Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 13266
Submitted: June 2, 2025 at 10:50:24 AM
First Name: Maya
Last Name: Brennan
Pronoun: She/Her
Student Number: 20330041
Email: 21mib4@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: ECON
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution
Level 1 Status
Status: DeniedLevel 2
Appeal Type: Level 2
ID: 339
Submitted: August 25, 2025 at 3:58:25 PM
Relevant Petition: 13266
Decision(s) Being Appealed: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution
Appeal Grounds
Appeals to the Board of Studies must include a letter based on one or more of the Grounds for Appeal (Appeal Regulation 3.4). What are the grounds you are basing your appeal on?
- The Associate Dean's decision did not follow the rules of procedural fairness. A breach of procedural fairness includes such things as the Associate Dean failed to:
- Follow the university rules and regulations in a way that supported your right to a fair process.
- Make a reasonable decision in your appeal. A “reasonable” decision is one that is based on evidence, thought out and supported by facts and logical inferences from the facts. To be reasonable, the decision must contain adequate reasons for the conclusions.
Appeal Grounds Details: Dear Members of the Board of Studies,
I am appealing on the grounds that the Associate Dean’s decision did not follow the university rules and regulations in a way that supported my right to a fair process, and that the decision did not make a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence and circumstances of my case. I submitted my petition on June 2, 2025, and despite following up on July 16 to explain the urgency of my situation, I did not receive a decision until August 18. By that time, both periods for course enrollment appointments at Queen’s had already passed, which left me without a fair opportunity to plan my studies sufficiently. I also believe the decision was not reasonable, as it hindered the chance of an unbiased decision on my new petition by referencing my prior semester at University Carlos III, where my independent student status limited my ability to access transferable courses. My upcoming semester at IE University is materially different: I am fully enrolled, I had equal access to course registration, and as a student in the Faculty of Economics, I am required to complete 60% of my courses in that faculty, which directly supports my Queen’s Economics major. In addition, IE offers an add/drop period, which allows me to replace any courses not pre-approved for transfer with courses that are transferable. These conditions make my current plan distinct from my past semester abroad, and I respectfully submit that they were not fully considered in the decision.
Sincerely,
Maya Brennan
I am appealing on the grounds that the Associate Dean’s decision did not follow the university rules and regulations in a way that supported my right to a fair process, and that the decision did not make a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence and circumstances of my case. I submitted my petition on June 2, 2025, and despite following up on July 16 to explain the urgency of my situation, I did not receive a decision until August 18. By that time, both periods for course enrollment appointments at Queen’s had already passed, which left me without a fair opportunity to plan my studies sufficiently. I also believe the decision was not reasonable, as it hindered the chance of an unbiased decision on my new petition by referencing my prior semester at University Carlos III, where my independent student status limited my ability to access transferable courses. My upcoming semester at IE University is materially different: I am fully enrolled, I had equal access to course registration, and as a student in the Faculty of Economics, I am required to complete 60% of my courses in that faculty, which directly supports my Queen’s Economics major. In addition, IE offers an add/drop period, which allows me to replace any courses not pre-approved for transfer with courses that are transferable. These conditions make my current plan distinct from my past semester abroad, and I respectfully submit that they were not fully considered in the decision.
Sincerely,
Maya Brennan
Appeal Letter
Appeal Letter: Dear Members of the Board of Studies,
I am appealing the Associate Dean’s decision to deny my petition to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a Letter of Permission at IE University in Madrid for the Fall 2025 term, on the grounds that the Associate Dean’s decision did not follow the university rules and regulations in a way that supported my right to a fair process, and that the Associate Dean did not make a reasonable decision based on the evidence and circumstances of my case.
The Associate Dean’s letter explained that my request was denied because it did not demonstrate an exceptional academic opportunity, and it referenced my prior exchange at University Carlos III of Madrid as a reason. I would like to emphasize that my upcoming semester at IE University is meaningfully different. At IE University, all students were given a fair opportunity to register for course enrollment at the same date and time, which allowed me to secure the proper economics courses within the Faculty of Economics. Whereas at Carlos III in my last semester, my independent study abroad student status meant I automatically had the last choice of courses. As a result, I was left with very few course options to select from, many of which were not transferable to Queen’s. Now this upcoming semester at IE, as an enrolled student in the Faculty of Economics, the university requires that 60% of my courses must be taken in that faculty. This requirement directly aligns with my Economics major at Queen’s, ensuring that I stay on track academically while benefiting from IE’s internationally recognized economics curriculum. Additionally, IE offers a course add/drop period at the start of the term, which allows me to replace any courses that are not pre-approved by Queen’s for transfer with courses that are transferable back to Queen’s. These safeguards and conditions make this plan distinct from my previous experience and show that it is an exceptional academic opportunity. For this reason, I do not believe a reasonable decision was made in my case, as the conclusion was influenced by circumstances from my prior semester rather than the materially different conditions of this upcoming semester.
