SPS Policy Documents and Academic Information

SPS Policy Documents

Policy related to academic forgiveness to discount the coursework of past academic semesters. 

Academic Forgiveness Form (PDF)

Graduation requirements and regulations for every academic program are provided in the School of Professional Studies Catalog. Degree requirements and course descriptions are subject to change. In most cases, you will use the catalog of the year you entered KU. Ask your academic success coach for more details.

Students wishing to change their major must complete a Change of School Form located on the Office of the University Registrar Forms page.

Students wishing to declare an SPS minor should send an email to professionalstudies@ku.edu or reach out to their academic advisor/coach.

A petition request form should be used only when petitioning for enrollment in a course within SPS. This petition is not for transferring courses to KU. Students are advised to meet with an academic success coach or academic advisor before filling out and turning in this petition for exception form.

To complete a course petition, email professionalstudies@ku.edu or call your academic success coach. 

A KU Edwards Undergraduate Enrollment Hold (ULN) is placed on all new transfer undergraduate student accounts on admission to ensure proper first-term enrollment, admission procedures, and new student orientation completion.

A School of Professional Studies Advising Hold preventing future-term enrollment may be placed on student accounts to encourage connecting with the program for enrollment guidance. An academic success coach can release the hold as part of the enrollment planning process. 

A School of Professional Studies Prevent Drop Hold is applied to all SPS students after the beginning of the second enrollment period to prevent course drops and to ensure students discuss possible negative ramifications of a withdrawal.

SPS also applies holds to students going through the academic probation or dismissal process.

Valid reasons to consider a grade appeal:

  • You believe there was an administrative error (a math error, for example) leading to an incorrect grade assigned to you.
  • You believe you were graded differently than other students in the same class.
  • You believe your grade was not assigned in accordance with policies outlined in the course syllabus.

Invalid reasons to consider a grade appeal:

  • You are unhappy with your final grade.
  • You need a higher GPA to meet scholarship or other GPA requirements.

If you are appealing a grade that was assigned as a result of academic misconduct, you should follow procedures outlined in the School of Professional Studies Grievance Procedures (PDF).


Steps to pursue a grade appeal:

  1. Talk to your instructor within 30 days of final grade posting.
  2. If still unresolved, submit grade appeal form with supporting documentation to the assistant dean (professionalstudies@ku.edu) within 60 days of final grade posting.
  3. The instructor will have an opportunity to provide information related to this case.
  4. The School of Professional Studies Academic Council will review and provide a recommendation within 30 days.

Degrees are awarded at the close of each academic semester. SPS will review student records and recommend students to the University Registrar for degree or certificate completion.

SPS graduates can engage in several graduation celebrations and ceremonies to mark this monumental point in their academic journey.

A student who has an “I” posted for a course must make up the work by the date determined by the instructor, in consultation with the student, which may not exceed one calendar year, or the last day of the term of graduation, whichever comes first. An “I” not removed according to this rule automatically converts to a grade of F or U, or the lapse grade assigned by the course instructor, and appears on the student’s record. See USRR 2.2.3 for more details.

Experiential learning is a critical component of your academic experience. Through internships, capstone projects, and other field or immersive experiences, your program will help you connect your classroom learning with practical experience in the community. Talk to your academic success coach or a faculty member to learn more about these opportunities in your program.

Students have a maximum of 10 years to complete their undergraduate work in SPS under the degree requirements in effect at the initial term of matriculation. Students experiencing a break in enrollment during these 10 years must seek appropriate readmission guidance with their academic success coach and are held to the curricular requirements in place at the term of readmission.

Students readmitted after a break in attendance of less than two years may petition SPS to request a change to the term requirements based on their readmission term. This should be considered in consultation with their academic success coach, and a petition should be submitted to the School of Professional Studies Academic Council at professionalstudies@ku.edu.

Students maintaining continuous enrollment but who do not complete their degree requirements within 10 years may petition SPS to complete their degree requirements under the curricular requirements in effect during the term of admission.

Students are able to use transferred courses to fulfill degree requirements only if they earned a grade of “C-” or higher. Courses in which a student earned less than a “C-” may not be considered. 

If you have any questions about the request form, please contact your academic success coach.

Withdrawal Overview


Note: Withdrawing from a course can hinder academic progress. There are often alternatives to withdrawal. All students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic success coach to explore these options prior to initiating any withdrawal process.

The retroactive withdrawal petition is designed for students who experienced extreme and uncontrollable circumstances following the last day to withdraw from a course during a given term. All retroactive withdrawal petition forms must be completed online or submitted via email to professionalstudies@ku.edu.

You are not a candidate for retroactive withdrawal if any of the following are true:

  • You are applying because you are not satisfied with the grade you earned.
  • You are applying because you forgot to withdraw from the course during the term.
  • You were not aware of the withdrawal deadlines.
  • You changed your mind and are now working toward a major or degree that does not require this course.
  • You assumed non-academic activities that restricted your time for academic pursuit.

You are a candidate for retroactive withdrawal if at least one of the following are true:

  • There was a documented administrative error that affected your enrollment in one or more courses.
  • You received absolutely no feedback on your performance in the course prior to the last day to withdraw from the course.
  • You have documentation of a serious illness that affected your ability to complete all of your coursework after the withdrawal date.
  • You encountered documented extreme and unusual circumstances during the semester which a) were beyond your control, b) occurred after the withdrawal date, and c) could not have been addressed during the term in which the course(s) was taken.
  • You enrolled in KU coursework but did not attend any of your classes because you were enrolled full-time at another academic institution.