Navigating UCLA's Petition Process: A Comprehensive Guide to Unit Cap Increases and Academic Exceptions

At UCLA, students may find themselves needing to exceed the standard unit cap or request exceptions to academic requirements. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the petition process at UCLA, focusing on unit cap increases and other academic petitions, including enrollment, academic, progress, study abroad clearance, and undergraduate program changes. Understanding these processes is crucial for students to navigate their academic journey successfully.

Understanding Unit Limits and the Petition Requirement

The College and various schools within UCLA set a maximum number of units a student can enroll in per quarter. Undergraduate and graduate students who wish to exceed these limits must submit a petition for approval. For graduate students, the standard study list limit is 22 units, effective Fall 2023, though some degree programs may allow different limits. Students encountering a study list unit limit should contact their department advisor to request excess units.

General Petition Guidelines

Regardless of the type of petition, students are responsible for meeting all departmental and university requirements and deadlines. Enrollment should be done via MyUCLA before the appropriate deadline. In situations where deadlines cannot be met due to unusual or mitigating circumstances, students may submit a petition for consideration, keeping in mind that approval is not guaranteed.

Key Considerations for All Petitions:

Justification: A clear and compelling justification is crucial for any petition. This should explain why an exception to the rules or deadlines should be made, addressing why the student was unable to meet the original requirements or deadlines, why the petition is being filed late, and how the circumstances specifically affected the course or requirement in question.
Instructor Signature: For enrollment petitions, an instructor signature is typically required for the petition to be reviewed. Upon student completion, instructors will automatically receive a copy of the petition to sign. Instructor endorsement does not guarantee approval.
Planning for Outcomes: As approval is not guaranteed, students should continue participating in the course to the best of their abilities until a decision is received.
Fees and Transcript Notations: If an Enrollment Petition is approved, it may incur a fee and the action will be applied to the Study List. Some actions may also result in a transcript notation. If a petition is denied, no fee or transcript notation will be applied.
Proactive Communication: Students are encouraged to remain current with their enrollment and proactively reach out to their Academic Advisor before the add/drop deadlines if they have any questions.

Specific Petition Types

1. Enrollment Petitions

Enrollment Petitions are used to request actions related to course enrollment after the standard deadlines have passed. These actions include:

Adding a class
Dropping a class
Changing the grading basis of a course
Changing the variable units of a course

School of Music Specifics: The School of Music undergraduates are permitted only three enrollment petitions during their time at the School of Music. Any petitions submitted after three approved petitions will be reviewed under greater scrutiny.

2. Unit Increase Petitions

Students who wish to take more than 20 units in any quarter (or more than 16 units in the summer) must submit a unit increase petition. The petition should include:

The proposed study list for the quarter of request
The total number of units proposed
A detailed reason for requesting the unit increase

Additional Requirements for Petitions Over 22 Units: Petitions to enroll in over 22 units require a degree planner to demonstrate need. The degree planner should reflect the student's entire degree time at UCLA, including past, present, and future courses and requirements.

Eligibility: To be eligible for excess units, students must meet the following conditions:

Be in good academic standing
Have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the two quarters directly preceding the quarter of request
Have established School of Music residency (if applicable)

Students entering UCLA as a first-year student are eligible to petition for excess units after establishing three quarters of residency (e.g. Fall of 2nd year). Students entering UCLA as a transfer student are eligible to petition for excess units after establishing one quarter of residency (e.g. Winter of 1st year). Final grades from the quarter directly preceding the request must be officially posted before a unit increase request can be reviewed.

3. Academic Petitions

Academic Petitions are used to request exceptions and substitutions for academic requirements. These can include University, School, General Education, and School of Music major/minor requirements.

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Required Information: All requests MUST include:

Relevant course syllabi (or course description and supporting materials if a syllabus is unavailable)
Justification for the academic substitution request, based on course content, criteria for the degree requirement, and/or individual circumstances

Students can submit previously completed, in-progress, or planned coursework for consideration. For coursework completed outside UCLA, official transcripts must be submitted to UCLA Admissions before submitting the petition. Provisional approval may be granted for planned future coursework, but the Office of Student Affairs must be contacted to update records after the course is completed and official transcripts are submitted.

Petitioning University, School, or General Education (GE) requirements: Students can petition coursework taken outside of UCLA (transfer coursework) toward a University, School or General Education (GE) requirement. Students CANNOT petition for UCLA courses that are not on the already approved list for the School of Music - such petitions will be automatically denied.

Petitioning Study Abroad Coursework: Students planning to attend/have attended a study abroad program can submit petitions for abroad coursework to be reviewed toward UCLA requirements. A course syllabus is required.

