Student Petitions

What is a student petition?

When students have not followed a policy listed in the Policies and Rules for Undergraduate Students and believe an exception to the policy may be warranted, they may submit a petition to the Senate Committee on Education’s Subcommittee on Undergraduate Petition Review for consideration.

A petition may be used to request an exception to a policy. The Senate committee does not grant petitions automatically. Strong, documented justification must be provided to establish the circumstances that warrant an exception. The most common petitions are retroactive withdrawals and retroactive late drops.

It is to the student’s advantage to submit a complete, well-documented petition. In a petition, students must describe extenuating circumstances beyond their control that warrant consideration of a retroactive action, and be able to provide written documentation of those circumstances. They must also establish why they did not follow existing University policies before the established deadline.

Course substitutions and exceptions to degree requirements do not require a petition, and are handled through the college/campus where the student is enrolled. A petition is not required for correcting registration errors such as administrative course/registration cancellations or changing a grade, if the request is made before the deadline.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS: Students, please DO NOT send petition materials directly to the Faculty Senate office. It will cause a delay in the process. Students initiate a petition by speaking with an adviser at their college/campus advising center, and provide all petition documents to them.


PROCEDURAL DEADLINE FOR STUDENTS REQUESTING AN EXPEDITED PETITION REVIEW IN ORDER TO REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING TERM.

This deadline is for all petition types EXCEPT Stay of Academic Suspension, Reduction in Length of Academic Suspension, and Stay of Academic Dismissal. Please follow the special timelines designated for submitting these three petition types.

The deadline for students who request an expedited petition review in order to register for an upcoming term is 10 calendar days prior to the first day of classes for the upcoming term.

Students must submit by this deadline if there is an expectation to have petitions reviewed and get a decision before classes begin. Students can still submit petitions after the deadline, but it is not likely that there will be a decision before classes begin.


View the Student Petition Process


Frequently Asked Questions about Petitions (FAQ’s)

Consultation Prior to Petition Submission

Student Petition Types with Required Components

Petition Forms

Petition Checklists

SUPR System Updates

View Most Recent Report on Types of Petitions Submitted in the Past