Examples of Appropriate and Inappropriate Requests

University Undergraduate Advising Handbook

EXAMPLES OF APPROPRIATE AND INAPPROPRIATE REQUESTS

Withdrawal

Consider the following scenarios for a student who was hospitalized and could not return to school:

If the hospitalization occurred before the end of the semester/session withdrawal deadline, she should withdraw before this date.
If the hospitalization occurred after the end of the semester/session withdrawal deadline (i.e., during the final exam period), a petition requesting a retroactive withdrawal may be appropriate. Documentation such as hospital records or a letter from her physician must be provided.
If the hospitalization occurred before the end of the semester/session withdrawal deadline but the student did not follow the withdrawal procedure, a petition would not be appropriate unless she could document the circumstances preventing her from accessing a computer or telephone.

Late Drop

If a student is requesting a selective late drop of one or two courses from a previous semester, the student must explain why his/her circumstances did not affect all of his/her courses. (For example, a broken leg might affect a volleyball course but not a calculus course.) In addition, the student must establish why the course was not late dropped before the semester/session late drop deadline. Documentation for this rationale must be provided.

Improving Grade-Point Average

If a student cannot document a reason that University procedures were not followed and his/her only justification for a retroactive procedure is to improve his/her grade-point average (e.g., for entry to major, law school, scholarships), the petition will be denied.

The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. Please consult a Penn State academic adviser for more detailed information.

This page is part of the University Undergraduate Advising Handbook, which is maintained by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, DUS@psu.edu.

Reviewed: June 2008
Last Update: September 2004