Committee on Academic Affairs

Yale Summer Session deadlines and regulations are established and enforced to maintain consistency and fairness across all Yale Summer Session courses and students, and it is expected that students and instructors take them seriously. The Yale Summer Session Committee on Academic Affairs interprets, applies, and enforces Yale Summer Session's academic regulations. If a Yale Summer Session student has questions or concerns about their individual circumstances as they relate to the Yale Summer Session Academic Regulations, or wishes to petition the Committee on Academic Affairs for an exception or with another request, they should consult promptly with the Dean of International and Summer Programs for Yale College as Chair of the Committee; contact here.

In general, the Committee consists of three members: the Dean of International and Summer Programs chairs the Committee, and the Director of Yale Summer Session and the Director of Academic Affairs for Yale Summer Session serve as members. In certain cases involving Yale Summer Session courses online or abroad, the Chair may ask either the Director of Online Education and Information Systems for Yale Summer Session or the Director of Yale Study Abroad to join the Committee for a specific matter. Yale Summer Session reserves the right to substitute other members of the Office of International and Summer Programs or the Yale College Dean’s Office when needed to ensure the timely review of a petition.

The submission of a petition to the Committee by a Yale Summer Session student or instructor requires no form and need not follow any prescribed format. The petition, most often a letter or e-mail of reasonable length submitted to the Committee via the Chair, should state clearly what exception, accommodation, or action the petitioner seeks; what the specific context is for the request; and the reasons why the petitioner believes it is equitable for the request to be granted in this instance. The petitioner may, but is not required to, include additional documentation that provides context to, or support for, their petition. Students are expected to be timely in the submission of their materials, since a delay in submitting a complete petition is typically grounds for denial, and to take care in their preparation, since petitions will be considered final as submitted. No petitioner, neither student nor instructor, appears before the Committee in person.

The Committee evaluates petitions in view of precedent and considerations of fairness, equity, and consistency across all Yale Summer Session students and courses.

Procedurally, the Chair of the Committee is empowered to approve petitions on behalf of the members; when this occurs, the action is official and final. By contrast, when the Chair declines to approve a petition, either because they believe it should be denied or because they want a broader read, the Committee considers the petition. When this occurs, the Chair does not vote in the matter, except when needed to break a tie. The action decided on by the Committee is official and final. In cases where additional information subsequently comes to light, which was not available at the time the matter was first reviewed, even with a petitioner’s due diligence, and which could reasonably result in a different outcome, the Chair can, at their discretion, direct the Committee to revisit the petition.

Note on Committee on Honors and Academic Standing for Yale College

The Yale College Committee on Honors and Academic Standing (CHAS) interprets, applies, and enforces the Yale College Academic Regulations. Because Yale Summer Session’s academic regulations and deadlines are distinct from those of the academic year, reflecting the unique nature of summer courses and Yale Summer Session, and because Yale Summer Session has a broad array of students, from Yale College and other educational institutions, CHAS’s work does not extend to Yale Summer Session courses or other Yale Summer Session matters. Instead, the Yale Summer Session Academic Regulations are overseen by the Yale Summer Session Committee on Academic Affairs. Where appropriate, particularly in cases of first impression, the Committee may consult with the Dean of Academic Affairs as Chair of CHAS or the Yale College Office of Academic Affairs for an advisory view on any related precedent.