Graduate Education Appeals

The normal academic load per semester for a graduate student is 9 to 12 semester credit hours. A graduate student may enroll in a maximum of 16 credit hours per fall or spring semester and a maximum of 12 credit hours during the entire summer semester, including both undergraduate- and graduate-level courses.  Under extenuating circumstances, students with at least a 3.50 graduate grade point average may submit a petition to the Graduate Studies office through their academic school to enroll in more than the maximum number of credit hours. Approval must be granted  before the semester the student wishes to enroll for more than the maximum hours.  

The request for an enrollment overload must include

• explanation/justification for this appeal
• semester of enrollment for which an overload is requested
• number of hours currently enrolled
• course(s) requesting to be enrolled into (CRN, prefix, course number)

Appeals Form

All courses that satisfy certificate or degree program requirements must have been completed during the eight-year period immediately preceding completion of the certificate or degree program; this includes transfer credit.

The request an for extension must include

• support from a sponsoring faculty/advisor/program coordinator 
• documentation of extenuating circumstances 
• explanation/justification for this appeal
• anticipated semester and year of graduation
• list of course(s) for which extension is being requested
• detailed semester-by-semester plan with courses to complete remaining degree requirements; Please provide your advisor with this template:
  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wZyIV-CzlOulZaJEVb30l9eQX1vxwlzpkWDY3f2kAt8/edit?usp=sharing
  

Appeals Form

Students who are in graduate ineligible status and then raise their GPA to a 3.00 or higher may petition the Graduate Studies office to be reinstated to their degree/certificate program.

The request for reinstatement must include

• explanation/justification for this appeal
• detailed plan of how you will successfully complete your degree and remain in good academic standing

Appeals Form

Graduate students may petition the Graduate Studies office to have up to any six graduate hours of repeated grades excluded from the grade point average (GPA). Students may petition to apply those six hours of repeated work towards multiple courses or repeats of the same course. A petition may not be submitted until the course under consideration has been repeated. Students who have had the maximum six hours of credit excluded from the GPA may not submit additional petitions regardless of the length of time or number of degrees.  

The request for course repeat / grade replacement must include

• explanation/justification for the replacement
• prefix and course number of the course replacement

Appeals Form

Graduate students returning to UCM after an absence of five (5) or more calendar years may petition for Academic Renewal. Academic Renewal will allow the student a “fresh start” toward a graduate degree or graduate certificate program. The renewal will affect all graduate courses taken prior to the absence.

The request for academic renewal must include

• explanation/justification for academic renewal
• program you were in when you last attended UCM
• program you are planning to apply to
• detailed explanation for what has changed and why you believe you will now be successful in starting over in this graduate program

Appeals Form

Graduate students may petition the Graduate Studies office for one additional semester of academic probation within their degree program while they work to increase their GPA to 3.00. 

Prior to submitting this form, work with your Graduate Program Coordinator to prepare a detailed plan on how to return to Good Academic Standing.  Furthermore, please secure and provide a letter/email of support from your Graduate Program Coordinator.   

The request must include

• explanation/justification for this appeal
• a detailed plan of how you will successfully return to Good Academic Standing and improve your GPA to at least 3.00.  Please include the specific classes you will repeat, how many classes you will enroll in, and the grades you need to earn to improve your GPA to 3.00 or higher.  What changes in your student life will you implement to improve your academic success?
• a letter/email of support from your Graduate Program Coordinator

Appeals Form