A Faculty Senate Petition may be used to request an exception to a policy and/or to request a retroactive procedure. The Faculty Senate permits students to petition for exceptions to academic rules found in the Policies and Rules for Undergraduate Students. The petition provides an opportunity for a student to receive consideration on extenuating circumstances affecting their progress. Strong, documented justification must be provided to establish the circumstances to warrant an exception. The most common petitions are Retroactive Withdrawal and Retroactive Late Drop.
You will work closely with your undergraduate academic adviser to identify the correct petition type, documents, and steps you will follow to submit your petition. Review of your petition can take 1–3 weeks following submission.
Required Documentation from Student
- Student Petition Letter
Review sample letters to see examples of the required elements and structure for a petition letter. Use the Student Petition Letter form to create your letter and print or save it as a PDF. - Documentation
Examples include hospital records, signed letter from physician, statement from counselor, court records, or obituary or death certificate. - Student Petition Form(s)
- The specific Registrar and/or Student Aid form will depend on your petition type.
- Note: Retroactive withdrawal requests may have financial implications. To help avert financial hardships, students are required to explore the consequences that could occur if their petition is approved — such as the loss of federal financial aid, which could result in a balance being owed — prior to submitting the petition.
