Appeals for Probation

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to helping our students reach their full academic potential. Students are encouraged to give thoughtful consideration to their academic and personal goals leading them to take responsibility for their academic choices and decisions.

You will also need to prepare the following documents:

1. Letter of Appeal

• All Appeals require that you upload this document to the electronic appeal form.
• Write the letter as a Word document.
• Present a compelling explanation of your academic performance and why you believe you should be granted a term on Probation.
• Detail your request and any relevant extraordinary circumstances.
• Be as complete and concise as possible.
• Explain how your circumstances affect your academic performance.

For tips on writing a Letter of Appeal, see the Appeal Resource Guide. 

2. Plan of Action

• All appeals require that you upload this document to the appeal form.
• Write this Plan as a Word document.
• The plan should detail the steps you will take to return to Good standing and the courses you will enroll in should your appeal be approved.

For tips on writing your Plan of Action, see the Appeal Resource Guide.

3. Supporting Documentation (required)

• Appeal submissions that do not include supporting documentation (e.g. doctor’s note, a letter from a professor, financial statement) are more likely to be denied. If you have questions regarding appropriate supporting documentation, contact your assigned advisor.
• Scan supporting documents to your computer so that you may upload them to the electronic appeal form.
• Supporting documents are the student’s responsibility and must be uploaded to the appeal form. Do not fax or send documents separately.
• The Letter of Appeal should draw an explicit link between your supporting documentation and your request.
• If providing medical records, review and redact your medical records so you are providing only what is necessary. Please do not send lengthy medical records.
• Special note regarding missing grades: If you are currently enrolled in courses at UNC-Chapel Hill or elsewhere and have not received all grades for the term/semester, you must include confirmation of expected grades with your appeal. Consider emailing each professor to request a written confirmation of submitted coursework or provide a screenshot of Sakai’s Gradebook (be sure this screenshot includes your name and course number).

For tips on including supporting documentation, see the Appeal Resource Guide.

1. Confirm the appeal deadline for the term in which you would like to enroll.

2. Familiarize yourself with the required elements of the appeal — a letter of appeal, plan of action, and supporting documentation. 

3. Review the Appeal Resource Guide.

4. Ask when you have a question. We are here to help you in reflecting on your academic journey so that you might prepare an appeal that best demonstrates your goals and plan for moving forward. 

When completing the appeal for probation, students will be prompted to provide the number of credit hours they seek to enroll in for the term in question. We strongly recommend that you reference tuition and fee information when considering which of these enrollment options is the best fit for you.

• Full-time enrollment – enrollment in 12+ credit hours
• Less than full-time – enrollment in 6-11 credit hours
• No preference

Additionally, the Appeal Review Committee may determine that a student is limited to enrolling in a given number of hours in order to focus on finding balance and improving academics. The maximum number of hours a student can enroll in is communicated in the letter of approval. If this occurs, the student must take action to adjust the course schedule as advised in a timely fashion to make sure that tuition and fees, and financial aid, are assessed correctly.

All students are encouraged to submit their appeal in advance of the deadlines posted above to ensure that a decision is received prior to the start of the term.

We understand that many students may need to submit an appeal for both Probation and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Walk through the instructions for how to check your SAP Eligibility to learn whether you will need to appeal to maintain financial aid. Should you have additional questions regarding your financial aid eligibility, contact the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.

If you were not enrolled in on-campus courses during the most recent semester (fall, spring) OR you withdrew during the most recent semester, you must first submit a Return to Carolina survey in order to re-enroll at Carolina for all courses during any semester or term (including summer session enrollment). The only exception to this rule is if you withdrew from the current summer term, you will not need to apply for readmission to enroll in the next fall term. Once reviewed, it can take 4-5 business days for students to gain access to reactivate their ONYEN, which is a necessary step before you can submit an appeal for probation.

Students planning to return to the University after a semester or more away are strongly encouraged to complete the Return to Carolina survey as soon as possible and appeal for probation at least 2-3 weeks in advance of the posted priority deadline.

Note: The Return to Carolina survey is a separate process from the appeal for probation. Students are encouraged to submit the survey and the appeal for probation around the same time; however, please note the unique deadlines for both processes.

All appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. However, the following guidelines are considered for both appeals for probation and SAP eligibility:

• Semester or term GPA of at least 2.0 (semester or term GPA of at least 2.3 preferred)
• Demonstrated academic improvement.
• Engagement with prior support services, specifically within Academic Advising.
• Engagement with resources and support across campus or in the community.
• Specific and realistic Plan of Action.
• Demonstrated resolution of problems that led to current academic standing.
• Use of time while away from the University, if appropriate.

Please note that these guidelines inform our decisions, but do not dictate them.

We strongly encourage you to use this opportunity for personal reflection and intentional action. Review the evaluation guide for more information.

We recommend that you complete your letter of appeal, develop a plan of action and gather your supporting documentation before engaging with the appeal form. All students access and complete the appeals form in ConnectCarolina; detailed instructions for doing so can be found in the Appeal Reader Guide above.

NOTE: If you are returning to Carolina after taking time away, you must first complete the Return to Carolina survey and have your ONYEN reactivated before submitting your appeal through ConnectCarolina.

If you have questions about the probation process, please email (appeals@unc.edu) or Academic Advising (advising@unc.edu).  You can also speak with an advisor (https://advising.unc.edu/advisor).