Petition for Exception To Registration

• Expectations: Petitions are requests for exceptions to university policy and approval is not guaranteed.

• Petition form: The petition for exception to registration should be completed, signed and dated by the student. It is imperative that the form is completed accurately.

• Role of Instructor, advisor, and third parties:  statements and approvals are advisory and are not binding on the decision of the Office of the University Registrar.

• Supporting documentation:  It is the student’s responsibility to provide supporting documentation, based on their circumstances and for what is explained in their student statement. Copy and pasted email correspondences or other-wise altered documentation will not be accepted.

• Medical Documentation: If you are providing medical documentation, please make sure that this includes a letter from a medical professional on letterhead. The information should include an explanation of the circumstances and a timeline relevant to the term the request is being made for.  Please do not include the medical documentation form that is related to the tuition refund appeal process. This document will not be accepted. This is a separate form, for another process and a different office.

• Advising: We strongly encourage students to discuss their academic progress and options with their academic advisors. We also encourage students to communicate any questions, concerns or options regarding coursework with their instructors.

• Financial Aid: If you are a recipient of financial aid and scholarships, we advise that you contact the office of Financial Aid to discuss any implications if this petition is approved. Approval may affect current and future financial aid awards. It could result in repayment of financial aid received. It may also affect your eligibility to retain insurance coverage.

• Bursar account: Any registration activity may have an effect on your student account. Please contact the Bursar’s office to inquire about any charges or fees that may be assessed due to a registration request.

• Refunds: Review the Bursar’s website regarding tuition credits and Bursar Refund Appeal process. An approved drop or withdrawal through the petition for exception to registration process does not mean that the student is eligible for a refund.

• Financial issues: The Petition for Exception to Registration process is not to be used to resolve financial hardship or financial aid issues. Students should not register for courses to obtain the desired amount of credit hours solely for the purpose of becoming eligible for Financial Aid and then seek to withdraw or switch courses, after university deadlines.

• Grades: The petition for exception to registration is not the appropriate process to dispute or appeal grades. Please contact your college office or the Student Ombuds for assistance.

• Incomplete Grades:  If you wish to pursue an incomplete grade for a course, you must do so through your instructor, prior to the end of the semester. In addition, students are unable to request a late withdraw through the petition for exception to registration process. An incomplete or in progress grade will stand. 

• International Students: Please include a letter of support from the Office of Global Education.

• ESL Students: Petitions for exception to registration are only forwarded to this office through the ESL office.

• Copies: Students are responsible for retaining copies of any and all materials submitted to the Office of the University Registrar. Paperwork will not be returned to you. Medical and sensitive documentation is shredded after the review process. We do not forward documents to other offices. You must make copies if you intend to use materials for another process.

• Communication: Decisions are communicated through the student’s KSU email account. If they are a former student we ask that the student provide the best phone number and personal email address, which will be verified. A mailing address may also be included.

• Time frame: Depending on the request, allow 1 to 8 weeks for review, research, decision and processing. Current term petitions are reviewed first. It is possible for a decision to be made in a few days. Retroactive request may take longer. If you have questions regarding the status of your petition, please email RegPetition@kent.edu.                                          

• If all necessary information and documentation is provided from the beginning, the petition process is completed much faster. Delays occur when forms are incomplete and when relevant information and documentation is missing. If your petition is pending, you must follow-up as soon as you are able to provide the requested information, if it is needed from the student. There are times when the Office of the University Registrar has directly contacted faculty and/or staff and await additional information.

• Incomplete petitions: Incomplete petitions may be returned to the student.

• Pending: If additional information/documentation is needed the petition will only remain pending for 2 weeks. A decision will be made. The petition will be considered not sufficient to review/approve due to being incomplete, and therefore denied.

• Petitions that are not approved: All students are granted a one-time opportunity to appeal the decision. Appeal decisions are final. Email RegPetition@kent.edu, for details.

• Students should submit an appeal within 7 days from the time the original decision was received.  Appeals will be reviewed during the last week of each month.  Petitions must be received by the 20th of each month to be reviewed at the end of that month. If the petition for exception to registration appeal is received after the 20th, the petition will be reviewed within the review period of the following month.

