Petition Guidelines

**Please note that all petitions require that the student meet with an academic advisor prior to submission**

All petitions require a detailed written personal statement, and some require documentation. The statement cannot be general, and must address the specific exception in question. Please review the specific petition categories to understand personal statement and documentation requirements.

Students who wish to late add a course (after the university add/drop deadline) must request approval from the academic department offering the course. These requests must be submitted through the Retake/Late Add Request Form. If you are requesting to late add more than one course, you must fill out a form for each request.

If your late addition will result in a credit overload (20-23 credits in a fall or spring semester or 10 credits in a summer session) for the respective semester, you must contact a CEAS advisor and submit your request via the online CEAS Petition form as noted here.
Late registration refers to enrolling in one or more courses after the add/drop deadline for a particular term where no previous enrollment existed.

The personal statement must explain the reason(s) a student was unable to register for the course(s) within the posted deadlines.

Students must also attach a letter or email from each professor supporting late enrollment in their course, and detailing that either that student has been attending the course or describe the arrangements for making up any missed work.
The personal statement must explain the reason(s) a student was unable to register for the course(s) within the posted deadlines. They must also detail how they can complete the required contact hours per credit within the semester.

Students must also attach a letter or email from the instructor or department that the specific section number and number of credits that should be earned for the research/internship, and confirm that the requirements can be completed within the semester.
The personal statement must detail an inability to withdraw by the proper deadline specified in the academic calendar. For selective withdrawals from one or more courses (but not the entire semester), the statement must clearly explain how the circumstance impacted a specific course(s) but not all.

Documentation must be attached that supports the personal statement, and clearly demonstrates an inability to withdraw by the posted deadlines.
Students who wish to retake a course (third or more attempts) or must request approval from the academic department offering the course. These requests must be submitted through the Retake/Late Add Request Form. If you are requesting to retake more than one course, you must fill out a form for each request.

If your course retake will result in a credit overload (20-23 credits in a fall or spring semester or 10 credits in a summer session) for the respective semester, you must contact a CEAS advisor and submit your request via the online CEAS Petition form as noted here.
Students who have a cumulative g.p.a. of 3.0 or better and are not missing grades can overload automatically on SOLAR on the Friday immediately prior to the start of fall or spring semesters. Note that a fee will be automatically assessed for overloading.

Students who have a cumulative g.p.a. of 2.5 - 2.99 need to prepare a personal statement detailing the courses they are seeking permission to add to their schedule (specify the sections), why they need to take these courses in the particular semester, and how they plan to successfully manage the workload. Also indicate any time commitments outside of school (e.g. part-time job hours per week, extracurricular obligations hours per week, independent study/research hours per week).

Students must have completed at least one semester at Stony Brook University; have no outstanding incomplete grades; and be in good academic standing (i.e. not on academic notice/warning).

Students who have a cumulative g.p.a. below 2.5 are not permitted to overload under any circumstances.
Students must prepare a personal statement explaining why they are unable to maintain a full time (12 credits or more) course load and why this determination was unable to be made during the add/drop period. Supporting documentation is required, and course difficulty is not a sufficient reason to request an underload.

A student may not petition for an underload in two consecutive semesters. Students who have chronic difficulties that make full-time study inappropriate should only register for 11 or fewer credits (part-time status) and work with the Student Accessibility Support Center.

Underloads may also result in a loss of campus housing, financial aid and health benefits. Students should consult Campus Residences, the Office of Financial Aid as well as their health insurance provider before petitioning for an underload. In addition, students on F-1 or J-1 visas must obtain approval from the VIS Office prior to submitting an underload petition request.
Students must prepare a personal statement with convincing evidence that it is appropriate for them to continue their studies at Stony Brook and that they will be able to graduate in a reasonable period of time. Petitions for reinstatement must be submitted by the date stated in their academic standing notification.

All approved petitions will place a student on conditional reinstatement for the requested term under strict conditions. The conditions of each student’s reinstatement are unique. Failure to abide by these conditions will subject the student to dismissal without appeal. The suspension and conditional reinstatement are noted on the student’s academic record.

Students who have been away from Stony Brook University for one or more semester following a suspension are encouraged to contact the CEAS Undergraduate Student Office at the start of the semester prior to that in which they hope to be reinstated to discuss petition submission deadlines.

Students are required to meet with a CEAS advisor prior to submitting a reinstatement petition.
Students who withdraw from an entire fall or spring semester with a cumulative grade point average is less than 2.00 and/or have withdrawn in a previous fall or spring semester are required to wait for at least one fall/spring semester before they are permitted to re-enroll.

Students in this circumstance who wish to enroll in courses in the semester immediately after the one in which they withdrew must prepare a personal statement that details the factors that led to their repeated term withdrawals and/or poor academic standing, and the support in place to successfully complete courses in the upcoming term.

Petition Process