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Forms & Petitions

Here you will find links to forms and petitions, and related policy and procedure information.

  • Designation of the pass/fail option is available between the third and tenth week of the semester via the Pass/Fail Designation form.

    It's to your advantage to wait until you have a sense of how you are doing in all your courses before you designate one as pass/fail.

    Not all courses can be taken pass/fail, so be sure to check the online catalog; if pass/fail is not an option, it will read:

    "Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis"

    Read the Pass/Fail Option policy details.

  • Only the course you designate as your "fifth" can be dropped up to the sixth week of the semester via the Drop Fifth Course form.

    Not all courses can be taken as a fifth course, so be sure to check the online catalog. If the fifth course option is not available, it will read:

    "Extra Info: not available for the fifth course option"

    Read the Fifth Course Option policy details.

  • A petition for Independent Study (e.g., 297, 298, 397, 398, 497, 498) should be submitted before the beginning of the semester in which the independent study will be taken, but no later than the last day of drop/add period.

    Once you have discussed plans for an independent study with a faculty sponsor, please submit the Independent Study form.

    1. The proposal will be forwarded to your faculty sponsor for approval.
    2. The proposal and faculty sponsor approval will be forwarded to the chair for final approval.
    3. Once the Registrar's Office receives final approval, we will register students for a unique section, with the faculty sponsor listed as instructor.

  • Use the Summer School Approval form for:

    • Making up course deficiencies (for withdrawn students this may be fall or spring courses)
    • Taking a course not for credit but with approval toward major or preprofessional requirements.

    Guidelines for selecting courses.  Courses:

    • must be approved in advance by the Registrar’s Office before you enroll
    • must be taken at a U.S.* regionally accredited 4-year** college or university
    • must be of a liberal arts content such as could be offered at Williams
    • must be at least 3 semester hours or 5 quarter hours credit
    • must be offered in a traditional scheduled classroom setting***
    • cannot duplicate or substantially overlap coursework completed or to be completed at Williams.
    • must be discussed with the appropriate academic department if the course will be used as a prerequisite equivalent or in the field of a declared or probable major or concentration.
    • cannot be used to fulfill distribution requirements.

    Questions about course selection can be addressed to the Associate Registrar at [email protected] or by stopping in to the Registrar’s Office.

    Exceptions to these guidelines:

    • *Courses taken outside the U.S. must be approved by the Committee on Academic Standing. Prepare a statement of why the course must be taken outside the U.S.
    • ** Courses taken at 2-year community colleges will be considered given financial or geographic reasons. The courses must be of a liberal arts (not vocational) content intended for transfer to 4-year programs.  Prepare a statement of why you need to request approval for courses from a community college.
    • *** Online courses will be considered only if scheduled courses have been considered at either a 4-year college or university, or at a community college and those courses are not possible. A request for an online course must be approved by the Committee on Academic Standing as well as by the Registrar’s Office.  The request must include an explanation of why the online course is necessary.  The request must also include details on how the course will be structured, such as the degree of interaction with other enrolled students as well as with the instructor.  This information may be available on the school’s website or you may need to request a syllabus from the course instructor.

    Do your homework.  Collect course descriptions, meeting time information and credit hour information plus any explanations for exceptions before completing the Summer School Approval form.

  • During the first two years of study, students are limited in the number of courses they may take in one department or subject each semester:

    • First-year students may take no more than one course with the same course prefix, nor more than two in one department, in a semester.
    • Sophomores may take no more than two courses with the same course prefix, nor more than three in one department, in a semester.
    • Sophomores may take no more than three courses with the same course prefix, nor more than four in one department, during the full year.
    • A student may take no more than a total of five courses with the same course prefix, nor more than eight in one department, during the first two years.

    You may request an exception to this policy by submitting the CAS Petition at the time of registration.

  • To audit a course:

    • Contact the instructor during drop/add period.
    • Work out the details of your participation; whether or not you should engage in class discussions, take tests, etc.
    • If you want a formal record of the audit to appear on your transcript, fill out the Audit Validation form before the end of exam period.

    If you decide during the semester that you cannot continue auditing the course, please tell the instructor.