Academic Policies and Petitions

Most academic requests are now submitted through online forms, which include instructions on what to include based on the type of request. In general, however, a petition should state the specific request and set forth all the reasons why the request is necessary, justified, or helpful to the student’s academic program. Often the petition should include a confirming statement, and perhaps a recommendation, from a course instructor, employer, or other relevant person. In almost all requests, relevant chronology is important and students should try to provide dates as specifically as possible. 

The student should do the following when completing the petition:

• State the nature of the request;
• Explain why the change is wanted, what happened, and when;
• Explain the role of relevant parties (for example, a misunderstanding between the instructor and the student; incomplete or wrong information given by a University office);
• Follow all instructions on forms completely;
• Type or write legibly, when necessary, using ink or dark pencil; 
• Use a style suitable for a formal petition within a collegiate setting: proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The audience for your petition consists of academic advisors appointed to the Academic Board.

The Honors Academic Affairs may defer petitions that do not fully meet the above criteria. If you have questions about completing a petition, please contact an advisor.

Barring holidays or unforeseen circumstances, Honors Academic Affairs meets once per week, typically on Monday mornings. Completed petitions, including all supporting materials, that are submitted by noon (12pm) on Thursday will be discussed at the following Monday meeting.

Students who submit petitions to the Honors can expect to hear a response shortly after the meeting in which the petition was reviewed; an advisor  will email the student directly with the Board’s decision or to request any further information or documentation needed for a decision. Process and deadline questions can be directed to lsa-honors-petitions@umich.edu.

A panel of Honors Academic Affairs representatives reads the petition, looks at the advising file and your academic history, and makes a vote in light of all similar petitions already decided.

No, but you may meet with an individual Honors Advisor to discuss a petition. You may schedule an appointment with any Honors Advisor.

The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents us from discussing your student record, including any petitions you may file, with your parents or other non-authorized persons without written permission from you. If you wish to give that permission, you may fill out a FERPA Release form.

No, there is no limit to the number of petitions a student may submit, but each request should be carefully considered.