"Exception to Policy" Requests

8 Year Extension Form

12 Credit Extension Form

Checklist for Graduate Petitions

Petition Guidelines

Time Limit Calendar

Petition for Exception: for 12 credit hour limit on courses completed prior to admission to a program

GVSU policy allows graduate students to take a maximum of 12 graduate credit hours without being admitted to a specific graduate program.  Once the student gains admission to a graduate program, any credit hours beyond the limit must be granted an exception  to the policy by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Grants Administration (Graduate Dean) in order to be counted toward the degree. 

The student seeking this exception should contact their academic advisor to initiate the Petition for Exception.  The advisor, and graduate program director or dean of the college where the program resides, must support the exception in order for the Graduate Dean to support it.  The following information should be included in the Petition for Exception:   how many hours in excess of the 12 credit limit the student has completed, the factors that prevented the student from being admitted to the program in a timely way, if the courses are within the 8-year limit or 5-year transfer limit, if the student is currently enrolled in classes, the student's academic performance, if the courses are required to complete the degree, if the student is admitted to the program as of the submission of the petition.

The Petition for Exception must be submitted to the Graduate Dean by the advisor, either via e-mail or in a letter sent by inter-campus mail.

Petition to Return: Non-Degree Students who have been Dismissed

Non-degree seeking graduate students applying for readmission to the university after dismissal for failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA must submit a Petition to Return to the Graduate Dean prior to being readmitted to the university or admitted to a specific graduate program.  

The student must provide a statement that explains factors that led to the low GPA and a plan of study that would permit the student to overcome the low GPA. This plan must be approved by the Graduate Director in the program into which the student seeks to gain admission.  The student is not allowed admission into the program until the GPA is raised.

Suggested methods of improving the GPA include: repeating courses in which the student performed poorly to get a better grade, taking fewer courses than previously attempted,  working closely with professors to ensure that course work is of quality, meeting regularly with the advisor to discuss progress, ensuring that all prerequisite requirements are fulfilled, and refrain from taking advanced courses too early in the program.

The student may take more than one semester to raise his or her GPA to 3.0, particularly if the student has reduced his or her per semester course load.  This should be included in the student's plan of study and approved by the student's advisor, the Graduate Director of the program, and the Graduate Dean.

Petition for Exception to Graduate Time Limit Policy

All courses to be counted for a master's degree at GVSU must be completed within 8 years from the semester of the first course to be counted toward the degree.   This time limit is a way of ensuring the validity and currency of the knowledge of the student at the time of graduation. If courses were completed more than 8 years prior to the date of the student's intended graduation, the student will need to demonstrate competency and currency in the material covered in that course, at a level consistent with advances in the field in the period since the course was taken. If the student is unable to demonstrate currency of knowledge and practice related to any course completed more than 8 years prior to graduation, the student will be required to either repeat the course or to take an approved substitute.

Students who have stretched their academic careers over many years, or those that took one or two courses several years ago and have now decided to pursue their masters degree should pay close attention to this policy.  New graduate students may be affected as well, particularly those that are non-degree seeking or are undecided about pursuing a degree.

The student and the academic advisor will need to determine which courses that will be counted toward the degree fall outside the 8-year time limit. In order to demonstrate competency and currency, the student may submit a written statement outlining his or her experience in applying the concepts learned in the course.  Supporting materials should be submitted as well, which could include letters of support from employers verifying that the student demonstrates knowledge in that subject as part of his or her job. A letter of support from the academic advisor should be included along with the Petition for Exception to the Graduate Time Limit Policy form. 

Scenarios Where the Petition is Required

Student A has completed all the course work for an M.Ed degree, and anticipates graduating at the end of this semester.  Two of the courses (6 credits), that the student is counting toward the degree were taken in the Spring/Summer semester nine years ago. However, those courses will not count toward the degree as they fall outside the 8 year limit.  Student A does not want to add another semester in order to retake the two courses due to the necessity of finishing 'on time.'

Student B took a 3-credit class in the MPA program in the fall semester four years ago, but has just now decided to come back to GVSU for a degree. The student wants to move slowly and take only one course per semester, including Spring/Summer, therefore, the student will likely be enrolled in the program for the next four plus years.  Student B will not be allowed to count the course from four years ago toward the degree without an exception to the policy as it will be outside the 8 year time limit by the end of Student B's academic experience.

5 year Time Limit on Transfer Courses