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GE Student Request Forms

*Policies that govern UC Merced’s general education (GE) program can be found in the University Catalog. Student Requests, including course substitutions, are considered on an individual basis and are generally granted only when circumstances warrant.


REQUESTS FOR EXCEPTIONS TO GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) POLICY

This page outlines the request process for students seeking an exception to policy or wishing to fulfill a GE requirement through completion of a course or experience that is not currently approved to satisfy the requirement. Students should carefully review the chart below when developing their materials to ensure they have selected the appropriate selection category and their request includes all necessary information. Students will not be provided an opportunity to meet in person with the review committee, or provide information outside of what is submitted in this webform unless requested by the committee. Therefore, it is important the request include all necessary information.

Please review additional information at the bottom of this page for guidelines related to special circumstances and documentation.

The following requests will not be considered:

  • Satisfaction of GE requirements, other than Intellectual Experiences (through Summer 2021) and Language, by experiences other than coursework.
  • Satisfaction of Intellectual Experience Badges, by a co-curricular experience completed after Fall 2021.
  • Satisfaction of GE requirements by a UC Merced course that is not currently on the approved list for that requirement.
  • Requests that include in-progress courses. Please submit your request after you have an earned grade in the relevant course.

Request approval is not guaranteed, so students are encouraged to work with their academic advisor to identify alternative options for satisfying the petitioned requirement.

Timeline for Non-ELWR/SPRK Requests

  • Petition review generally only takes place during the fall and spring terms when classes are in session.
  • Petitions may take 4-6 weeks after student submission for review.
  • Petitions are accepted on a rolling basis from current UC Merced students in all class years; however, priority is given to graduating students.

Deadlines

  • For Fall Semester
    • November 1: priority deadline for petitions for Spring or Summer graduates
    • Mid-November: student notified of decisions for petitions submitted by the priority deadline
  • For Spring semester
    • April 1: priority deadline for petitions for Fall graduates
    • Mid-April: student notified of decisions for petitions submitted by the priority deadline
  • Please note that the committee does not meet during the summer. Any petitions submitted after the last day of classes in May may not be reviewed until fall.

*Please note these deadlines do not apply to ELWR & Spark petitions.

Priority deadlines for ELWR and SPRK may vary each semester. Students who are required to petition will be sent an email with additional information after the add/drop deadline. For more information, please contact your academic advisor.

Process

  • Complete GE Student Requestwebform. Review the chart below to identify the request category that best matches your request and required documentation. You may request a confirmation of your submission by checking the "send me an email of my responses" box on the signature page of the form.
  • The request will then be reviewed for completeness and delivered to the deciding body.
  • Both the student and the academic advisor will be notified of the decision within 2-6 weeks during the academic year, depending on the request. Summer review is generally only avaliable for the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) and SPRK 001 requests. Requests for other GE requirements submitted during the summer will not be reviewed until after the academic year begins.

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUEST CATEGORIES


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