As described on the Academic Affairs website, students may submit petitions to request that a transferred course be considered as a substitution to meet an IUSB general-education requirement or, in very special circumstances, they may request an exemption from a general-education requirement. There’s a separate web-based form for each type of request (i.e., a substitution petition or an exemption petition).
Students are required to consult with their advisor before submitting either type of petition, but the petition is ultimately submitted by the student and typically includes a written justification and attached supporting documentation (e.g., a course syllabus when requesting a substitution).
In some cases, however, it may be useful for a faculty member or professional advisor to provide additional written support for a petition request, and as of late-spring 2023, the Senate General Education Committee is piloting a policy revision to allow this as an additional type of acceptable supporting documentation. It is not the Committee’s intent for this to become a standard addition for student petitions; rather, it is meant to be an option when, for example, a formal assessment of student experience is needed to justify an exemption request. Further, it is also the Committee’s intent for exemptions to remain rare and granted only in exceptional situations.
The image below, from near the end of the submission form for both substitution and exemption petitions, shows the check boxes for potential types of supporting documents and the “button” for attaching files.
