Academic Appeals & Petitions

The purpose of this page is to provide clarity on the appeals and petition processes within the School of Engineering and Applied Science and The George Washington University as a whole.

Petition for Exception to Academic Policies

The purpose of this process is to resolve requests for exceptions to academic policies. Exceptions are granted on rare occasions and comprehensive documentation may need to be provided to document the extenuating circumstances. All exceptions must be signed by your faculty advisor (or department chair) in order to be considered by the Associate Dean’s Office.

SEAS Petition for Exception to Academic Policies Form

Grade Grievance Process Guidelines

The purpose of this process is to resolve student assertions of “cases of Alleged Arbitrary or Capricious Academic Evaluation” in the form of a course grade in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and in accordance with the GW Guide to Student Rights and Responsibilities. If after first speaking to your instructor/ faculty member there is no resolution, the formal appeal process would begin and documentation must be submitted to the department chair.

SEAS Grade Grievance Process Guidelines and Form

Please note that this appeal would only be for SEAS courses, and each individual school has its own process for Grade Grievance, so a student should email the respective advising office.

CCAS: [email protected]

ESIA: [email protected]

GWSB: [email protected]

MISPH: (202) 994-0822

Academic Suspension Appeal Process

The purpose of this process is to allow students who have been suspended to appeal the decisions due to extenuating circumstance. These petitions are reviewed by the SEAS Associate Dean’s Office and require the recommendation of the faculty advisor (or professional advisor, in the case of freshmen). More information regarding deadlines will be outlined in the student’s suspension letter.

SEAS Academic Suspension Appeal Form - Undergraduate

Late Withdrawal Request Process/Form

Undergraduate students in SEAS can use this to petition to withdraw from courses after the last day of classes of that term and/or withdraw from courses from a prior semester with the documentation of extenuating circumstances. This petition is reviewed by a university-wide committee. More information about this process can be found on the Registrar's website.

Appeals for Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students who fail to meet SAP criteria after a Financial Aid Warning, may appeal the denial of financial aid by writing to the Office of Financial Assistance Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeals Committee. Appeals are considered in cases where there has been a death of a relative, injury or illness of the student or other special circumstances. The committee may consult with deans, professors, or physicians (as appropriate) to determine if a Financial Aid Probationary semester should be approved.  This appeal is reviewed by a committee through the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

More information about this process can be found on the Financial Aid website.

UW 1020 and WID Exemptions

Eligible students may apply for an exemption for a First Year Writing (UW 1020) or Writing in the Disciplines (WID) course via the University Writing Program. This may include students who study abroad, transfer to GW or complete college-level credit at another institution while enrolled at GW. Please carefully follow the exemption request instructions. Incomplete requests or requests submitted using a Transfer Credit Approval Form will be rejected.

UW 1020 and WID Exemptions Process and Forms

Financial Aid Appeals

Forms, including appeals, are arranged by aid year and student level.  Based on your circumstances you may be required to submit all or only some of the listed forms or documents. To review all financial aid forms, please select the respective financial aid year (ie. 2022-2023 Financial Aid Year) in the left-side navigation on the Forms and Documents page. 

For questions email:  [email protected]