4. Progress Petitions

Progress Petitions are used to request various academic progress exceptions, including:

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Adding a major or minor
Extending time to degree
Exceeding the 216 unit maximum (only required if graduating beyond the degree expected term)

All requests, with the exception of extending IGETC completion or extending an incomplete grade, must include an updated degree planner.

Adding a Major or Minor: A signature from the advisor of the program being added is required.

Extending Time to Degree: A degree planner is required, accurately listing degree requirements and showing the additional time requested and the remaining degree requirements to be fulfilled. The petition justification should contextualize the planner and provide information about the student's circumstances.

Exceeding the 216 Unit Maximum: Students who expect to exceed the 216 unit maximum and are graduating beyond their Degree Expected Term (DET) must submit the Progress Petition to receive approval to do so. Students who will exceed the unit maximum and will be graduating by their Degree Expected Term (DET) do NOT need to submit a petition.

5. Study Abroad Clearance Form

This form is used to clear a student to attend a study abroad program, but it is not used to approve or deny course credit. The form requires:

Student Information
Program Information
Proposed Study List
Degree planner

Course syllabi are NOT required for the Study Abroad Clearance Form. To petition for Study Abroad coursework to satisfy UCLA requirements, students must submit an Academic Petition separately.

6. Undergraduate Program Change Petition

This form is used when requesting to exit a major in the School of Music. If the student is switching into a major or pre-major outside of the School of Music, they must obtain a signature from an advisor in their intended Department/School before submitting the petition, unless they are planning to go Undeclared in the College of Letters and Science.

General Petition Submission and Review Process

Petitions submitted to the Office of Student Affairs require 10 - 15 business days for processing. Petition status updates are released weekly on Thursdays by 5 PM PT, unless otherwise announced.

Steps:

Submit Your Petition: Refer to the appropriate petition type and follow the instructions to submit the petition via DocuSign. Ensure all instructions are followed, as incorrect and incomplete petitions will need to be resubmitted.
Check Petition Status on MyUCLA: Petition status updates are posted to MyUCLA weekly. A "PENDING" status indicates the petition is under review. Students should follow up with requested information and/or materials in a timely manner. Petitions that remain pending due to lack of student follow up will lapse to "NO ACTION" after 1 academic quarter and petition will need to be resubmitted.
Petition Decision: Once the petition status has been updated to "APPROVED", "DENIED", or "NO ACTION", the review of the petition has ended. Students can refer to the petition comments for more information.

Additional Petition Types and Considerations

Engineering Students

The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science (HSSEAS) has specific petition processes for its students. Some key points include:

Adding an Engineering Minor: Requests to add the Bioinformatics, Data Science, or Environmental Engineering will be accepted once a quarter, effective Fall 2024.
Adding a Non-Engineering Minor or Double Major: Engineering students can submit these requests through the Submission Portal and do not have to follow the procedure specific to the Data Science Engineering, Bioinformatics, and Environmental Engineering.
Graduate Level Course Enrollment: Students must meet course requisites and have at minimum a 3.000 GPA for approval consideration.
Excess Study List Petition: Continuing students must be in good academic standing and meet the requisites for the proposed courses.
Pass/No Pass Grading Basis: Engineering courses that are listed as Letter Grade Only must be taken for Letter Grade.

College of Letters and Science

The College of Letters and Science also has specific petition processes and considerations. Some key points include:

Concurrent Enrollment: Approval must be obtained before enrolling elsewhere, or credit will not be granted for the outside coursework.
Passed/No Passed (P/NP) Unit Limit: Students who wish to request an exception to exceed the Passed/No Passed (P/NP) unit limit for the term must submit a College Student Petition.
Expected Cumulative Progress (ECP): This petition allows eligible students to request an exemption from Expected Cumulative Progress (ECP) checks.
Senior Residency Requirement: This petition allows students to request an exception to the Senior Residency Requirement, which states that students must complete 35 of their final 45 quarter units in residence at UCLA.

General Tips for Successful Petitions

Provide Complete Documentation: Ensure supporting documents clearly explain and verify circumstances.
Write a Clear Personal Statement: Explain why the request is being made and how the situation impacted the ability to meet the deadline or requirement.
Understand the Policies: Familiarize yourself with the relevant university and departmental policies before submitting a petition.
Seek Advice: Consult with academic advisors to understand the petition process and to strengthen your case.

Course Modalities

UCLA offers courses in various modalities, including:

Online: Classes will be held at scheduled times with faculty delivering course content using remote communication tools.
Online - Recorded: Classes will be held at scheduled times with faculty delivering course content using remote communication tools. Faculty will record the class and make available those scheduled activities for subsequent use by students.
Online - Asynchronous: With the exception of office hours or review sections, there are no pre-scheduled sessions for this class.

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