If you are an undeclared student with 75 hours earned or in progress, you must appeal. If you are accepted into your intended major during the 75 hour appeal process, your appeal will be disregarded. However, your only safe option to ensure future enrollment at the University is to submit the 75 hour appeal.
If you do not have an intended major you must begin your major discovery process immediately. Use the Majors website to help you learn about the major that is right for you.
If you are an undeclared student who will have 75 or more earned hours by the end of the semester, you must submit the 75-hour appeal.
The 75 Hour Appeal Committee will consider several factors when reviewing your appeal. First, your appeal needs to be well written, accurate and complete. Second, your appeal needs to present a reasonable and realistic plan for gaining admission into a major at Illinois State. If it will take you several semesters to gain admission into your intended major, you need to clearly explain why your intended major is a good fit for you based upon your skills, strengths and abilities as a student.
If your appeal is denied, your registration for the next semester will be purged and you must wait at least one semester before applying for readmission to the University. When you apply for readmission, the University will require you to be admitted directly into a major, or have an acceptable plan to gain admission to a major. It is not recommended to continue to pursue the major you intended at the time your 75 Hour appeal was initially denied. If you need assistance in choosing an alternative major or developing a reasonable plan, contact University College Advisement at (309) 438-7604.
The Appeal Committee does not meet individually with students. Should you have questions regarding the appeal process and writing your appeal, contact your academic advisor.
If you elect to not complete the appeal process or your appeal is denied, you will not be able to continue your enrollment at Illinois State. Any courses you have registered for will be dropped. To reenroll at the University you will need to contact the office of admissions.
The 75 hour policy is effective for all students enrolled at the University, regardless of what catalog they are following for curricular requirements. Catalog requirements are reviewed and revised each year.
Your appeal includes your realistic plan to gain admission into your major. Should your plan be approved, this will permit you to continue pursuing your plan to gain admission to your major. You will still be required to apply for admission into your intended major.
It is not uncommon that universities require students to have a major at a certain point in a student’s enrollment. In developing this policy at Illinois State, other institutional policies and practices were considered.
Should you need to appeal in the future, you will be notified. However, if you have appealed in the past, you will be permitted to simply update your previous appeal indicating your current status as it relates to gaining admission to your intended major.
Preparing your appeal will require you to do some research and preparation, and you may find the Majors website beneficial. You can review the online workshops, which provide assistance and answer questions regarding the process. Additionally, your University College Academic Advisor can provide assistance.
Illinois State wants to help students make progress towards graduation and gaining admission to a major is a critical step towards degree completion. Thus, upon earning 75 hours, Illinois State is now requiring that students either have a major or have on file a University approved plan to gain admission into a major.
You will need to submit an appeal. In your appeal, you need to clearly indicate how you plan to meet the admissions requirements for your intended major. Additionally, you need to discuss this situation with your academic advisor to determine if your intended major is realistic for you. It is possible that you may need to consider a different major.
If students meet major admission requirements and are competitive applicants given the applicant pool, most programs will give consideration the total number of hours earned by an individual student. However, some departments have credit hour caps above which they will not accept students.
