Documentation Guidelines

Only certain situations as described below merit a policy exception. Learn about the circumstances that could qualify, and the documentation required for a policy exception request.

The ASC will not consider appeals without supporting documentation. You must submit your documents by the deadline.

Medical issues

Medical issues that may qualify include:

  • physical or psychological difficulty
  • family medical difficulty

Required documentation for medical issues

To request a policy exception for medical reasons, you must provide a signed letter on official letterhead from the attending health care provider, counselor, or licensed practitioner. The letter must specify the following:

  • the date of onset of illness or accident
  • the dates you or your family member was under professional care
  • the general nature of the medical condition
  • how it prevented you from following normal university policies and procedures

The following are not sufficient documentation:

  • file notes
  • medical receipts
  • copies of prescriptions

Personal issues

Personal issues that may qualify include:

  • a death of a family member
  • a legal issue
  • an accident
  • the loss of employment due to forced layoff or military deployment

Required documentation for death of family member

You need to provide documentation that verifies the date of death within the term for which you are requesting a policy exception. Acceptable documentation includes a copy of the:

  • death certificate
  • obituary
  • memorial service program

Required documentation for other personal issues

A signed letter on official letterhead from an appropriate official such as:

  • an attorney
  • a law enforcement agent
  • a court official
  • another appropriate source

The signed letter needs to specify:

  • the date of the incident
  • the dates you or your family member was affected by the incident
  • the general nature of the incident
  • how it prevented you from completing your course work and following normal university policies and procedures

Note: The dates in the official letter from the appropriate official must be congruent with the circumstances and timelines cited in the exception request.

If your petition is related to the impact of gender or sexual based violence (Sexual Assault, Domestic/Dating Violence, Stalking, Sexual Harassment, etc.) please contact the Office of Student Life at 928-523-5181 prior to submitting this form.

Situations that do not qualify for a policy exception

You are expected to accept responsibility for your academic performance unless there have been extenuating circumstances as described above.

The following circumstances are not considered situations that merit an exception:

  • academic difficulty, such as failing grades and/or desire to clean-up your academic record
  • a change in major
  • a change in career goals
  • overcommitted in areas such as course load, student activities, and employment, without additional circumstances beyond your control

How to send in documentation

E-mail

Send supporting documents to AcademicStandards@nau.edu.

Drop off

Supporting documentation that cannot be sent electronically should be brought to Peterson Hall, Building 22, Room 323.

Postal mail

You can also mail documents to:

Academic Standards Committee
PO Box 4091
Flagstaff, AZ 86011

Fax

Fax documents to 928-523-1922. Use a cover page to indicate that it is for the Academic Standards Committee.