In certain situations, you may need to submit a Petition to the Faculty. Visit the Registrar website for a PDF of the form and additional instructions.

Petition Overview

The first sentence of a petition should clearly state the reason for the petition (e.g., exception to the seven-year rule for Ph.D. completion, withdrawal from all courses after the deadline, change of the basis of a course from pass-fail to letter grade, transfer of more than six semester hours toward the master's degree, etc.). The petitioner should follow this statement with a brief explanation of why they are making this request and any special circumstances leading up to this request.

Petition Deadlines

Student Petitions to the Faculty for action by the Institute's Graduate Committee should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the 10th of each month. Student Petitions received by the 10th will be acted on by the committee during the month of submission. Those received after the 10th will be acted on during the following month.

Guidance for Petition Requests

See below for guidance on scenarios requiring exception requests. For additional guidance on submitting a Petition to the Faculty, view the Guidelines for Students Preparing Petitions on the Registrar website.

Petitions to Withdraw from Courses for Medical Reasons

If you have experienced medical problems that are significant enough to request a withdrawal, you will be requesting withdrawal from from all courses you were registered for, including GRA and thesis research hours. A supporting statement from a physician or other health care professional should be attached to your petition.

Petitions to Waive the Seven-Year Rule for Ph.D. Students

Since the clock starts with completion of the Comprehensive Examination, you should include the date on which the Comprehensive Examination was passed in your petition. In addition, the petition should include a projected completion date (i.e., the defense of the thesis date). Your Ph.D. advisor should also submit a brief statement in support of the petition. This statement should indicate the advisor's support/non-support of your proposed thesis completion date, including whether you are making timely progress toward degree completion and any extenuating circumstances that have delayed your progress.