Withdrawals/Drops
Add, Drop, Withdrawal Policy
REGISTRATION PROCESS
Students register for their courses online via Ramlink during the registration periods as posted on the Academic Calendar. Students who do not: (1) pay tuition and fees in full, or (2) request installment plans when available, will have their classes dropped for that term and may need to return financial aid to the institution.
Registration is available online via Ramlink to currently enrolled students and students who apply by the published admission deadline. Academic advisement is mandatory to be eligible for registration. Students with admissions, disciplinary, financial, or other holds will not be permitted to register until each hold has been cleared. Likewise, students on academic suspension without an approved appeal may not be permitted to register.
Students may make changes to their schedules during the online registration period at the beginning of each term as published in the Academic Calendar(s). Students should note that the calendars are different for regular long terms (traditional academic calendar) and Compressed and 7-week sessions (Compressed and 7-week academic calendar) with shorter registration periods available in the compressed and 7-week sessions. Registration information is available online. Students who register during late registration may be assessed a late registration fee.
DROPPING COURSES
The academic calendar(s) provide deadlines for dropping courses. Students may drop courses from their schedules for a limited time each semester. It is the student’s responsibility to drop a course by the appropriate deadline. A student is “dropping” a class or classes if the student remains enrolled in a minimum of one credit hour after all class drops have been completed. Students who drop all of their classes are withdrawing from the university and should refer to the catalog section on Withdrawing from the University.
Before a Term Has Started
Before a semester has begun, students may drop a class or classes, but not all classes, online in Ramlink.
After a Term Has Started
To drop from a class or classes after the term has started, a student must contact the Office of Student Records and request the drop by the deadline as listed in the university’s academic calendars.
All class drops must be completed by the designated last day to drop a class as posted on the academic calendars (refer to the academic calendar in this catalog or online for deadline dates). Students dropping during this time will receive a grade of DP. After the deadline for drops and withdrawals, the student remains on the class roster and will receive the letter grade he/she earns. For information on the tuition refunds, see the Tuition Refund Policy.
WITHDRAWING FROM THE UNIVERSITY
Before a Term has Started
If a student has registered for classes and decides not to attend the university, the student may withdraw from the University prior to the first-class day of a semester. Non-attendance does not constitute withdrawal, and students must not assume that they will “automatically” be dropped from their classes if they do not attend or do not pay. Students who do not officially complete the withdrawal process will be responsible for tuition, fees and any other consequences or financial penalties resulting from failure to officially withdraw. They will also be subject to failing grades from the class instructor and may be responsible for returning financial aid to the institution. In order to facilitate a withdrawal, the student should email a request to the Office of Student Records for a pre-term withdrawal. The request must include the student name, ID number, and the term for which the student would like to be withdrawn.
After a Term has Started
A student who wishes to drop all their courses after the term has started is withdrawing from the university. To withdraw from the university, a student must complete a formal withdrawal process through the Office of Student Records by the deadline for drops and withdrawals posted on the academic calendars. A student withdrawing by the designated last day to drop a class as posted on the academic calendars will receive grades of W in the classes s/he was registered for in that term. After the deadline the student remains on the class roster and receives the letter grade s/he earns. Refer to the University website. Students receiving any form of financial aid should contact the Office of Financial Aid to determine the financial impacts of dropping or withdrawing from classes.
Withdrawal at the Graduate Masters and Doctoral Level
At the graduate masters and doctoral level, academic standards outlined in the individual programs’ academic policy may recommend withdrawal.
Attendance
Responsibility for class attendance rests with the student. Regular and punctual attendance of all scheduled classes is expected. Instructors report non-attendance following the census date of each term in accordance with federal regulations. Students reported as not attending classes may be responsible for returning financial aid disbursed to them for any class(es) the student is not attending. Instructors awarding failing grades are required to report the last day a student attended class. Instructors may also request a student be dropped for excessive absences from class, in which case the student will receive a grade of DP and may be required to return financial aid disbursed.
Participation is critical to a student’s success in Online and Hybrid Classes. When an online or hybrid class student does not participate in consecutive online activities or does not submit consecutive assignments AND has not communicated with the instructor about the student’s participation, the instructor may drop the student from the class using the Faculty Initiated Student Withdrawal process. Each instructor determines the specific number of consecutive activities or assignments that will initiate the withdrawal, according to the requirements of the particular online or hybrid class.
University Authorized Absences
University regulations authorize certain absences of students when representing the University (e.g. participation in intercollegiate athletic competitions, and student government, student development, or fine arts events). Absences that may be necessary to fulfill course requirements and are approved by the Provost are also considered to be authorized. The maximum number of authorized absences during one semester is five for a Monday-Wednesday-Friday class, three for a Monday-Wednesday or Tuesday-Thursday class, and two for a class or laboratory meeting once a week. Additional authorized absences may be granted on an individual basis when extreme circumstances warrant (e.g. advancement to and representation of the university at regional or national level intercollegiate athletic, academic, or fine arts competition). Individual faculty may not enforce a more restrictive policy than what is set by the University. Students are required to notify instructors prior to any missed class and will be held responsible for all class and laboratory assignments.
Students forwarded to the Office of Student Records for withdrawal as a result of academic or other misconduct will be withdrawn as specified by the Student Code of Conduct, University Judicial Board, and/or Provost.