Kenyon College recognizes that some students, as a result of a disability, may find it difficult to satisfy specific course work requirements for degree completion. Therefore, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, qualified students with disabilities may request that appropriate course substitutions be considered.

Guidelines for Requesting Course Substitutions for the Foreign-Language or Quantitative Reasoning Requirement

Requests for course substitutions must be received no later than the last day the students’ second semester at Kenyon.

NOTE: If students fail to submit course substitution requests by the deadline they will need to find another means of meeting the College requirement.

Approval of course substitutions will be determined on a case-by-case basis, based on documentation, advisor recommendations, and supporting materials included with the student’s request. The student must provide SASS with current documentation of a disability, which includes the specific impact of their disability on the course work or subject area in question.

Students will work with their faculty advisor and director of Student Accessibility and Support Services to determine appropriate course substitution options. Students may not list off-campus study or transfer coursework as part of their initial proposal.

Foreign language substitution coursework must be the equivalent of 1.0 unit of study in one non-English speaking cultural area of study.

Quantitative reasoning (QR) coursework must be the equivalent of a 0.50 unit course which demonstrates a substantive quantitative component.

In order to ensure backup course options, should schedule conflicts arise, course substitution requests should include a minimum of:

  • Four (4) courses within one area of non-English speaking cultural study (for the foreign language requirement) or
  • Three (2) pairings of courses within two different areas of cultural study (for the foreign language requirement);
  • Two (2) courses with a substantial quantitative reasoning component (for the QR requirement).

Please keep in mind that obtaining a language substitution does not exempt you from language courses should you choose to participate in off-campus study in a country where the official language of the country is not English.

Course Substitution Request Procedures

  1. Meet with the director of Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) to review both educational history concerning language learning and study and professional educational testing that demonstrates significant difficulty with specific language-based tasks in reading, spelling, writing, speaking or listening.
  2. Meet with your faculty advisor to discuss appropriate course substitution options which will satisfactorily meet the College requirements. (Note: Course substitutions are not possible for major/minor/concentration programs that require foreign language or QR classes as an essential element of the program).
  3. Submit a Course Substitution Request to SASS by the end of your second semester at Kenyon. The Course Substitution Request should outline:
    1. The reasons that you are requesting a foreign language or QR course substitution (include an outline of past language/quantitative learning experiences).
    2. The course options are decided upon in consultation with your faculty advisor to fulfill the College requirement of 1.0 units of study in a foreign language or 0.50 units of study in a QR class.
  4. Documentation of a language-based learning disability from a qualified specialist must be on file with the director of SASS and will remain confidential (as such information is not forwarded to the CAS). Additional documents may include letters of support from tutors, instructors, or other relevant sources. Attach additional documents to the Course Substitution Request.

The CAS petitions committee will review course substitution requests within 30 days and the director of SASS will inform students of the decision via email. The Registrar’s Office and faculty advisor will be copied on this email. Changes in approved courses that are consistent with the original list of approved classes can be submitted to the director of SASS for approval. These changes will be documented via email to the student with a copy to the faculty advisor, Registrar’s Office, and the dean of academic advising and support.

Appeal Process

A student who is denied a course substitution request may appeal the decision within 30 days to the Committee on Academic Standards (CAS). CAS will review the appeal and render a final disposition on behalf of the College within one calendar month after receipt of the appeal.

Updated July 2022