Academic Standards Committee

The Academic Standards Committee operates under the authority of the Campus Faculty. Its charge, as adopted by the Campus Faculty on April 28, 1977, is published in the Faculty Handbook (December 1980) as follows:

"Recommends policies concerning grading, examinations, academic probation and exclusion and related matters; reviews the enforcement and effectiveness of these policies; and adjudicates petitions for readmission and variance to academic policies."

Operational Procedures of the Committee

  1. Ordinarily the Academic Standards Committee meets about one week prior to the first day of registration for each semester and the first summer session to adjudicate petitions. It meets other times as necessary to consider matters placed before it. For more information see the Academic Calendar.
  2. The committee’s action is to approve or deny the petition. Incomplete petitions will not be considered.
  3. Following each meeting, the Office of the Registrar, on behalf of the chairperson, will send an email to the petitioner and the appropriate dean's office notifying them of the committee's decision. 

General Criteria

  1. Circumstances which result in the need for a student to file the petition must be unusual and compelling.
  2. Documentation should be complete and relevant to the circumstances of the petition. 
    • For petitions requesting readmission to the university, positive evidence must be shown in the petition that the circumstance(s) which caused the petition to be filed has (have) been corrected to the point where the student can now reasonably be expected to succeed academically.
    • For retroactive withdrawal of course(s), supporting documentation from the instructor of record stating that the student did not take the final exam is expected. 
  3. Documentation for petitions involving medical circumstances should follow these guidelines:
    • Medical documentation should be prepared on letterhead, typed, dated, and bear the signature of the evaluator/care provider.
    • Documentation should include the name, title, contact information, and professional credentials of the evaluator.
    • Documentation should include the following information, as appropriate for the petition:
      • statement of condition/diagnosis
      • date of diagnosis and the date of last contact with this student (please indicate whether the condition is permanent or temporary)
      • treatment/hospitalization dates
      • description of recommendations for the student/patient as it pertains to the academic term
      • description of how the problem interfered with the student’s academic performance
      • any additional medical information that may be relevant to the petition
    • Other documentation may include a police report or statement from a victim advocate, or university representative.
  4. Students must meet with an academic advisor prior to submitting an Academic Standards Petition form.
  5. Petitions must be filed using the Academic Standards Petition form.  The form must be complete and should include both the required recommendations of the Dean and additional supporting letters if required by the petition.
  6. Students who are petitioning for readmission from their first academic dismissal and who have not attended the UA for at least one full academic year and who submit at least 12 hours of general education core classes or upper-level classes with at least a 3.0 grade-point average in this coursework can be considered for automatic readmission and should only complete the shorter Request to Return After Academic Dismissal form.  Students who do not meet these conditions must complete the full Academic Standards Committee petition form.