If you have been informed that you are required to withdraw or that you have been debarred and have extenuating circumstances, you may petition have waive these decisions and continue your studies uninterrupted. Find out more below on waiving a required withdrawal or debarment decision.
At a Glance
If your average has fallen substantially (overall GPA below 2.50, on 24 or more credits) or if you have not been able to reach the minimum standing required by a previously-issued academic or debarment warning, you may be required to withdraw from studies for one year, or debarred from studies for two years.
These are academic penalties, a consequence of poor grades that put you at risk of failing to qualify for a degree. If you believe that you should be allowed to continue your studies without interruption, then you may petition to have your required withdrawal or debarment waived. If the petition is granted, you will return to your studies on debarment warning.
Guidelines
Statement of Grounds
Your personal letter - must provide a detailed, date-specific account of the extenuating circumstances which contributed to your not achieving the required standing, and the steps you will take to earn the required standing. When composing your letter consider that you were responsible for taking your circumstances into consideration, assessing your progress in courses, and dropping courses by the withdrawal deadline, in order to avoid the poor grades. Your letter should answer these questions:
- Why did you not drop affected courses by the withdrawal deadline, or petition for deferred standing for affected course work?
- Have you fully identified and resolved the issues that have affected your studies?
- What steps will you take to be successful if permitted to return to your studies?
Grades
You must indicate the grades you will need to meet the conditions of a return on debarment warning and, equally important, the grades you will need to earn the minimum standing required for a BA.
Documentation
Documentation - to support your statement of grounds - is essential. You will be required to provide original documentation to support the grounds of your petition. The Faculty strongly suggests the completion of an Attending Physician's Statement (APS) (PDF) form to document medical grounds.