• Read the petition form carefully. Sign and date the petition.

• Provide accurate student and course information. 

• Do not make a request for multiple semesters on one petition. Request for multiple semesters require separate petition forms

• Student Statement:  Attach a typed detailed statement, explaining the nature of your request and what extenuating circumstances prevented you from completing this change before the official processing deadline for the course(s). If a student is making a selective request, they must clearly explain how their circumstances affected one or some of their courses and not all. Documentation must be provided.

• Instructor statement: Please have the instructor of the course(s) email RegPetition@kent.edu, from their KSU email address, if they are in favor of your withdrawal. They may also provide a statement on KSU letterhead. The instructor should include the course subject, course number, section and CRN. The instructor should confirm whether an incomplete was an option, the last date of attendance and provide any other relevant information.

• Supporting Documentation: Provide documentation that supports the extenuating circumstances presented in your student statement. There should be documented reason, as to why you were unable to withdraw by university deadlines.

• Medical Documentation: If you are providing medical documentation, please make sure that this includes a letter from a medical professional on letterhead. The information should include an explanation of the circumstances and a timeline relevant to the term the request is being made for.  Please do not include the medical documentation form that is related to the tuition refund appeal process. This document will not be accepted. This is a separate form, for another process and a different office.

• Some of the reasons not appropriate for a petition for exception to registration:

  • Late withdraw request are for extraordinary situations, beyond the student’s control, and which prevented the student from making reasonable effort, to withdraw from courses prior to university deadlines.

  • Deciding to make an attempt to complete a course, though the student is experiencing extenuating circumstance, and discovering after university deadlines that they will not be successful, is not a an appropriate reason to petition a late withdraw. Computer errors, loss of internet connection, change in employment, being unaware of published university deadlines, lack of books or supplies, poor performance, dissatisfaction with a grade earned or instructor issues are not valid reasons for this petition.

  • Holds: If a student has a hold, they should indicate whether they contacted the office that initiated the hold and when. Students should resolve these matters as soon as possible, in order to complete registration activity prior to university deadlines.

  • If a student petitioned to late add a course they should not submit a 2nd petition to late withdraw the same course, unless under extraordinary circumstances.

• Supporting Documentation: Provide documentation that supports the extenuating circumstances presented in your student statement. There should be documented reason, as to why you were unable to drop by published university deadlines. You should also confirm that you never paid.

• Late drop requests are for extraordinary situations, beyond the student’s control. Computer error, change in employment, being unaware of published university deadlines, lack of books or supplies, poor performance, dissatisfaction with a grade earned or instructor issues are not valid reasons for this petition.

• If a student has a hold, they should indicate whether they contacted the office that initiated the hold and when. Students should resolve these matters as soon as possible, in order to complete registration activity prior to university deadlines.

• Deadline: Drop/Delete of a course may only be considered during the semester of the course and due to never attending or when a student stopped attending by the 2nd week of the term. A drop/delete is removal of a course from the academic record. The deadline for a late request is the last day of the course. Requests will not be considered during finals week or beyond. Retroactive requests for an earlier term will not be considered for a drop. You must use the petition for exception to registration form to request a late withdrawal.  

• Student Statement:  Attach a typed detailed statement, explaining the nature of your request, why the request is being made and what extenuating circumstances prevented you from completing this change before the official processing deadline for the course(s).  Please note if you are requesting to audit a course.

• Instructor statement:  Please have the instructor of the course(s) email RegPetition@kent.edu, from their KSU email address, if they are in favor of your enrollment. They may also provide a statement on KSU letterhead. The instructor should include the course subject, course number, section and CRN.

• Supporting Documentation: Provide documentation that supports the extenuating circumstances presented in your student statement. Supporting documentation is required after the first week of classes.

• Late adds are considered only if the instructor is in favor of the late add and verifies:

  • Student has participated in class and has a reasonable chance to successfully complete the course by the end of the term

  • If the student has not participated in class it should be understood what is expected (catching up with missed assignments, additional work etc.) and that there is a reasonable chance that the student will be successful in completing the course.

