The petition process is made available for students who have an academic need unmet by existing affiliated programs or who would like to petition their eligibility to study abroad/off-campus. Please note that there is no guarantee that a petition will be approved, and students should have a backup plan in mind.
Petition Deadlines
- For semester study abroad students, ALL petitions are due by February 1 to study abroad in fall and September 1 to study abroad in spring. For interim study abroad students, petitions are due upon successful registration for the program. These deadlines are very strict, and failing to meet them may jeopardize your ability to study off-campus. Petition forms for eligibility are available from the Registrar’s Office in Markle Hall or online, and petitions must be submitted to the same office (NOT to the Office of International & Off-Campus Education).
GPA Petition
Students are required to meet the Affiliated, Temporarily Affiliated, or Lafayette-In program’s GPA requirements in order to participate in semester study abroad/off-campus programs. Please refer to the Eligibility page for more information. If a student does not meet the program’s GPA requirements, the student should contact IOCE to determine steps to take to petition for approval, if applicable. Please note that there is no guarantee that students with lower than required GPAs will be considered by the program’s provider, and the provider may request additional information and/or supporting documents to make that determination.
Accountability Probation* Petition
Students who are on Accountability Probation* may not study abroad. They may still apply to study abroad, but their probationary period must end before their program’s official start date. If a student will still be on Accountability Probation at the start of their semester or interim program, they may petition the Student Affairs Committee to gain temporary eligibility to study off-campus. Please note that there is no guarantee that a petition will be approved, and students should have a backup plan in mind. Approval is given for a specific semester and does not carry over into future semesters. Complete and submit the general petition form to the Registrar’s Office.
*As Lafayette transitions into restorative conduct practices, some students may still have Disciplinary Probation 1 and 2 on their records. Students who are on Disciplinary Probation Level 1 and who will still be on DP 1 at the start time of their program are not eligible to study abroad. Please refer to the Eligibility page for more information. If a student is on DP 1 and will still be on DP 1 at the start time of their semester-long or interim program, they may petition the Student Affairs Committee to gain temporary eligibility to study off-campus. Please note that there is no guarantee that a petition will be approved, and students should have a backup plan in mind. Approval is given for a specific semester and does not carry over into future semesters. Complete and submit the general petition form to the Registrar’s Office.
Class Year Petition
Students who are in their first or last year of coursework are not eligible to study abroad. Please refer to the Eligibility page for more information. If a student in their first or last year of coursework wishes to study abroad for a semester or academic year, he/she may petition the Student Affairs Committee to gain temporary eligibility to study off-campus. Please note there is no guarantee that a petition will be approved, and students should have a backup plan in mind. Approval is given for a specific semester and does not carry over into future semesters. Complete and submit the general petition form to the Registrar’s Office.
Program Petition
Lafayette International and Off-Campus Education provides students with over 200 pre-approved semester and academic year programs in over 50 locations. Most students will find an appropriate program from this affiliated list. Please refer to the Program Search page to view the available program choices.
If a student finds that they have an academic need to participate in a program outside of the approved affiliated list, students may petition for temporary affiliation. Students who wish to petition a non-affiliated program should meet with an adviser in the Office of International & Off-Campus Education to discuss their need to petition. Petitions are submitted through IOCE and reviewed and approved by the Student Affairs Committee. If approved, the program will be considered temporarily approved only for the individual student who has successfully petitioned the program and all Lafayette College academic and financial and academic policies for study abroad will apply. Please note there is no guarantee that a petition will be approved, and students should have a backup plan in mind. Approval is given for a specific semester and does not carry over into future semesters.