Petition to Allow Affected Arden University Students to Graduate on 17th June 2025

We, the undersigned students and supporters of students of Arden University, are writing to formally request that the students who were affected by the university’s IT issues and were unable to submit their dissertations by the original deadline of 15th January 2025 be allowed to graduate on 17th June 2025 alongside their peers.

Due to circumstances entirely outside of the students' control, including a failure of the university’s online submission systems, no alternative submission portal was made available until 2nd April 2025. This delay in access to a critical academic system significantly disrupted students' ability to meet their original submission deadlines and caused unnecessary stress and uncertainty.

Despite these challenges, affected students persevered and submitted their work in accordance with the revised submission process provided by the university. It is therefore unjust and discriminatory to penalise these students by denying them the opportunity to graduate in June — a milestone they have worked diligently towards for up to four years.

We believe it is a matter of fairness and integrity that the university:

Acknowledges its responsibility for the technical failure and delayed provision of an alternative submission method;
Recognises the academic efforts of the students who were affected and met all subsequent requirements; Provide ratification to students with outstanding grades, which were already late and delayed further by more IT issues;
Allows all students who have now successfully submitted and passed their dissertations to graduate in the June 2025 ceremony with their cohort.
We urge the university to reconsider its decision and demonstrate its commitment to student wellbeing and academic equity.

By signing this petition, we express our full support for our fellow students and ask Arden University to ensure they are not unfairly excluded from their rightful graduation celebration.

Sincerely,
Hannah STU96204
On behalf of the affected students