A petition letter addresses the exceptional circumstances that have required you to submit an academic petition. It is important to be clear on the type of regulation you are petitioning, and the circumstances related to the petition.
Petition Letter Guidelines – Late Withdrawal based on Personal Hardship
When petitioning for a late withdrawal from courses, it is important to clearly explain how your circumstances impacted your progression in your courses and your decision to drop/withdraw from the courses on time.
Be sure to:
- Clearly state the regulation you are petitioning (late withdrawal) and the relevant courses being petitioned
- Be concise by focusing your letter on explaining how the events that occurred while in the courses impacted your progression in the courses (including key dates of relevant events)
- Address “selectivity”: if you are petitioning some but not all the courses taken in the same academic session or term, explain how your hardship uniquely impacted the petitioned course(s) but not the courses that you successfully completed at the same time and are not being petitioned
- Address missed drop/withdrawal deadlines: Explain how your circumstances impacted your decision to meet the term’s drop and withdrawal deadlines.
- If applicable, briefly describe what steps you will take, or have already taken, to address the hardships/challenges that impacted the petitioned courses. Examples could be:
- seeking academic advising through the Faculty of Health Office of Student Academic Services
- attending Learning Skills workshops (i.e., time management, note-taking, exam prep etc.) offered by Student Community and Leadership Development
- seeking support from Student Counselling, Health and Well-being:
- seeking academic support through Calumet and Stong Colleges Student Success Programs
- seeking mentorship through the Calumet and Stong Colleges Peer Mentoring Program
- seeking academic support for non-Faculty of Health courses through other student support/success programs at other Colleges, departments/Faculties, or at York University (e.g. Student Accessibility Services,)
- any other plan of action you have taken or plan to take
- Include supporting documentation where at all possible (e.g. medical note, email records, counsellor statement, death certificate etc.) and make reference to documents within the petition letter
Petition Letter Guidelines – Late Withdrawal based on First Year Transition Hardship
When petitioning for a late withdrawal from courses specifically taken in your first year at York University (first 12 months or three terms), it is important to clearly explain how your transition to your first year of studies at York University impacted your progression in your courses.
Be sure to:
- Clearly state the regulation you are petitioning (late withdrawal) and the relevant courses being petitioned |
- Discuss your adjustment to your first year of studies at York University and how it impacted the courses being petitioned. Give clear and concrete examples of adjustment issues (i.e., adjustment to workload, academic deadlines, time management etc.) as part of your thoughtful reflection.
- For Transfer Students (from College or University): explain how York University is different from your previous institution and how your adjustment to these differences impacted the specific courses being petitioned
- Be concise by focusing your letter on explaining how the events that occurred while in the courses impacted your progression in the courses
- If applicable, you may explain how any other personal extenuating hardship aligned with and impacted your progression in the courses, along with the adjustment to your first year (i.e., medical hardship, death of loved one etc.). However, be sure to stay focused on only relevant extenuating hardship
- Include supporting documentation where at all possible (e.g. medical note, email records, counsellor statement, death certificate etc.) and make reference to documents within letter
- Reflect on how you learned about York University policies and describe how you will ensure you are familiar with and will follow York University policies moving forward. Provide clear and concrete examples as part of your reflection.
- If applicable, briefly describe what steps you will take, or have already taken, to address the hardships/challenges that impacted the petitioned courses. Examples could be:
- seeking academic advising through the Faculty of Health Office of Student Academic Services
- attending Learning Skills workshops (i.e., time management, note-taking, exam prep etc.) offered by Student Community and Leadership Development
- seeking support from Student Counselling, Health and Well-being:
- seeking academic support through Calumet and Stong Colleges Student Success Programs
- seeking mentorship through the Calumet and Stong Colleges Peer Mentoring Program
- seeking academic support for non-Faculty of Health courses through other student support/success programs at other Colleges, departments/Faculties, or at York University (e.g. Student Accessibility Services,)
- any other plan of action you have taken or plan to take
It is best to avoid:
- Focusing the letter on improving your transcript and the impact the petition could have on future academic/career paths (e.g., applications to graduate school/professional school, desired career path).
- Petition decisions on late withdrawal requests are determined by whether the petition adequately demonstrates that the courses were directly impacted by hardship that aligned with the timelines of the courses.
- Asking to drop a course based on not being content with final grade. Dissatisfaction with the final grade without grounds of extenuating circumstances is not adequate grounds for a late withdrawal.
- General complaints about the course instructor or delivery of the course, unless relevant documentation is provided to support claims (i.e., issues with technology, insufficient graded feedback etc.).
Additional Writing Tips:
- Letter should begin with greeting to Petition Committee (i.e. Dear Faculty of Health Petitions Committee)
- Use paragraphs to separate out each point you are making
- Paragraph should address specific dates/times of your circumstances. Respecting chronology of events will strengthen the petition.
- Paragraphs should refer to supporting document included in petition to support grounds
- HELPFUL RESOURCE: use the relevant Petition Letter Outline Template for your petition type to help organize your thoughts/points
- Edit and proofread the letter multiple times prior to submission
- Allow trusted others to read your letter and incorporate their feedback prior to submission
Download the Petition Letter Outline Template (Late Withdrawal)