Counseling and Career Center

• Introduction
• Petition Process for Suspended Students
• Submission Deadlines
• Petition Forms
• Petitions Process for Dismissed Students

Students who have been academically suspended or academically dismissed may petition the university's Academic Standards Committee for exceptions to the "time-away requirements" of both standings.

Exceptions to the time-away requirements are rare, and approved petitions have been based on extraordinary circumstances, since the committee members--consistent with the university policy and the experience of working with several hundred students--have determined that the time away requirement is in the best interest of students.

The committee does not review or approve petitions requesting an exception to academic standings. The committee will not, for example, reverse a students academic standing from Warning to Good. Academic standings are based on grades earned by students during a semester or term. Any change in academic standing would need to be the result of a change in a grade or grades.

Petition Process

All petitions to the Academic Standards Committee are in writing; students do not meet directly with the committee. However, it is strongly advised that students meet with an advisor from the Academic Support Office as they consider the petition process and work through the steps required.

An explanation of the petition process and the necessary forms are available at the Academic Support Office's web page, Forms on-line.

The following is a description of the process and materials to be submitted for a petition to the Academic Standards Committee, as well as recommendations to improve the quality of a student's petition.

All materials must be submitted to the Academic Support Office at least two days before the next meeting of the Academic Standards Committee.

1. The student prepares a statement of why the student would not benefit from staying out of the University 12 or more months. This statement must be an explanation of the conditions that led to the academic Suspension. Students must explain the conditions or situations leading to each impacted enrollment. The statement must consider all recent semesters/terms below 2.0 GPA and also must demonstrate the resolution or successful management of the conditions or situations leading to the academic Suspension.
   
   Recommendations:
   1. This is the only contact a student has with the committee, so it is critical that this statement be well thought out and well written. Although a student may handwrite the statement, typewritten documents are easier for the committee members to read and review.
   2. The statement should include only relevant information regarding the circumstances of the suspension or dismissal.
   3. A student must make the case that extraordinary circumstances support the exception to the time-away requirements.
   4. It is not sufficient for a student to say, "I know I can do better." If expected improved performance is part of a student's petition, the student must provide a strong rationale for the probability of this improvement.
   5. Successful statements are typically one page in length but no more than two.
   
   
2. If applicable, the student should submit supportive information concerning the conditions or situations leading to his/her suspension. Such information should clearly show that the student has resolved all pertinent challenges. Statements or letters from doctors, counselors, ecclesiastical leaders, employers, Faculty Members, teachers, etc., will be helpful only if they verify that the student has resolved the condition that led to the suspension.
   
   Recommendation
   1. The most helpful supportive information includes those statements from professionals or church leaders who worked with the student during the time of academic difficulties, not after the fact.
   2. Effective statements include dates of contact, the duration of the concerns, the impact of the concerns on the student's academics and a strong statement that the student would benefit from continuing his or her enrollment without a break.
   
   
3. If incomplete grades are part of the transcript, the student must include with the petition copies of any pending Incomplete Grade Contract accompanied by a written completion plan including date to be finished.
   
   
4. Working with the student's College Advisement Center, the student prepares and submits a written graduation plan which specifies all general education, University, major and minor requirements, including semester/term and year they will take each class. (The graduation plan form is available at Forms Online)
   
   The graduation plan must be current, that is, since the student's suspension, and must include only classes required for graduation.
   
   The plan must be signed by both the College Advisement Center supervisor and the student's department chair. The supervisor of the College Advisement Center must also prepare a memo supporting the student's graduation plan for submission with the student's petition.
   
   
5. The student must meet with the department chair of his academic major and request a memo of support. Prior to writing a memo, the chair should review thoroughly with the student and with the student's Faculty Member why the student did not perform as expected during his/her probationary semester/term and was therefore suspended. Having addressed this failure, the chair must then review the student's statement of why he/she would not benefit from staying out of BYU, supporting documentation, plans to complete incomplete grades, and the CAC approved graduation plan. If the chair believes the department is supportive of waiving the 12-month period out of BYU, the chair must write a memo on department letterhead affirming the department's support and specifically addressing the following questions:
   
   
   1. Why did the student not perform as expected during the probationary semester/term and end up being suspended?
   2. What has changed or is different now?
   3. Since time away from BYU would generally be beneficial to resolving challenges leading to suspension, why are the department chair and the student convinced the student should be allowed to continue at BYU without time away?
   
   Recommendation
   Without strong support from the student's department chair, approval of a petition is very unlikely.
   
   
6. The student must obtain written support from a faculty member, within the student's major department, who is willing to help (mentor) the appealing student. Specifically, the petition should include support that indicates the strong probability of the student's future academic success and should also address the three bulleted questions above. The department chair may act as mentor if he/she chooses and should so state in the letter of support.

Petition Deadline. The Academic Standards Committee meets only once a month. Students should contact the Academic Support Office in 2500 WSC to learn of the next scheduled meeting. Petitions--including all supporting materials--are due in the office no later than 5:00 p.m. two days before the next meeting of the committee.

Petitioning Academic Dismissal

The process and procedures for petitioning a student's academic dismissal are very similar to that for students petitioning academic suspension, in that all the parts required for this petition are similar to those for suspension--including the student's statement, supporting documentation, graduation plan, department chair support and Faculty Member support.

The distinction between a suspension and dismissal petitions include:

1. The student must wait two years after academic dismissal to petition.
2. The student must provide solid evidence that he or she has demonstrated the ability to complete an academic program. This is typically done through attendance at another university or college or through the completion of a substantial number of Independent Study courses. This evidence should demonstrate not marginal work but the ability to earn at least a 3.0 GPA.
3. The student must present a case that suggests why he or she should return to the university rather than attend another school.

Before beginning this petition process, a student should consult with an advisor from the Academic Support Office to explore the probability of the petition's success.