Exceptions and Exemptions

The Administrative Board

Undergraduate students seeking exceptions to College Policy must petition the Administrative Board. The Administrative Board is for Undergraduate students only. Graduate students seeking exceptions should contact their program director or academic advisor.

The Simmons Administrative Board consists of six faculty members who vote on decisions and several administrators who are in advisory capacity: the dean for student life or a designee, the director of disability services, a faculty member from the nursing department. The Associate Registrar serves as secretary to the Administrative Board.

The purpose of the Board is twofold: to consider petitions from students requesting exception to College policy, and to review the records of students in academic difficulty. The board also votes to choose the winners of three all-College awards: the Palmer Award, the Alumnae Honor Award and the Alumnae Achievement Award.

Petitioning the Administrative Board

Required Materials for All Petitions

1. Completed Petition to the Administrative Board form, with student signature.
2. Personal statement from the student outlining the reasons for requesting an exception to College policy. There is no length requirement, however the statement must explain clearly and fully the student's reasoning and request for an exception. Personal statements can be emailed.
3. Statement of support/electronic signature from advisor emailed.
4. Completed form that corresponds with the student's request (e.g.: Completed Add/Drop form, Petition for Incomplete Grade, Petition to Transfer Credit - Fall/Spring, Petition to Transfer Credit - Summer/Winter, etc.).

Optional Materials

1. Letters of support from any outside parties the student may have worked with about the exception requested prior to petitioning (e.g.: Student Life or professors).
2. Medical Documentation from any facility or caregiver.

All materials should be submitted in person to the Office of the Registrar (Room A-140) or emailed. The Board meets weekly during most of the academic year. After your petition has been reviewed by the Administrative Board, you will receive an email with the decision within one business day of the meeting.

Major/Minor Exemptions

Undergraduate students are required to complete all major and or minor requirements listed in the course catalog for their declared area of study. If a student cannot complete a requirement, they may seek approval from their department for alternative arrangements. Only with approval from the department chairperson may the student be exempt from certain requirements, complete alternative courses for the program, and be allowed to graduate from their intended major and or minor.

Undergraduate students should use the Major/Minor Requirement: Exemption Approval form to ensure that any approved exemptions are attached to a student's record, enabling them to graduate. Students must have the form signed by their advisor as well as the department chair for the major or minor to which the exemption applies. Students do not need to petition the Administrative Board for major/minor exemptions that have been approved by the department.

Graduate students wishing to be exempt from program requirements should contact their program director or academic advisor directly.