Academic Appeals and Forms
In some cases, students can petition for an exception to academic policy. Typically, exception requests include issues such as:
- Record errors
- General Education substitutions or waivers
- Reinstatement
- Exceptions to the repeat/delete policy
The appeals/forms included below are the most commonly requested forms by our engineering students. For Academic Standing and Appeals visit Student Records: Academic Standing and Appeals. For additional forms from Enrollment Services, please visit Enrollment Services: Forms.
To appeal for a CSULB course that you have completed to count toward your General Education requirements, you will need:
- The name of the General Education category (for example, Critical Thinking GE Category A3).
- The course department, number, title, term, units, and grade you received.
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request, which may include a statement of support from your advisor.
As a reminder, an exception will be considered only in cases of demonstrated need and documented circumstances which support the potential for your future academic success.
If you believe that a transfer course on your record should count toward your General Education requirements, you may submit an appeal. You cannot submit an appeal until the transfer credit is official and has posted to your record.
If you are planning to attend another school to earn credit while currently enrolled at CSULB, you should submit a Request for Evaluation of Course Work from Another Institution before enrolling elsewhere.
To appeal for a course that you completed at another institution to count toward your General Education requirements, you will need:
- The name of the General Education category (for example, Critical Thinking GE Category A3).
- The course department, number, title, term, units, and grade you received.
- The name and email address for the department chair of the department at CSULB that matches the transfer course department at the other institution. Visit Undergraduate Advising Resources to find the department chair's name and email.
- The syllabus for the transfer course. (If this is not available, you may submit the course description from the institution's catalog.)
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request, which may include a statement of support from your advisor.
As a reminder, an exception will be considered only in cases of demonstrated need and documented circumstances which support the potential for your future academic success.
To appeal for one of your General Education requirements to be waived, you will need:
- The name of the General Education category (for example, Critical Thinking GE Category A3).
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request.
As a reminder, an exception will be considered only in cases of demonstrated need and documented circumstances which support the potential for your future academic success.
You may withdraw from a maximum of 18 units throughout your entire CSULB undergraduate career. Once the limit is reached, you can no longer withdraw and must remain enrolled. To appeal to exceed the maximum number of units that you may withdraw from, you will need:
- The course department, number, title, and units for the class(es) you are requesting to withdraw from.
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request, which may include a statement of support from your advisor.
Refer to Key Dates and Deadlines for the deadline to withdraw from one or more classes for the semester. After the deadline, students are not allowed to withdraw from any classes except in cases such as an accident or serious illness where the circumstances are clearly beyond the student's control and Incompletes are not possible. This is considered a Catastrophic Withdrawal. For more information about withdrawing, see Dropping and Withdrawing.
As a reminder, an exception will be considered only in cases where an incomplete is not feasible and documented circumstances which support the situation and the students record provide potential for future academic success.
Undergraduate students with extenuating circumstances who wish to attempt a course for a third time or repeat a course for audit must submit request a Repeat Limit Exception through MyCSULB Student Center.
If you have reached the maximum number of units that you may repeat during your CSULB undergraduate career (28 units), you will not be allowed to repeat any additional courses. To appeal to exceed the maximum number of units that you may repeat, you will need:
- The course department, number, title, units, and term you plan to enroll in the course.
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request, which may include a statement of support from your advisor.
As a reminder, an exception will be considered only in cases where an incomplete is not feasible and documented circumstances which support the situation and the students record provide potential for future academic success.
If you are requesting an exception to your General Education requirements, you must submit the appropriate GE Course appeal as described above. Additionally, please note that course substitutions within your major requirements are managed by the department, so do not complete this appeal. Instead, for course substitutions within your major requirements, you should consult your major advisor. In all cases, academic regulations contained in Title 5 of the California Administrative Code cannot be waived.
To appeal for an exception to graduation requirements (not related to General Education or major requirements), you will need:
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request, which may include a statement of support from your advisor.
As a reminder, an exception will be considered only in cases of demonstrated need and documented circumstances which support the potential for your future academic success.
