no advance notice is required.

In Student Conduct proceedings the position reverses: a student may have “an advisor, advocate, or legal representative to be present and who can fully participate in the disciplinary proceeding.” That language follows Fla. Stat. § 1006.60(3)(g), which applies because UCF is a public institution — as does § 1006.60(3)(b), placing the burden on the University to prove a violation by a preponderance. UCF’s student handbook states the burden expressly: “The burden of proof is not on the student charged.”

The College publishes no standard of proof for SEPC matters in any of policies 9.9.0 through 9.9.3A.

Other rules that decide cases

• USMLE: three attempts each. A third failure of Step 1 or Step 2 CK means dismissal.
• Time limits: eligible for promotion to M-3 within four academic years of matriculation, and eligible for the MD no later than the sixth year. The SEPC may grant exceptions.
• Readmission by written request to the Dean, no sooner than one year after dismissal.
• The Interim Action review team convenes within 3 business days and expressly includes “Health Affairs Legal Counsel or designee.”
• Accepting informal resolution waives the appeal in the conduct process — appeals are available only after a formal hearing.

Two parallel policy versions exist, for the Class of 2027 and earlier and for 2028 and later. We compared them: the deadlines are identical; the differences are formatting and capitalisation. Confirm which governs your class year, but there is no deadline conflict between them.

Anticipate one argument: the catalog states that its contents “may not be regarded in the nature of binding obligations on the institution or the State of Florida.” That disclaimer is aimed squarely at a contract theory and is worth addressing rather than ignoring.

“Final university action”

“The decision of the Dean is final university action and not subject to further university appeal.” That is the trigger for certiorari review, and the record a court will see is the one built inside the College.

Where the governing documents are

Verified as loading on 3 September 2026:

• Policy index — med.ucf.edu
• Policy 9.9.2, Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee — med.ucf.edu
• Policy 9.9.3, grading and assessment — med.ucf.edu
• Policy 9.9.3A, conduct — med.ucf.edu

Related reading

• Medical school dismissal, remediation and promotion committees
• Grade disputes and grade appeals
• Professionalism and fitness-to-practice findings
• University of Central Florida — student discipline overview

Other Florida health-professional programs

Every school writes its own dismissal, appeal and conduct rules, and the filing deadlines are rarely the same from one campus to the next. These pages set out the procedure at other Florida health-professional programs:

• Ultimate Medical Academy
• Ultrasound Medical Institute Dismissal
• University of Florida College of Medicine — Dismissal & Appeals
• University of Miami Miller School of Medicine — Dismissal & Appeals
• USF Morsani College of Medicine — Dismissal & Appeals
• Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Melbourne

Common questions

Can a UCF appeal make my sanction worse?

No. UCF expressly provides that the appeals process may not increase the level of sanction the SEPC originally determined. It is the only Florida medical school that says so.

How long do I have to appeal a UCF dismissal?

Ten business days from the date you received the written decision. Every academic deadline at UCF is stated in business days.

Should I email the professor about a bad grade first?

No. UCF provides that attempting to initiate a grade appeal directly with faculty may be treated as a professionalism issue. Use the published route.

Can I bring a lawyer to the SEPC?

You may bring a person for support and counsel, but they may not participate directly. In UCF’s conduct process a legal representative may fully participate, as Florida law requires at a public institution.