Students may request an exception to CGU academic or financial policies due to exceptional circumstances that are beyond the control of the student.
The Petitions and Appeals Committee will only consider petitions that include all the following items:
- The Petition for Exception to CGU Policy form
- A statement of explanation
- The recommendation and signature of your academic advisor/department chair
- The recommendation and signature of your school dean/director
- Documentation to support your request
Submit fully completed petitions to petitions@cgu.edu.
If you need assistance with obtaining the recommendation of your advisor and dean, your academic department can help – some academic departments will request that you turn in the signed form, statement, and documentation to a departmental administrator and they will gather them on your behalf, other departments may provide you with email addresses of your advisor and dean but expect you to gather them yourself. Speak with your academic department to determine what they prefer.
The petition and all accompanying information will be seen by members of the Petitions and Appeals Committee, which is composed of representatives from different offices on campus, including academic departments, student services, and student affairs. Decisions are based upon the extensiveness and the relevance of the documentation you provide as well as additional information sought and obtained by the committee as part of the review process. Policies at CGU have been established to ensure institutional efficiency as well as to comply with federal, state, accreditation, and other academic regulations.
Exclusions
Petitions may not be used to request:
- a grade challenge; or
- an exception to program/degree-specific policies, procedures, and requirements that are in accordance with CGU policy but may be more detailed and/or discipline-related; or
- a refund for tuition or fees that are not already posted to your account; or
- academic accommodations due to disabilities (please see the Disability Services Office); or
- a policy variance that is the result of a known, pre-existing situation such as employment obligations, location of residence, or class instruction mode; or
- a tuition and/or fee waiver due to financial hardship.
Tuition or Fee Refunds
Financial policies are governed by many external requirements, such as the federal Department of Education’s financial aid regulations, Veteran’s Affairs, other government programs, and educational accrediting bodies. Requests that involve tuition or fee refunds have additional requirements (see the Petition for Exception to CGU Policy form).
Financial hardship is not an acceptable reason for appealing tuition or fees. By accepting the yearly Enrollment and Financial Agreement and registering for classes students take responsibility for their financial obligation to the university.
Students are responsible for becoming familiar with deadlines and for reading their CGU email, and deadlines are announced long in advance on the CGU Academic Calendar. Being unaware of registration deadlines, refund deadlines, or not allowing sufficient time to resolve holds prior to a registration deadline is not a sufficient reason for refund consideration.
Health Concerns
Petitions arising from health-impacted situations require additional documentation from a licensed healthcare provider (see the Petition for Exception to CGU Policy form for details) to be included as part of your petition. Petitions without this documentation cannot be considered. The Petitions and Appeals Committee does not seek out any details on diagnoses or treatment, but instead confirmation from your healthcare provider that your medical situation and/or care left you unable to complete coursework during a specific period. Please do not include copies of your medical treatment records or provide lists of prescribed medications.
Because medical documentation may take a week or more to obtain, be sure to contact your provider promptly so you can submit the completed petition before the 30-day post term deadline has elapsed. If the medical documentation provided does not include the required information the committee may ask you to obtain additional documentation or may contact your provider directly for clarification.