Petitions

Petitions to Adjust Student Record

A petition is a request to adjust an academic record in the event of an unforeseen documented hardship (severe illness or medical condition, death of immediate family member, involuntary call to active military duty, etc.). Record adjustments can be in the form of a drop with refund or late withdrawal. Have questions? Review our FAQ section below.

Which petition works for me?

Drop With Refund

Request to have course(s) removed from record and tuition refunded, if applicable (excluding lab and distance learning fees)

Late Withdrawal

Request to receive a "W" for a course after the published withdrawal deadline.

All petitions to adjust the record must be submitted within one year of the semester in question. Petitions will not be considered for courses within a completed program of study from which the student has graduated, or for courses for which a grade of C or higher is earned. If the one year period has exceeded or if the student has graduated, a Request to Waive Deadline or Post-Graduation Adjustment may be submitted if the student has documented evidence of a circumstance or condition which prevented timely submission of the petition.

A petition packet must include:

Petition form

• Need help completing your petition form? View for instructions.

Student statement

• Typed explanation of situation or hardship (one or two paragraphs).
• If seeking to drop from only part of your class schedule, be sure to explain the reason for the selectivity.

Unofficial transcript

• Available on eSantaFe.

Supporting documentation (see FAQ’s for more examples)

• Letter from physician indicating severity, duration, academic impact and recovery period for the condition (on official letterhead, dated and signed)
• Medical documentation to verify student’s role as caretaker for a family member
• Family member’s death certificate, funeral program or obituary
• Military orders
• Letter from employer indicating changes in work hours/conditions
• Court documents
• Instructor feedback on student’s attendance and performance in class (required for late withdrawal)
• Departmental feedback (required for petitions involving a professor complaint)

A separate form and packet must be completed for each semester being petitioned. Petition packets should not exceed eight pages total, not including instructor feedback. Only completed petition packets will be forwarded for committee review.

Petitions will not be considered for:

• courses within a completed program of study from which the student has graduated
• courses for which a grade of C or higher is earned
• previously denied requests

How to submit

You can submit your petition in person at the Office of the Registrar (Northwest Campus, Building R, room 112) or via email to petitions@sfcollege.edu. 

Committee Decision

Due to privacy and confidentiality guidelines, petition decisions will only be released through the college’s official notification system.

Please allow at least three to four weeks to receive a refund, if applicable. The Office for Finance and Financial Aid Office must review the refund prior to any disbursement. Refunds are disbursed through BankMobile.

The committee does NOT have any authority with regard to instructor's methods, procedures, conduct, grading policies, or grade assignment. Concerns of this type should be reviewed with the appropriate departmental chairperson.

Appeals

Students may appeal the committee's decision to the College Registrar within 10 business days of the notification date by submitting a typed letter and additional documentation (if applicable).

A subsequent appeal will be directed to the appropriate College Vice President who shall render a final decision on the appeal if necessary.

Petition FAQ

Can you provide examples of supporting documentation for petitions?

Every student’s situation is unique, so appropriate documentation varies by case. Some examples of supporting documentation are listed below. Note that submitting any of these documents is not a guarantee that the petition will be approved.

What should my supporting documentation demonstrate?

Supporting documentation about the hardship/condition/circumstances must verify the following, as applicable:

• Severity of condition
• Medical restrictions
• Exacerbation or changes in condition - if the request is related to an ongoing condition
• Academic impact of condition
• Start, end dates or onset of condition or circumstance
• How the condition is associated with the term petitioned
• Reason selectivity – if seeking to drop only part of your schedule
• Immediate family relationship, if applicable
• Supporting documentation is consistent with student statement

What information should be included in the petition statement? How long should the statement be?

The petition statement should describe the hardship/circumstance and how it has affected your performance during the term petitioned. Statements should not exceed one page. In addition to describing the hardship, statements should also address:

• Selectivity if seeking to drop from only part of your class schedule
• Reason for missing withdrawal deadline – if your petition is for a late withdrawal

My petition was denied even though I submitted supporting documentation. I would like to know why it was denied.

The Petitions Committee reviews all petitions carefully. All denial notifications include a comment with the specific reason for the denial decision. Some of the reasons why documentation is not sufficient include:

• Dates on the document(s) show that the circumstance was not relevant to the term petitioned.
• Document(s) did not detail severity, length, exacerbation, or academic impact of condition.
• Document(s) did not provide an explanation for seeking to drop only part of your class schedule.
• Document(s) did not show that the circumstances were unforeseen/unknown to the student prior to the beginning of the term petitioned.
• Document(s) did not include your name or other required identifying items.
• Letter(s) are not on official letterhead, dated and/or signed.

My petition was denied and I want to appeal the decision, what documentation should I submit?

Petition appeals must include:

• A new statement with additional information regarding hardship. The statement should address the reason(s) for denial included in the notification.
• Additional supporting documentation, if applicable.
• Do not submit petition form or documents included in your original submission.