Alternative Prerequisite Appeal Form

Some students seek an override because they haven't taken the prerequisite as listed on SPIRE, but instead have completed a similar course in another UMass Amherst department or at a transfer school. In these cases, students may use this form to request that their alternative coursework be reviewed to determine if it is sufficient in place of the listed prerequisite for a course. 

Beginning April 2025, alternative prerequisite appeals should be submitted for review in this online form. Appeals should not be initiated through direct communication with the Undergraduate Programs office staff, course instructors, or via an override request.

APPEAL PROCEDURE:

1. Explore the alternatives with an academic advisor (i.e. for CICS majors, will the original prerequisite be necessary for other degree requirements or for non CICS majors is a similar course offered within your major that will achieve your goals with the prerequisites you have completed).
2. Submit completed appeal form and required supporting documentation, such as a course syllabus or unofficial transcript (if you don’t have a UMass email address, you will need to request access when you open the form).
3. Notification: Students will be notified of the status of their appeal via the email used to submit the form. The appeal review process time will depend on the faculty response, which we can’t anticipate. If you have not received a decision after one week, please email overrides [at] cs [dot] umass [dot] edu (overrides[at]cs[dot]umass[dot]edu).
4. Submit an override request for the course you wish to use an alternative prerequisite for, noting within your request that you have submitted your alternative prerequisite appeal.
5. If your appeal is approved and there is space in the course for which you wish to use an alternative prerequisite, Academic Programs staff will enroll you. Instructors cannot enroll students. Students whose degrees require CICS courses are given higher priority for course enrollment. 

Important - Please read before submitting form:

• Read the class notes in case your alternative prerequisite is already included. In these cases, skip the appeal form and only submit an override request.
• Only submit one appeal form per course for which you are seeking a prerequisite override.
• Approval of an alternative prerequisite does not guarantee enrollment in the override course. Overrides are approved based on priority and availability of space in the course. 
• You must have documented knowledge and abilities to succeed in the course despite not meeting the prerequisite. Acceptable documentation includes course syllabi from a UMass or other education institution, or a letter from an instructor verifying your participation in a relevant educational experience. 
• Forms with missing information will delay the processing of your appeal and potentially result in a denial.

Approved Alternative Prerequisites

The following alternative prerequisites are already approved and should not be requested via the appeal form. Students with these approved alternative prerequisites should submit an override request.

Special Notes

• COMPSCI 589: Only submit this appeal form if you have a higher-level alternative course. This is the only exception that will be considered. For example: STAT 607 instead of STAT 315.

Alternative Prerequisite Appeal Form