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Petition Info for Graduate Students

Petitions are special forms that UIC graduate students can use to request special exceptions or other forms of consideration from the department and the Graduate College.

The Graduate College is firm in its deadlines and will not accept petitions and other forms after the specified deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that petitions are complete. Questions regarding petitions should be directed to the Student Affairs staff in SEO 905, the director of graduate studies, or the Graduate College, in that order.

Some petitions are available for online submission, but many still require paper forms that require the signatures of your graduate advisor and the director of graduate studies. It is your responsibility to secure these signatures in a timely manner to meet the Graduate College deadlines.

The following procedures should be followed:

  • Obtain the petition (or other form) from CS Student Affairs (SEO 905) or the Graduate College.
  • Complete the petition and secure the necessary supporting documents. You should begin this process early. In some cases, petitions require students to consult old timetables or obtain letters or transcripts from other institutions.
  • Present the petition to your advisor for his/her signature and comments.
  • After your advisor has signed the petition, submit it to the CS Student Affairs office. Do not rely on your advisor to do this for you. It is your responsibility.
  • The director of graduate studies will review the petition, indicate approval or disapproval, provide written comments, sign it, and return it to CS Student Affairs. This process will take no more than five business days during regularly scheduled class and examination periods of the academic year.
  • Typically, the CS Student Affairs staff will submit the petition to the Graduate College. In some cases, however, you might be asked to submit the forms to the Graduate College.
  • The Graduate College will notify you of the decision. If you have questions concerning the petition at this point, please consult the CS Student Affairs staff, who will try to answer your questions and/or consult the Graduate College to try to resolve the issue.