Managing Out of the Ordinary Circumstances 

UCF graduate education is governed by policies and procedures to ensure that degrees are awarded fairly and within the set standards. These policies are not meant to punish or keep you from earning your degree.  

This area is about how to get help when your circumstance is outside the established policy and may require an exception. No exception is guaranteed.  


Petitions 

Petitions are reviewed by the Graduate Appeals Committee who will review the submitted information and decide whether the student’s circumstance warrants an exception. Review the descriptions of the different kinds of petitions. Usually, the approved circumstances demonstrate that there was a situation outside of a student’s control, as opposed to a policy being an inconvenience towards earning the degree.  

For example, many students may petition that because they transferred or changed degree programs that more than the allotted number of transfer credits should be allowed. However, the inconvenience of having to take more classes because of what should have been an informed decision does not warrant an exception to policy.  

To initiate a graduate petition, you should fill out the Graduate Petition Form, found on the College of Graduate Studies Forms and References page.

Types of Petitions 

Petition TypeDescriptionPolicy Link
Doctoral – Transfer Hours More than the allowable hours of transfer work into a doctoral programTransfer of Credit (ucf.edu) 
Masters – Transfer Hours More than the allowable hours of transfer work into a master’s ProgramTransfer of Credit (ucf.edu) 
7-Year Rule Needing more than the allotted 7 years/21 semesters to complete a degree programTime Limitation and Continuous Enrollment (ucf.edu) – Doctoral
Time Limitation for Degree Completion (ucf.edu) – Master’s
Time Limitation and Continuous Attendance (ucf.edu) – Education Specialist
4. Time Limitation for Certificate Completion and Readmission (ucf.edu) – Certificate 
Catalog Years Reverting to an old catalog year Catalog Year (ucf.edu)
Grad Certificates Graduate Certificate course substitution2. General Policies Relevant to All Graduate Certificate Programs (ucf.edu) 
Independent Study More than 6 hours in mastersCourse Requirements (ucf.edu) 
Traveling ScholarMore than 6 hours of traveling scholar hours Traveling Scholars (ucf.edu) 
6000-Level Requirement Waiver of half the minimum degree requirements at 6000 level Course Requirements (ucf.edu) – Doctoral
Course Requirements (ucf.edu) – Master’s
OtherAny policy in the graduate catalog that a student wishes to have an exception to Any policy from the catalog

Petition Submission Process 

  1. Access the Graduate Petition form on the College of Graduate Studies website.
  2. Select the Petition Option you’re pursuing. Review the types of petition requests to make sure you’re selecting the correct one.  
  3. Submit all documents, including a letter requesting your appeal. *Letter requesting your appeal (use the Student Letter Template).
  4. Please reference the submission deadlines on the Graduate Appeals Committee website.

Student Academic Appeals 

A. Student Grade Appeal 

This policy outlines the procedures and timeframes for handling undergraduate and graduate student academic appeals. Graduate students, faculty, and staff who are interested in learning about these appeals processes should review University Policy 4-412 Student Academic Appeals.

What is it?  

 Before beginning the formal process, students must first contact the course instructor to initiate an appeal of a final grade within 20 business days of the grade posting.

Why is there a formal process?  

The goal is to have all concerns resolved at the lowest, most informal level. When that is not possible, a formal process provides a consistent, fair, and enforceable process for students to seek resolutions for potential errors in grade concerns.  

Appeals are not considered if:  

  • The formal grade appeal is made beyond 40 business days of the final grade posting or 10 business days of receiving a decision from the instructor, whichever comes sooner
  • Student is arguing to change specific, individual coursework/assignment grades (only final grades can be appealed)  
  • Students may not appeal the professional judgement of professor 
  • The reason for the appeal is dissatisfaction with the course 

Reasons to Appeal a Final Grade

There are 3 reasons you may appeal:  

  1. Alleged deviation from established grading policy and/or procedures as per the course syllabus, posted in Webcourses following requirements of UCF 4-403 Required Elements of the Course Syllabus.
  2. Alleged deviation from university syllabus policy that could have impacted the resulting grade.
  3. Alleged lowering of grades for non-academic reasons.

Sometimes more than one of these reasons apply. The key is providing evidence to support your claim(s).

Student Grade Appeal Process 

Look over the steps in the Appeal Process and complete the Student Grade Appeal Submission Form when you’re ready to submit (Step 2).

  1. Step 1 – Conversation with the Professor (Informal Level) 
    • We recommend keeping track of your dates and communications and provide them in your documentation 
  2. Step 2 – Unit Level – Submit Grade Appeal Form
  3. Step 3 – Provost Level – Appeal of Unit (Department/School) Decision

To appeal at the Unit level or Provost level, you, the student, must provide new documentation or be able to document a procedural error. 

B. Academic Program Appeals

What is it?

Academic program appeals apply to students seeking to appeal a program decision. Students must initiate contact with the program director within 10 business days of being notified of the program action being taken. Probations or dismissals may result from failure to progress through the degree (academically, milestones), academic or behavioral misconduct, or inability to meet professional standards.

Why is there a formal process?

The goal is to have all concerns resolved at the lowest, most informal level. When that is not possible, a formal process provides a consistent, fair, and enforceable process for students to seek resolutions for errors/miscalculations or non-academic disputes. 

Appeals are not considered if:

Academic Program Appeal Process

Complete the Academic Program Appeal Submission Form within:

Once the student is notified of program action (College of Graduate Studies), then proceed with the following steps:

  1. Step 1 – Initiate Contact with Program Director (Informal Level)
  2. Step 2(a) – College Level – Submit Appeal Form
  3. Step 2(b) – Provost Level – Appeal of College Level Decision

To appeal at the College level or Provost level, you, the student, must provide new documentation or be able to document a procedural error. 


Supporting Your Petitions and Appeal 

Prepare and
Collect Your
Documentation

  • Include a personal Statement/Reason for the appeal and desired resolution (not guaranteed to be awarded)  
    • Provide documentation and evidence to support you claim 
    • More is not always better 
    • Tailor your documentation to focus only on the reason for your appeal
  • You will submit these documents when completing the respective appeal form. Recommended documentation formats:  
    • PDF (preferred), JPEG, PNG 

Follow the Timeline and Submission Process

  • You are only provided with a certain number of days to submit your appeal. Submissions after the deadline or missed deadlines are automatically denied. If you choose to stop proceeding with your petition, email CGS at gradappeals@ucf.edu to inform us of your decision.  
  • Check your ucf.edu email regularly. All decisions will be sent in writing.  
  • Look for emails from gradappeals@ucf.edu 

Tips for Submitting and Appeal

  • Do:
    •  Provide a proposed resolution for your situation 
    • Be honest and factual in your presentation of your situation.  
    • Be clear and specific. You may or may not get to speak with someone so be sure to present your case clearly in writing.  
    • Proofread your appeal. Have a trusted individual review it for clarity and errors.  
    • Provide appropriate documentation for your situation:  
      • Copy of the syllabus and grading policy 
      • Copy of your posted graded assignments 
      • Written feedback or communication indicating purposeful negative impact of grade 
  • Keep in Mind:
    • An appeal is concluded when the student receives final decision and reason. 
    • Final grade appeals can retroactively change student standing. 

Student Petition and Appeal Checklist