To permit graduation from CSULB, an undergraduate student may petition to have all the grades and units received during one or two semesters (or up to three quarter terms) of undergraduate work disregarded in the computation of grade point averages and academic standing (see Policy Statement 09-08).
Note: No student may use academic renewal to raise any grade point average above what is required to graduate.
Eligibility
To be eligible to appeal for academic renewal:
- At least five calendar years must have passed since the work in question was completed.
- The student must have subsequently completed at least:
- 15 semester units with at least a 3.0 GPA, or
- 30 semester units with at least a 2.5 GPA, or
- 45 semester units with at least a 2.0 GPA
- All graduation requirements other than one or more GPA requirements be complete or in progress at the time of the appeal.
Appeal Process
To appeal for academic renewal, you will need:
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted. Provide evidence that it would be necessary to complete additional units to graduate if the request is not approved.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request, which may include a statement of support from your advisor.
All requests to change the grading option for a class must be completed (including approvals) by the deadline for the semester (see Key Dates and Deadlines). To appeal to change your grading option for a class after the deadline, you will need:
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request, which may include a statement of support from your advisor.
Under no circumstances can a grading option be changed after the last day of classes for the term.
As a reminder, an exception will be considered only in cases of demonstrated need and documented circumstances.
All requests to change the grading option for a class must be completed (including approvals) by the deadline for the semester (see Key Dates and Deadlines). To appeal to change your grading option for a class after the deadline, you will need:
- A personal statement that includes any/all specific circumstances that support your request. Include details such as courses, semesters, dates, and/or names of people you have previously consulted.
- Any additional documentation that supports your request, which may include a statement of support from your advisor.
Under no circumstances can a grading option be changed after the last day of classes for the term.
As a reminder, an exception will be considered only in cases of demonstrated need and documented circumstances.
To preserve your current catalog rights and avoid being discontinued from CSULB, you're required to maintain continuous enrollment at CSULB. You must complete at least one class and earn unit(s) every fall and spring semester after being admitted unless you are on an approved leave of absence, either an Educational Leave or a Military Leave. Your request for an Educational Leave must be made in advance and include an explanation of your reasons for seeking the leave and a statement of when you intend to return to CSULB. For more information, please visit Educational Leave.
This application is to be used by California State University students who wish to enroll concurrently at another CSU campus. For CSULB students, visit Supplemental Credit for CSULB Students website for more information. For non-CSULB students, please review the Visitors/Concurrent website for more information. Please mail your completed form to:
CSULB Office of Enrollment Services
ATTN: Registration & Records
1250 Bellflower Blvd.
Brotman Hall 123
Long Beach, CA 90840
This request is used to change the grading option for a class you are already enrolled into Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) or Audit (AU). Approval is required. Only some classes have the option for you to enroll on a CR/NC or AU basis. For more information, please visit Understanding Grades and Grading.
University policy has identified a maximum number of units you may enroll in for each term. If you wish to enroll in more than the maximum number of units for a term (considered an "overload"), you must submit a request for a Maximum Unit Exception. Exceptions are considered only if you have both a demonstrated need for the overload (usually to avoid undue delay in graduation) and the demonstrated ability to succeed in a heavy course load. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required. For more information, please visit Student Unit Load.
During the first two weeks of class, you may drop one or more classes using self-service registration on MyCSULB Student Center. Starting the third week of class (or proportionate for winter or summer terms), if you wish to withdraw from a class, you must request to withdraw using this online request.
During the final three weeks of class, you will need to upload documentation of serious and extenuating circumstances beyond your control that prevent you from continuing in your classes.
You may request to withdraw for medical reasons when a serious medical condition—such as an illness, accident, or mental health condition—prevents you from continuing in your classes and Incompletes are not possible.
Medical withdrawals require that your physician or health care provider submit documentation. Please submit documentation through a help ticket with the Office of the Registrar (Student Records).
For Graduate Students only. If you are an Undergraduate student please connect with your advisor to change your graduation term.
If you have already applied to graduate and need to change your graduation term, you must request to change your graduation term.
Students who must delay graduation and/or are requesting a change in academic objectives after establishing a graduation term may need to submit an appeal.
Refer to Timely Graduation for details.
