Students who have a concern or dispute related to any academic policy matter in a class (e.g. grading, scheduling, instruction, deadlines etc.) should confer with their instructor to express their concerns, exchange information, and discuss a possible resolution. In the event that a satisfactory resolution is not achieved, a student may submit an academic petition.  

An academic petition may also be submitted by a student for concerns or disputes within or outside of a specific class if the student believes they are not being treated fairly or in accordance with announced policies, or who have extenuating circumstances beyond their control that warrant an exception to a policy.

Students must first consult with their student success advisor if they would like to consider submitting an academic petition.

Academic Petitions fall into two categories:

Exception Requests

• Completion of degree requirements from a prior catalog year
• Extension of time to complete a degree
• Extension of time on credit expiration
• Grade change for a course
• Registration changes: Late Adds, Late Drops (with or without request for tuition refunds), Withdrawal past deadline (with or without request for tuition refund)
• Substitution of a required course or directed study 
• Residency requirement
• Exception to other academic policy

Appeal

• Academic Dismissal
• Co-curricular Dismissal
• Non-Academic Dismissal
• Denial of an Exception Request

The Academic Petition Filing Process

Academic petitions must be filed no later than 60 days after the student has reasonable notice of the circumstances (e.g., the faculty or administrative action affecting the student) that give rise to the issues presented in the petition. Petitions must be filed according to the process defined for CAPS, Seminary, and GS, which is in compliance with Minnesota Statutes Section 122A.09, subdivision 4, paragraph (c).

The Academic Petition form will be made available to the student upon correspondence with the student success advisor, who should be the first point of contact when concerns arise. Initial filing of the Academic Petition must be submitted to the student success advisor who shall transmit it to the appropriate decision-making person or committee. 

Contact information for each student success advisor is available at www.bethel.edu/student-success/contact/.