Graduate College Petitions
To access the petition form to make a request for an exception to a Graduate College policy or deadline, you will first need to login to the Graduate College Student Portal.
Graduate College Student Portal
When filing this request, it is important for graduate students to consult with their academic program regarding their academic needs or concerns.
Depending on the nature of the request, petitions for exceptions require different information or supporting documentation. Two basic themes should be included on any statement provided in these requests:
- Clearly identify the issue.
- Provide justification as to why you (the student) should be allowed an exception to this policy or deadline. This justification may include a timeline of events, medical documentation, supporting statements, or other as applicable.
Upon submission, Graduate College petitions are routed to the student's home academic department for review and comments. Once all necessary comments are collected, the petition will then be submitted to the Graduate College for final review.
Graduate College Review
Once a decision has been made, the decision will be communicated via email to both the student and the student’s academic department office.
Appeals of Denied Petitions
Students who wish to appeal a denied petition may submit an appeal petition. In these cases, students must submit a new petition with new or additional information that may not have been supplied in the original petition. The appeal petition must be accompanied by two statements, one from a department signatory commenting on the appeal including the new or additional information provided and one from the student's department head which addresses the appeal request. Decisions made by the appeal committee are considered final.
Required of All Graduate Student Petition Requests:
- Completed petition form.
- Current adviser’s comments.
- Current department authorized signatory comments.
- Individual types of petitions (outlined below) may require additional items. Please see below for details.
- Petitions may be denied or returned for information if submitted incomplete.
Instructions for Specific Types of Petition Requests
DEADLINE EXCEPTIONS
For the specific types of petition requests below, you will need to select Deadline Exception as the request type on the online petition form. You will then be prompted to select an appropriate Deadline Exception Category.
Late Add to Degree List
Students must add their name to a pending degree list through Student-Self Service by the published deadline for the specified graduation term that they expect to be awarded their degree. Students who miss this deadline must petition the Graduate College to be late added.
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Explanation of why the student must be added for the specified term (to be provided by student)
- Completed Late Add/Remove to Degree List form
Retroactive Drop of a Course
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Instructor’s comments, including date of last attendance or academic activity for the course
- Course information (CRNs, course departments, titles, credit hours, terms) (to be provided by the student)
- A detailed statement about why the deadline was missed, and why the student should be an exception to the deadline (to be provided by the student)
- Supporting documentation, such as medical documentation (to be provided by the student)
Retroactive Add or Change (Increase/Decrease) in Credit Hours to a Course
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Instructor comments, including date of last attendance or academic activity for the course
- Course information (CRNs, course departments, titles, credit hours, terms)
- Supplemental Grade Report Form completed by the department and signed by the instructor
- A statement of explanation why the deadline was missed and why the action is being requested (to be provided by the student)
Withdrawal/Cancellation from University after Deadline
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- A detailed statement about why the deadline was missed and why the student should be an exception to the deadline is required (to be provided by the student)
- Supporting documentation, such as evidence that the student notified university staff of their intent to withdraw/cancel prior to the deadline (to be provided by the student)
- Withdrawal/Cancellation form including an authorized signature from the department, and for international students a signature from a representative of International Student and Scholar Services
- Instructor comments, including date of last attendance or academic activity for the course(s)
Grade Mode Change After Deadline
After the deadline in the current term or for any past term courses, a petition is required to change the grade mode for a course to Credit/No Credit, Audit, or Standard grade.
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Course instructor comments. For late audit requests, a statement from the course instructor confirming the student is/was a listener only in the course, as described by University policy in the Student Code.
- An explanation from the student why the deadline was missed and why the student should be granted an exception to the deadline (to be provided by the student)
- If applicable, supporting documentation, such as medical documentation is required (to be provided by the student)
Extend Time Allowed for I or DFR Grades
The Graduate College has policies regarding time limits for the completion of Incompletes (I) and some deferred grades (DFR). Please refer to the Graduate College Handbook for policies. Requests for extensions of the time to complete the course requirements for a course with an I or DFR grade are made by petition to the Graduate College.
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Instructor comments documenting length of time for the extension.
- Course information (CRNs, course departments, titles, credit hours, terms)
- Detailed timeline for completion of course (to be provided by the student)
- If applicable, supporting documentation, such as medical documentation is required (to be provided by the student)
policy EXCEPTIONS
For the specific types of petition requests below, you will need to select Policy Exception as the request type on the online petition form. You will then be prompted to select an appropriate Policy Exception Category.
Time Extensions
Graduate students are expected to complete all degree requirements within specified periods of time. Students who have reached or exceeded the time limit for the graduate degree cannot continue to register and cannot graduate without Graduate College approval.
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Completed Academic Plan Form, including comments from the student's advisor.
- Comments from an Authorized Departmental Signatory.
- The length of time that is being requestd (up to one academic year), and the academic justification for the timeline.
Reinstatement After Dismissal for Low GPA
Students who are dropped from the Graduate College because of a low term or cumulative GPA must petition to continue to register in the program. If approved, students are reinstated on academic probation for one semester.
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Student's explanation of circumstances leading to the semester outcome and steps being pursued to improve academic performance (to be provided by the student)
- Advisor and/or department statement that demonstrates support for a student to raise their GPA.
Thesis, Dissertation, and/or Committee Policy Exceptions
Graduate students are expected to observe all requirements and policies in the Graduate College Handbook for theses, dissertations, and Preliminary and Final exam committees and deadlines.
The following items are needed before a petition for exceptions to Graduate College policy on theses, dissertations, or committees can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Additional signatures and necessary documentation vary for these types of petitions. For example, additional statements may be required from all committee members or the Executive Officer of the program.
- Students and advisers may wish to consult with Academic Affairs before submitting this type of petition
registration OVERLOAD
Graduate students planning to register for more than 20 hours in a fall or spring semester, or more than 12 hours total in the summer term, must petition for overload approval. You will need to select Registration Overload as the request type on the online petition form.
Please note than an academic credit load of 20 hours already represents approximately 60 clock hours of work. Any requests for credit hour overloads must address how a student will complete the academic work during the semester. Any additional time commitments of the student, such as an assistantship, should also be addressed.
The following items are needed before the petition can be submitted for Graduate College review:
- Effective term and total hours for which the student would like to register
- Realistic semester schedule of work
- Justification for the overload based on past academic performance provided in the explanation section fo the petition
Other Requests
The petition is also used for requesting curriculum changes and transfer credit, as well as re-entry to the Graduate College.