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 by the student from the faculty of the course which the student wishes to withdraw. The last date of attendance/participation is required for all courses when the faculty enters withdrawal grades as final grades. Faculty must submit the “W” grade to the Registrar within 14 days of the request.

The deadline for a student to request a voluntary withdrawal is prior to the end of the 10th week of the semester (prorated for shorter sessions and terms). After the end of the 10th week, the student may complete the course for a grade, or receive a grade of WF; except when withdrawing from all classes for the semester and changing majors, or in extenuating circumstances.

(Refer to Academic Calendar and the course syllabus for dates.)

Non-Voluntary Withdrawals

The faculty may assign "WF" when the student's work is failing after the 10th week of the semester (prorated for shorter sessions and terms), and when the student has not completed all the course material or final project/exam (or attended the last on-line discussion forum for online courses). “WF” is not computed as a failure in quality points/GPA.

Administrative Withdrawals

Students determined to have never attended a course are reported to the Registrar’s Office during the first two weeks of the semester and dropped from the course, removing it from the student’s record. An email notification is sent to the student after the drop is processed.

Students who stop attending a course for two consecutive weeks at any point in the semester will be administratively withdrawn by the faculty, and the faculty will enter the withdrawal grade (W) as the student’s final grade. An email notification is sent to the student after the W is processed.

Since grades are under the purview of the faculty, faculty may grant permission for a student to reverse the drop/withdrawal when it is found that an error occurred with issuing the withdrawal or when extenuating circumstances contributed to the withdrawal. If the student requests and the faculty agrees to reinstate the student, both faculty and student must complete a learning contract documenting how the student can successfully complete the class. Requests for reinstatements with a completed learning contract should be directed to the Office of Student Success within 10 business days from the date the student was notified of the drop/withdrawal. Approved requests will be submitted to the Registrar’s Office for processing.

The last date of attendance is computed by the faculty and must be submitted within 14 days of the student’s last time attending or participating, or when entering the final course grade. An administrative withdrawal grade may affect financial aid and deferments.

Consequences

Students choosing to voluntarily withdraw from courses or stop attending should consider the consequences before completing the withdrawal process.

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, including Federal Loans. Loan grace periods use the last date of attendance. Future eligibility for aid programs such as TAP is affected by not progressing toward the degree as planned. (For financial aid policies and refunds, see catalog section on "Financial Aid" and "Expenses.") See the Financial Aid Website for more details.

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. The Office of Student Success and Assessment can also be contacted for students in need of academic support services such as tutoring, counseling, or other services.

Complete Withdrawal from All Courses

Students withdrawing from all courses are required to submit the "Separation from University" form and the "Financial Aid Withdrawal Consequences" form found in Lion’s Den. Students may opt to take one to two academic semesters leave or notify the university that they are not returning.