Academic Termination Exception Request Process and Criteria

Students submitting a termination policy exception request have 7 calendar days from the first day of notification to appeal to the College of Engineering and Computing (CECGS) via email at: cecgs@gmu.edu. Students must submit the following documentation for consideration:

A completed CEC-Specific Graduate Termination Exception Request form (top portion above the “College Review” section)
An unofficial copy of your Patriot Web Transcript
A statement, with supporting documentation, detailing the events that have negatively impacted your ability to succeed

If you have non-academic time sensitivities (e.g., international student deadlines), you are encouraged to begin the process as quickly as possible and notify cecgs@gmu.edu of any such issues.

In review of termination policy exception requests, the College of Engineering and Computing will consider:

Provisional status
Incidence of academic warning, grades of XN and IN
Whether the student has been subject to termination in the past
Violations of the George Mason University Honor Code
Whether the student has supplied documentationⁱ of an isolated, unforeseen and significant one-time event that coincides with when the insufficient grades were earned (e.g., you were in a car accident that resulted in missed class time which negatively impacted your grades in one semester)
Cumulative and Major GPA
Satisfactory progress toward degree
- Continuous dissertation registration (AP.6.10.6)
- Program-specific standards (e.g., qualifying exams, minimum grades earned in core courses, etc.)

If your termination policy exception request is approved by the College of Engineering and Computing Office of Graduate Studies:

The exception request will be forwarded to the Senior Associate Provost for Graduate Education for consideration.
- If the Senior Associate Provost for Graduate Education approves your termination policy exception request:
  - You will be notified by the College of Engineering and Computing Office of Graduate Studies via email.
  - Termination policy exception approvals allow you to continue your studies with the knowledge that if you remain in the same program or in a different program within the same school that one more insufficient grade will result in another termination.
- If the Senior Associate Provost for Graduate Education denies your termination policy exception request:
  - You have the opportunity to appeal to the Graduate Academic Affairs Committee (GAAC), if you Please consult the Provost’s Office website for specific information regarding appealing to GAAC.
    - If you appeal to the GAAC, their decision is final.

If your termination policy exception request is denied by the College of Engineering and Computing Office of Graduate Studies:

You have the opportunity to appeal to the George Mason University Senior Associate Provost for Graduate Education. Please consult the Provost’s Office website.
If you appeal to the Senior Associate Provost for Graduate Education, the decision of the Senior Associate Provost for Graduate Education is final.

At the conclusion of a student’s termination policy exception request or when the appeal period has expired, CECGS will send an email to the students’ George Mason email address. CEC will make every attempt to issue a response within one week of receiving the final decision.

ⁱ Note: students submitting doctors notes – the notes must be signed and on letterhead for consideration.