• Enrolling in Independent Study, Special Studies, Research Projects, Reading Courses, Pre-thesis or thesis work, and Integrative Projects.
• Transferring credit from another university to Valparaiso University's Graduate School.
• Applying for candidacy status (required after completion of the first 9 credits).
• Applying for a degree.
• Readmission to The Graduate School formally.
• Withdrawing from the University.

Petitions: These forms are required to request exceptions or variances to graduate policies and procedures as stated in the Graduate Catalog. These include requests to:

• Take a credit overload (more than 12 graduate credits).
• Add a course after the deadline.
• Withdraw from a course after the deadline.
• Extend a grade of incomplete (I).
• Make an exception to degree requirements.
• Extend the deadline for earning your degree.
• Attend another institution for coursework that may be applied to a VU graduate degree.
• Change a course from undergraduate to graduate level.
• Appeal financial charges based on official course withdrawal date.

Printing and Returning your form
After printing your form, complete it, obtain the appropriate signatures, and return it to The Graduate School in Kretzmann Hall 116.

These forms are in PDF version. To read PDF forms download the free Acrobat Reader.


Please select the form you need from the list below:

Recommendation Letters Forms

General Recommendation Form  (printable)

Online Recommendation Form

Masters of Education Recommendation Form

LEAPs Recommendation Form

Academic Procedures

Drop/Add Card

Withdrawal Card

Semester Withdrawal Form

Independent Coursework Forms Students planning to enroll in a course that does not meet formally as a class (or take an undergraduate course for graduate credit) must complete the appropriate request form. This form requires signatures of your instructor and the department chairperson before being submitted to the Office of Graduate School. 595 Independent Study: Select departments for situations where the student investigates a special topic through readings under faculty supervision. LS 659 Integrative Project: For MALS Integrative Project. LS 685 Practicum: Exposure to and guidance within practical or work settings related to the student's field of concentration. 686 Internship: Placement in work settings related to a graduate program. 692 Research Project : Research on a special topic of interest under faculty supervision. 695 Independent Study: For all departments for situations where the student investigates a special topic through readings under faculty supervision. 699 Master's Thesis: For all Master's Thesis proposals. MBA 795 Independent Research: For MBA Independent Research situations where the student investigates a special topic through readings under faculty supervision.

Transferring credit from another university Graduate students may transfer graduate coursework from another university for credit toward a graduate degree at Valparaiso University. The limit on the number of transferable credit hours depends on the specific graduate program (6 for MALS; 9 for Nursing, Counseling and most Education programs; up to 24 for the Ed.S. School Psychology program). Only graduate level courses with grades of B or higher will be considered for transfer. Approval will also take into consideration the specific coursework presented for transfer credit. Note that this form requires signatures of your adviser and the chair or program director (see also Attend Another Institution).

Applying for Candidacy No graduate student is considered a degree candidate until he/she has submitted the candidacy form. This form should be submitted after 9 credits have successfully been completed. Students are encouraged to complete the form prior to an advising session so it may be reviewed and signed by their adviser during the consultation.

Application for Degree for December Graduates Application for Degree for May/August Graduates When the degree audit is submitted, this ancillary form should be submitted as well. A $20 application fee ($30 for those turned in after the deadline) is required.  Instructions for completing the degree audit are included.

Application for Readmission Degree-seeking students who have not enrolled in the University for more than one year (two semesters) are considered inactive and must apply for readmission in order to continue their course of study. Non-degree students who have not taken a course for at least one year also have to submit an application for readmission. Students who have earned one graduate degree and intend to apply to another degree or certificate program have to complete a full application form for that program.

Application for Formal Withdrawal from the Graduate School Students that chose to leave the University, either for transfer to another school or through a decision to discontinue graduate coursework, must formally withdraw from the University. This form requires the signatures of Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Christopher Center Library, University Police and the Dean of The Graduate School.

Acceptance to the Graduate School Students that have been accepted into a graduate program at the University must formally accept, decline or defer the start date of the program through this online form.

Petitions

Take a credit overload Students in the Graduate School may not take more than 12 credits of graduate coursework or 15 credits of combined graduate/undergraduate coursework during either fall or spring semesters. Students are limited to 6 credits of graduate coursework during either summer session. A student wanting to take more than the stated maximums must submit a petition to the Dean. Approval is rarely given for such petitions, particularly for students with graduate GPA under 3.7. This form requires the signature of the student's adviser.

Add a course after the deadline A student wanting to add a course after the deadline has passed (usually one week into the semester for fall and spring, two days into the semester for summer) must submit this petition. A late fee of $20 is assessed. Signatures of the student's adviser, instructor, and chair are required.

Withdraw from a course after the deadline Students may withdraw from a course with a grade of W up to the 45th class day of the semester (approximately 9 weeks). After this day, students will receive an F unless a petition to the Graduate School is approved because of special circumstances. Such petitions are rarely approved for anything other than a serious medical condition. The instructor's and adviser's signatures are required.

Extension of Incomplete (I) grade A student who has been given a grade of Incomplete has until the beginning of exam week of the subsequent semester to complete the coursework and receive a grade. If a student and instructor agree that more time should be allotted because of special circumstances, the student may file a petition to extend the deadline by a maximum of one semester. Additional extensions will not be given without serious cause, such as an ongoing medical condition. If a student does not complete the work by the specified time, the I changes to an F on the student's transcript. In order to remove the F, the student must repeat the course. The instructor's signature is required on the form.

Extend the deadline for earning a degree Unless stated otherwise, students are allowed 5 years to complete their degree. A student may submit a petition to the Dean of The Graduate School for a one-time extension of up to 5 years.

Attend another institution Before enrolling in coursework at another institution, graduate students are strongly advised to seek prior approval if they plan to use the coursework toward earning a graduate degree at Valparaiso University. The student must obtain the signature of both her/his adviser as well as the Dean of The Graduate School.

Change an undergraduate course to graduate level Such petitions are rarely approved after the coursework has been completed. As part of this petition, the student must convincingly demonstrate that she/he completed additional academic work that would allow the course to be awarded graduate level credit. The signatures of the instructor and departmental chair must be obtained.

Appeal financial charges based on official date of course withdrawal This petition must be completed in order to appeal financial charges incurred as a result of withdrawing from a course after the deadline for a refund. Such petitions are typically approved only if circumstances beyond the student's control were responsible for the delayed withdrawal from the course.

Early Graduation Participation Students enrolled in the Graduate Program who are within 8 credits of completing their degree may file a petition with the Dean of The Graduate School to participate in the preceding May or the following December ceremony.