Virtual Advising Center
Undergraduate Education

Petitions and Forms

OSD documents must be handled in accordance to OSD policies.

All other document(s)/requests needing the review and/or signature of a Physics instructor and/or the Physics Department Chair and/or the Physics Undergraduate Advisor must be submitted through our Physics Department Document Submission Portal.

The portal will guide you in properly submitting your material. If you get stuck at any point in the submission process, you can contact Physics through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) for assistance (non-UCSD students will email advising@physics.ucsd.edu).

Once your documents have been submitted, a confirmation page will pop up so that you know your material has been received by our department. Completed requests and documents will be routed to the required Physics reviewers/signers and you will be contacted through VAC once your documents have been processed. Incomplete requests and/or documents will be returned, unprocessed.

Our Document Processing Cycle

There is a unique processing time for various types of documents (see chart below). Please keep the following in mind:

  • Due to the high volume of documents and requests received, we are unable to offer rush processing of documents and requests at this time.
  • UCSD students will be notified about the status of their documents and requests through VAC; non-UCSD students will be notified about the status of their documents and requests via email.
  • Document processing time excludes all school breaks, closures, and weekends.
Document Type Typical Processing Time
(excluding school breaks, closures, and weekends)
Physics Course Equivalency
A-Level Exemption/Equivalency
University Exception (eg. Retro. withdrawal) 		3-4 weeks
Exception to the Major Requirements
Max Unit/Time/Financial-Aid Appeal
Review of Qtr-by-Qtr Plan
Double Major Packet (DMP)
EAP Planning Form
 2-3 weeks
Incomplete in a Physics Courses
Concurrent Enrollment Students (for pre-req verification) 		1-2 weeks

Frequently Asked Questions about Petitions and Forms

What do I do if I need help filling out my documents?
Please contact us through VAC so we can assist you.
Can my document be signed/processed "on the spot"?
To ensure the appropriate processing of your material, we do not sign/process documents on the spot. Please refer to our Document Review Cycle information.
Do I need to make an appointment to have my document signed/processed?
No, we do not use appointments for having documents signed/processed. Please refer to our Document Review Cycle information.
How long will it take for my documents to be processed?
Please refer to our Document Review Cycle information.
I no longer have the syllabus for the physics courses I took. What should I do?
Contact the instructor and dept. at the school where you took the course to request this material (most schools save copies of syllabi because they know students who transfer will need this material). You may also find success by contacting students who took the courses with you. If you still come up short, please contact us through VAC so we can provide next steps.
My friend took the same course at the same school as I did. Can I have the same equivalencies my friend was awarded?
Potentially! Please contact us through VAC so we can look into this.
My equivalency request was denied. How do I appeal the decision?
Contact us through VAC for advice on your specific case.
I want to take a course without the pre-req. Should I submit an Undergraduate Student Petition?
No. Course clearance requests are processed through the university's Enrollment Authorization System (EASy). However, please note that we strictly enforce the listed pre-reqs for our courses. If you are missing one/more pre-reqs you will not be cleared to enroll. Instead, you must complete the listed pre-req in advance of taking our course, as outlined in our pre-req. policy information.
I am away from campus. Can I email you my petition?
We do not accept petitions via email. You must submit your material through the Physics Department Document Submission Portal.
I emailed my petition to the Physics Advisor but have not heard back. What should I do?
As per the bounce notification you received when you sent your email, your message was not received. You must submit your material through the Physics Department Document Submission Portal.