Exception Petition Guidelines

Petitions consist of a letter explaining the exception being requested and why the petitioner feels the exception is warranted, accompanied by documentation of the circumstances that necessitate the exception. Your petition is a request for special consideration. Please present your case clearly and completely. Meeting with an academic advisor may improve your petition and help clarify your academic goals. You can make an appointment with an academic advisor in the LAS Advising Center in Grace Wilkie Hall, room 115, or by phone at 316-978-4757.

• Type or neatly print your petition. Neatness makes a good impression. If your statement cannot be easily read, the committee may not understand your situation. Use no more than one page. Do not use spiral notebook paper.
• Documentation is essential. Without documentation, your petition will not be considered by the committee and no action will be taken. The committee does not need extensive documentation of your situation, but you must provide enough documentation to verify the situation and show why it affected your academic work. Statements from medical professionals or employers must be on official company letterhead.
  
  Examples of appropriate documentation:
  
  • Illness: Note from physician confirming illness and dates of treatment
  • Work change: Note from supervisor confirming dates of work schedule change
  • Death in family: Copy of death notification or program from funeral
  • Personal circumstances: Documentation from professionals including dates
• Some petitions require additional information from WSU faculty or staff. All forms are available in the LAS Advising Center, located in Grace Wilkie Hall, room 115.
• Readmission to WSU after attending another school: Attach official or unofficial transcripts from each other school showing grades and semesters attended.

The petition form and your letter can be turned in to our office by mail, fax, email, or in person. If you do not turn in your petition in person, please call the LAS Advising Center at 316-978-4757 to confirm it has been received.

• Mail:
  Wichita State University
  LAS Advising Center Exceptions
  1845 Fairmount
  Wichita, KS 67260-0006
• Fax: 316-978-3858
• Email: las.exceptions@wichita.edu
• In person: Grace Wilkie Hall, Room 115

If you are turning your petition in by email, a signature is still required. You can sign the form electronically using Adobe Acrobat Reader, making sure to draw your signature with the mouse instead of typing it. Alternatively, you can print the form, sign it, and either scan it or take a well-framed photograph of it. This form will not be accepted with a typed signature except in extraordinary circumstances.

The petitioning process is a formal procedure in which your written petition is given careful consideration. Two committees see your petition: the Liberal Arts and Sciences College Committee which is comprised of faculty and staff from the LAS College, and the University Committee which is comprised of faculty and staff from several academic disciplines at Wichita State University.

The Exceptions Committee typically meets once a month to review petitions. Results are available on the Monday following the action of the University Committee; your results will be emailed to your WSU email address that day, and you may also request a copy of your results in Grace Wilkie Hall, room 115. Due to Federal Privacy Laws, we cannot release Exceptions Committee results over the telephone or to a non-WSU email address.