Withdrawal from Courses
Withdrawal from a course after the Add/Drop period ends can be voluntary or administrative.
Voluntary Withdrawals
Voluntary withdrawals from a course are requested from the professor of the course from which the student wishes to withdraw. The last date of attendance/participation is required for all courses when the professors enters withdrawal grades as final grades.
The deadline for voluntary withdrawals with grades ("W" or "WA") that do not compute into the GPA is prior to the mid-semester appraisal date or mid-point of the course.
The deadline for voluntary withdrawals for classes semester is the business day before finals or the last class meeting week. Courses with irregular start and end dates use the mid-point of the course for deadlines. (Refer to Academic Calendar for dates.)
"W" and "WA" are equivalent grades and do not affect the student's GPA. "WF" grades are the equivalent of an "F" and compute in the student's GPA. The instructor may assign "WF" when the student's work is failing in the second half of the course or at the mid-point of the course. "F" grades are for students who attend the Final/Last Class Meeting and have completed failing work.
Refer to the current academic calendar for all deadlines regarding withdrawals.
Administrative Withdrawals
Administrative withdrawals are assigned by the instructor when a student stops attending a course for two consecutive weeks at any point in the semester. Professors will enter the withdrawal grades as final grades.
Students who contact the instructor with extenuating circumstances, and have an approved plan to make up course work, may remain in a class at the discretion of the instructor. If it is near the end of the course, a grade of "Incomplete" can be requested by the student with an approved plan to complete the work. (The last date of attendance for an incomplete grade may affect financial aid and deferments.)
Consequences
Students choosing to voluntarily withdraw from courses or stop attending should consider the consequences:
Withdrawing from courses may change the student's full-time or half-time standing and may require the return of Title IV financial aid funds and could affect the grace or deferment period for repayment of loans, such as Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans and Federal PLUS Loans. Loan grace periods use the last date of attendance. Future eligibility for aid programs such as TAP are affected by not progressing toward the degree as planned. (For financial aid policies and refunds, see catalog section on "Financial Aid" and "Expenses.")
Withdrawing from a course may also affect the student's progression towards a degree. Students who voluntarily withdraw or stop attending a course should discuss the consequences with an advisor. Academic Support Services can also be contacted for students in need of college services such as tutoring, counseling or other services.
Complete Withdrawal from All Courses
Students withdrawing from all courses should also submit the "Separation from College" form and "Financial Aid Withdrawal Consequences" form found in Lion’s Den. Students may opt to take one to two academic semesters leave or notify the college that they are not returning.