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Undergraduate Registration Requirement Waiver Instructions

Evanston-campus undergraduates who wish to pursue a petition (previously referred to as an appeal) for an exception to the Undergraduate Registration Requirement (URR) should first thoroughly review the policy and the criteria for a petition as described in the Undergraduate Catalog. Only in extremely rare circumstances will a petition be granted for an exception to the URR policy. Once an undergraduate has determined they understand the policy and the criteria for a petition and believes their circumstances are eligible for review, they must follow the procedure below to write and submit a petition.

Writing and Submitting an Undergraduate Registration Requirement Petition

  • An undergraduate may seek guidance in writing their petition letter from their academic adviser/Undergraduate Engineering or school representative, or anyone identified on the Petitions Overview page.
  • The petition letter should:
    • Be written and submitted by the student.
    • Be addressed to the Undergraduate Enrollment Petitions Committee.
    • Include your student ID number.
    • Start with a clear statement of what is being requested, ie. waiver of Undergraduate Registration Requirements.
    • State how many units have been completed and how many are being petitioned to be waived and/or how many terms have been completed and how many are being petitioned to be waived. Note: Having enough credits to graduate is not sufficient to receive an exception to the URR requirements.
    • Include documentation, if appropriate, of correspondence with instructors, advisers, or others that supports the explanation provided.
  • If health circumstances are identified as a factor for requesting an exception to the URR, a letter from the health provider verifies the explanation. No treatment details are necessary.
  • Additional materials the student feels support the petition.

Petitions are reviewed by a panel of the Undergraduate Enrollment Petitions Committee as described on the Petitions Overview page. Petitions received by the 15th of the month will be included for review in the following month Committee meeting, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Petitions should be sent to enrollmentexceptions@northwestern.edu.