How to Apply: Petition

Petition to Attend a Non-Approved Program/University

The Study Abroad Program provides students with a list of approved semester study abroad programs. These programs have been reviewed for quality and for their compatibility with Princeton academic standards.

Students interested in attending a program that is not on the approved list must petition to have the program approved on a one-time basis.

Petitions will not be accepted for the following programs:

  • service-learning programs
  • programs that travel to multiple locations
  • programs that do not offer a minimum of 15 credits (equivalent of four Princeton courses) per semester
  • programs that are located in places that are off-limits to undergraduates due to the University Travel Policy 

Step 1: Meet with a study abroad adviser

  • Schedule an appointment with the study abroad adviser responsible for the country/region where your prospective program is located to discuss the proposed program and investigate whether similar program options already exist that could meet your academic needs and interests. Petitions for programs that have significant academic overlap with already approved programs will not be considered. 
  • In advance of the meeting, please send all the information about the program to the study abroad adviser so that there can be a preliminary review of the materials informing the conversation.
  • The petition information should reach the Study Abroad Program no later than the end of August for spring semester study abroad, and no later than the end of February for fall/academic year study abroad. Petitions require thorough investigation of several dimensions (academic rigor, administrative support, health and safety assessment, etc.) and therefore require adequate research and time.

Step 2: Submit a formal petition

After a successful preliminary review of the program by the director of the Study Abroad Program, you may then submit a formal petition in GPS, which includes:

  • a letter describing the relevance of the program to your academic goals at Princeton and why current approved programs do not meet your academic needs
  • a letter of support from a faculty member who can assess the program either because of his/her area of expertise or because of direct knowledge of the program/university
  • comprehensive published information about the program, which includes:
    • a description of the academic program, with information on the academic/course structure, credit system, grading system, faculty qualifications, school accreditations, etc.
    • information about housing, administrative structure, academic support services, and costs;
    • for programs located in high-risk countries, the petition will also require a careful vetting of health and safety/security information via the completion of additional materials in GPS (“Travel Oversight Group--Additional Review”).   

Step 3: Complete the formal Princeton Study Abroad Approval Process

  • Your petition to attend a non-approved program/university is only one piece of the study abroad application process. Once your GPS petition application is approved, the application in GPS will be switched under the actual program name. From that point on, you will need to follow the same GPS steps as for any academic year application:
  • Complete all the GPS application items according to regular study abroad application process, most importantly the Study Abroad Course Approval process, by the due deadlines (end of April for fall semester and full academic year programs and end of October for spring semester programs).

 

Important Note

Your petition information should reach the Study Abroad Program no later than the end of August for spring semester study abroad, and no later than the end of February for fall/academic year study abroad. Petitions require thorough investigation of several dimensions (academic rigor, administrative support, health and safety assessment, etc.) and therefore require adequate research and time.