I also believe that my right to a fair process was not upheld due to the timeline of my petition. I submitted my petition request on June 2, 2025, followed up with the Petitions Team on July 16 to stress the urgency of the situation, as deadlines at IE were approaching. However, even after this communication it took another month before I received a decision on August 18, 2025. By the time the rejection was communicated, both the first and second round of enrollment periods at Queen’s had already passed, leaving me with very minimal academic alternatives. According to the stated grounds for appeal, it is required to follow the university’s rules and regulations in a way that supports a student’s right to a fair process, and I believe that the extended delay and its impact on my ability to make informed choices shows that this standard was not met and I was not given a fair opportunity to plan my studies.
Looking ahead, I am committed to ensuring that my semester at IE University contributes directly to my progress at Queen’s. The courses I have selected were chosen to meet my Economics requirements, and I will work closely with my Academic Advisor to confirm transferability. Should any course not be accepted, I will use the add/drop period accordingly to replace it with an approved alternative. I have also spoken with an Academic Advisor at Queen’s to confirm that this plan will not prevent me from completing my mandatory courses at Queen’s, and I remain on track to graduate as planned. This demonstrates that my semester abroad is not only academically valuable but also manageable within the structure of my degree.
In conclusion, I believe that the Associate Dean’s decision did not follow the rules of procedural fairness and did not make a reasonable decision in light of the evidence. My situation significantly differs from my past semester abroad, and the delay in the petition process prevented me from making a fair and timely decision about my studies. For these reasons, I respectfully ask the Board of Studies to overturn the Associate Dean’s decision and grant me permission to take more than 6.0 units of courses at IE University under a Letter of Permission.
Sincerely,
Maya Brennan
I am appealing the Associate Dean’s decision to deny my petition to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a Letter of Permission at IE University in Madrid for the Fall 2025 term, on the grounds that the Associate Dean’s decision did not follow the university rules and regulations in a way that supported my right to a fair process, and that the Associate Dean did not make a reasonable decision based on the evidence and circumstances of my case.
The Associate Dean’s letter explained that my request was denied because it did not demonstrate an exceptional academic opportunity, and it referenced my prior exchange at University Carlos III of Madrid as a reason. I would like to emphasize that my upcoming semester at IE University is meaningfully different. At IE University, all students were given a fair opportunity to register for course enrollment at the same date and time, which allowed me to secure the proper economics courses within the Faculty of Economics. Whereas at Carlos III in my last semester, my independent study abroad student status meant I automatically had the last choice of courses. As a result, I was left with very few course options to select from, many of which were not transferable to Queen’s. Now this upcoming semester at IE, as an enrolled student in the Faculty of Economics, the university requires that 60% of my courses must be taken in that faculty. This requirement directly aligns with my Economics major at Queen’s, ensuring that I stay on track academically while benefiting from IE’s internationally recognized economics curriculum. Additionally, IE offers a course add/drop period at the start of the term, which allows me to replace any courses that are not pre-approved by Queen’s for transfer with courses that are transferable back to Queen’s. These safeguards and conditions make this plan distinct from my previous experience and show that it is an exceptional academic opportunity. For this reason, I do not believe a reasonable decision was made in my case, as the conclusion was influenced by circumstances from my prior semester rather than the materially different conditions of this upcoming semester.
I also believe that my right to a fair process was not upheld due to the timeline of my petition. I submitted my petition request on June 2, 2025, followed up with the Petitions Team on July 16 to stress the urgency of the situation, as deadlines at IE were approaching. However, even after this communication it took another month before I received a decision on August 18, 2025. By the time the rejection was communicated, both the first and second round of enrollment periods at Queen’s had already passed, leaving me with very minimal academic alternatives. According to the stated grounds for appeal, it is required to follow the university’s rules and regulations in a way that supports a student’s right to a fair process, and I believe that the extended delay and its impact on my ability to make informed choices shows that this standard was not met and I was not given a fair opportunity to plan my studies.
Looking ahead, I am committed to ensuring that my semester at IE University contributes directly to my progress at Queen’s. The courses I have selected were chosen to meet my Economics requirements, and I will work closely with my Academic Advisor to confirm transferability. Should any course not be accepted, I will use the add/drop period accordingly to replace it with an approved alternative. I have also spoken with an Academic Advisor at Queen’s to confirm that this plan will not prevent me from completing my mandatory courses at Queen’s, and I remain on track to graduate as planned. This demonstrates that my semester abroad is not only academically valuable but also manageable within the structure of my degree.
In conclusion, I believe that the Associate Dean’s decision did not follow the rules of procedural fairness and did not make a reasonable decision in light of the evidence. My situation significantly differs from my past semester abroad, and the delay in the petition process prevented me from making a fair and timely decision about my studies. For these reasons, I respectfully ask the Board of Studies to overturn the Associate Dean’s decision and grant me permission to take more than 6.0 units of courses at IE University under a Letter of Permission.
Sincerely,
Maya Brennan