If a student is requesting to add multiple courses, all instructor statements must be received. We do not process partial petitions. If there is an issue with obtaining approval from one or some instructors, the student may submit a revised petition for the courses where an instructor statement was received. The original request will be voided.

• Open Learning courses: Students may request to late add open-learning courses after the first week, with this form. Instructor approval is needed.

• Re-add: Circumstances for which a student may request to re-add a course:

  • Student was withdrawn during Bursar Deregistration and they are beyond the rebuild period and unable to request to rebuild their schedule through the Bursar’s Office.  Students are not able to pick and choose which courses to re-add, all courses withdrawn must be re-added. Students should request to re-add courses within the term they were de-registered and before the end of the semester. 
  • Classes were dropped due to early cancellation due to non-payment and the student is unable to re-add online.
  • Student accidently drops or withdraws the wrong course.

• Special Changes: If you are already registered for a course and are requesting to change the credit hours or the grading type (standard letter grade to audit), please use the Special Course Changes petition.

• Online Late Registration Request:

  • Students will use the online Late Registration Request when attempting to add to their class schedule during the 80% drop window. This request form cannot be used for Open Learning courses. After the 80% drop window students will need to use a petition for exception to registration.

• Student Statement:  Attach a typed detailed statement, explaining the nature of your request, why the request is being made and what extenuating circumstances prevented you from completing this change before the official processing deadline for the course(s).

• Instructor statement:  Please have the instructor of the course(s) email RegPetition@kent.edu, from their KSU email address, if they are in favor of your request. They may also provide a statement on KSU letterhead. The instructor should include the course subject, course number, section and CRN and any other relevant information.

• Supporting Documentation: Provide documentation that supports the extenuating circumstances presented in your student statement.

  • COURSE SECTION CHANGE (exact same course but different section) - Only with the approval of the instructors and if it is related to verified university error

  • LEVEL CHANGE (Undergraduate to Graduate level or vice versa) - Only with the approval of the instructors and if it is related to verified university error

• Inappropriate reasons to change grade mode:

  • Poor performance in a course (change from standard letter grade to P/F or audit)

  • Performing better than expected (change from audit or P/F to standard letter grade)

  • Earning a poor grade on mid-term, project or paper and wishing to change grade mode.

• Changing credit hours:

  • Verification is needed from the instructor that you are completing the amount of course work equal to the credit hours.

  • It is inappropriate to request to change credit hours for financial reasons. A student cannot request to change credit hours late in the term because of fees and wishing to reduce their bill.

• Until they are notified of the outcome of their petition, students remain fully accountable for university financial obligations and course work. Students should continue to attend classes that they are registered for.

• If you are waiting for a possible approval to late add or re-add a course, you should not be attending the class. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published university deadlines should not attend classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course.

• We seek to review and make decisions on petitions for exception to registration in a timely manner. If the petition form is incorrect/incomplete or if required documentation is not submitted, the review process will be delayed. We encourage you to follow-up with us. If you have questions about whether a petition for exception to registration is appropriate for your circumstances or you wish to inquire about the status of your petition, please email RegPetition@kent.edu.  

It is the responsibility of the student to fully understand the information presented in the current Kent State University Catalog and to know and observe all policies and procedures of the University. Regulations may not be waived nor exceptions granted because a student pleads ignorance of policies or procedures. Students should make themselves aware of all published University Registration and Withdrawal deadlines. While academic advisors and other staff will assist students in every way possible, the responsibility for following all policies and meeting all requirements and deadlines rests with the student.

• The university is obligated to ensure the integrity of the academic transcript as an accurate historical document. Therefore, in order for the academic transcript to reflect the actual history of a student’s experience at the university, an exception to university policy is warranted only in cases involving documented unusual or extenuating circumstances.

• A petition is a request for exception to university policy and review and/or approval by the Office of the University Registrar is not guaranteed.  Students may submit a petition in a reasonable period of time, typically within the term under consideration.   Petitions for exception to registration may be reviewed retroactively at the discretion of the University Registrar not to exceed two years (2) from the end of the term in which the requested action is sought. Petitions more than two (2) years from the end of the term under consideration are not guaranteed to be reviewed and/or approved. 

• For further information regarding the Petition for Exception to Registration process, please email RegPetition@kent.edu.