All petitioned experiences must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• The experience must align with the student’s academic, career, and/or professional interests, goals and development.
• The student must complete at least 45 hours of work as part of the experience.
• The student cannot be receiving or have received academic credit (such as through your academic department) for the petitioned experience hours.
• A mentor/supervisor must be available to verify the student’s role, responsibilities, and time commitment as reported in the petition,. Alternatively, an official document (such as a timesheet or letter of verification) can provide this information.

Final approval for any petitioned experience is at the discretion of the Honors College.

Examples of successful petitions include:

• Supervised internship experiences completed without earning academic credit.
• Serving as a tutor or Peer Academic Leader (PAL) through UB Tutoring & Academic Support Services (TASS).
• Mentored research experiences completed without earning academic credit, such as Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) at another institution or through UB’s CSTEP program.
• Volunteering, such as at a hospital or nonprofit organization, or by participating in a UB Alternative Spring Break program.

The Honors Experience Petition process is intended to be completed in its entirety after you have fully completed your experience. Please do not start the petition process until your experience is finished. If this is an issue, please contact your Honors advisor.

What you should be prepared to provide during the petition process:

• The name of your experience organization or project and your role or title.
• A description of your responsibilities and activities.
• The total number of completed hours you are petitioning for Honors credit and proof of completion, either through supervisor confirmation or an official document (e.g., timesheets, letter of verification, etc.).
• A brief reflection about your experience (instructions will be provided when you reach this step).

To begin an Honors Experience Petition, you will need to complete an online form (linked at the bottom of this page) with your information and information about the experience you are petitioning. After you submit it, you will receive an email confirming we received your form.

To ensure you receive all important emails from Honors as you complete your petition, please add noreply@formstack.com to your contacts. This will keep your notifications out of spam.

After you submit your information form, we will review it within two weeks. Once it is approved, you will receive an automated email with a link to continue your petition. If we need additional information or clarification, you may be asked to revise your information form submission before continuing the petition process.

Once your information form is approved, you will receive an email with a link to continue your petition. You will be asked to rate your level of proficiency across the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) career readiness competencies before and after you complete your experience and write a brief reflection about your experience. Instructions will be provided when you reach this step.

You will also be asked to confirm completed hours, either through the contact information of your experience supervisor or by uploading your official document.

After submitting your experience reflection form, Honors College staff will review your reflection and verification of completed hours. If additional information or clarification is needed, you may be asked to revise your reflection before continuing the petition process.

If you selected supervisor/mentor confirmation to verify your hours, an automated email will be sent to the address provided requesting their approval of your submitted hours.

Once your reflection is approved and your hours have been verified, you will receive a final email within two weeks letting you know that your Honors credit has been awarded.

Not sure where to find your Honors credit? Review the instructions on how to view your Honors Experiences in your Academic Advising Report (AAR).

• The hours noted on this petition will apply only to Honors Experiences and therefore will not count toward major or degree credit requirements.
• For every 45 hours invested in the endeavor, the petition process would award you one (1) Honors Experience credit, up to a maximum of six (6) credit hours per petitioned experience.