General Education Petitions

Students are expected to plan ahead and complete their General Education curriculum by taking approved Gen Ed courses. However, some students are eligible to submit a General Education course petition to the Office of Undergraduate Curricula. Please read the following information before submitting your petition.

Student Eligibility

Who can submit a Gen Ed petition?

• Seniors
• Transfer students

When can a Gen Ed petition be submitted?

For completed courses (with a passing grade), a petition can be submitted anytime.

For in-progress courses:

• Seniors may submit a petition no earlier than the first day of classes for that course.
• Transfer students who are not seniors may submit a petition after the 8th week drop deadline (or equivalent deadline during summer terms) for that course.

Course Eligibility

What courses can be submitted through the Gen Ed petition process?

• UNC-Chapel Hill courses only

What courses/requirements cannot be submitted through the Gen Ed petition process?

• Making Connections curriculum requirements:
  • ENGL 105/105i
  • Foreign Language
  • Lifetime Fitness
• IDEAs in Action curriculum requirements:
  • First-Year Foundations (i.e., ENGL 105/105i, FY-Seminar/FY-Launch, Triple-I & Data Literacy, IDST 101)
  • Global Language
  • Lifetime Fitness
  • Campus Life Experience
• Requests to fulfill Gen Ed requirements through By Examination (BE) credit (e.g., AP, IB, SAT), or work and life experiences that do not carry academic credit, cannot be reviewed through the General Education petition process.
• Students can submit a Transfer Credit Re-Evaluation request in ConnectCarolina to have their transfer credit re-evaluated for Gen Ed requirements.
• Courses taken on a UNC Study Abroad program have a special course review and credit evaluation process. Please contact the UNC Study Abroad Office Credit team for more information.

The Petition Process

What information is needed to submit a Gen Ed petition?

• UNC-Chapel Hill course information (e.g., course code, semester taken, etc.)
• Justification statement for the request (200 words max)
• Copy of the syllabus

What is the process to submit a Gen Ed petition?

1. Students should personally complete and submit the  General Education course petition form .
2. Upon receipt of the course petition, the Office of Undergraduate Curricula will review it
3. The Office of Undergraduate Curricula will send the student a decision by email within 15 working days. If the course is approved to fulfill the Gen Ed requirement, the Office of Undergraduate Curricula will also make an adjustment to the student’s Tar Heel Tracker.