Student Petition for Academic Policy Waiver and Variance
A. College-Level Policy Waiver or Variance Petitions 1. Students may petition for a waiver or variance of a department-level or college-level policy. The appropriate College Office of Academic Assistance can provide the student with college policies and petition procedures.
1. The student must submit a petition, in writing, to the Office of Academic Assistance of the College which has made the policy in question. The petition must include the following: (a) the policy from which the student is seeking a waiver or variance, (b) the deviation being sought; and (c) the reason(s) why the exception should be granted. The Office of Academic Assistance representative will determine whether the petition needs to be addressed at the departmental or college level, and will forward the petition to the appropriate administrator who will notify the student of his or her decision.
2. The student may appeal the decision, in writing, following the procedures stated in Section II.A.2.c through f above, the College-Level Academic Complaint Policy and Procedures. If the original decision was rendered by a Department Chair, the appeal should be initiated at the level of the Dean; if the original decision was rendered by the Dean (or his or her designate), the appeal should be initiated at the level of the Provost.
B. University-Level Policy Waiver or Variance Petitions 1. Students may request a waiver or variance of a policy established by the University or the Board of Regents .
1. All requests for waivers or variances from university-level policies will be made based only on the written record.
2. The student must submit a petition for a waiver or variance in writing to the Academic Administrator in charge of the office that administers the policy in question. (These offices include the Dean of Students, Registrar’s Office, Student Advisement Center, Undergraduate Admissions, and the Associate Provost for Academic Programs.) The petition must include the following: (a) The policy or requirement from which the student is requesting a waiver; (b) the deviation being sought; (c) the reason(s) why the exception should be granted; (d) a current copy of the student’s academic evaluation record; and (e) a current copy of the student’s Georgia State University transcripts, which should also include transcripts from any other college the student has attended.
3. The Academic Administrator will review the petition, attach additional documentation if necessary, and forward his or her recommendations in writing for action to the Committee on Admissions and Standards of the University Senate.
4. All petitions for a waiver or variance of a University-level policy are reviewed by a subcommittee of the Committee on Admissions and Standards. Petitions may be initiated, in writing, by students, faculty, or staff. Scholarship Appeals subcommittees will be composed of at least two faculty. Academic Regulations and Graduation Requirements Appeals subcommittees will be composed of at least three faculty. The subcommittee will make a recommendation to the Dean of Students. The decisions of the Dean of Students and all supporting documents will be distributed, as an information item, to every member of the Committee on Admissions and Standards. The Dean of Students will notify the student of the decision on the petition. Submission of petition documents does not guarantee that a waiver or variance will be granted.
5. The student, any member of the faculty of Georgia State University, or any member of the Committee on Admissions and Standards may appeal the decision of the Dean of Students to the Associate Provost for Academic Programs, in writing, within 10 business days from when the Dean of Students’s decision is distributed to the student and to the Committee on Admissions and Standards.
6. The student may appeal the Associate Provost’s decision to the Provost in writing within 10 business days of being notified of the decision. The Provost will respond in writing to the appeal within 20 business days of receiving the appeal.
7. The student may appeal the Provost’s decision to the President in writing within 10 business days of being notified of the Provost’s decision. The President will respond in writing to the appeal within 20 business days of receiving the appeal.
8. The student may appeal the President’s decision to the Board of Regents in writing within 20 business days of being notified of the President’s decision.