Adding Classes
Courses of semester length may be added during the first two weeks of the semester. Permission of the instructor is required starting on the first day of instruction. The deadlines for enrolling late in courses that are less than a semester (17 weeks) in length are determined by the Vice President of Instruction. No student will be allowed to enroll after the census date. All add dates are posted on the Taft College website.
Dropping Classes
Following registration, students may drop any class in which they no longer wish to be enrolled by logging in to their Cougar Tracks account and or by completing a drop form and returning it to the Counseling Center. Non-attendance does not release the student from this responsibility and could result in failing grades being awarded or fees being assessed. Courses dropped by the instructor for non-attendance will incur enrollment fees. Financial aid may be affected. Please refer to the Add/Drop Deadlines document posted on the Taft College website for specific deadlines. Withdrawal from a class after the drop deadline shall be authorized in the event of extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances are verified cases of accidents, illnesses, or other circumstances beyond the control of the student. The student must file a petition with the Director of Admissions and Records with documentation for review by the Academic Policies and Procedures Committee. The academic report of a student who remains in class beyond this time must reflect an evaluative symbol.
Auditing Classes
The audit status is subject to the following guidelines:
- Priority registration shall be given to students desiring to take the course for credit towards a degree or certificate.
- Classroom attendance of students auditing a course shall not be included in computing the apportionment due a community college district.
- No student auditing a course shall be permitted to change his/her enrollment in that course to receive credit for the course.
- The auditor checks with the instructor after the first class meeting and after all students have had an opportunity to enroll in the class. If there is room available, the auditor may register in the Counseling Center using the Audit Class Registration form.
- An auditor must have the permission of the instructor to audit a class.
- Fees to audit shall not exceed $15.00 per unit.
- There are no attendance requirements, and grades are not issued.
- If a textbook is desired for the class being audited and it is a rental textbook, there is a 20% (10% with a student organization card) book rental fee.
- No refunds of audit fees will be allowed if a student is admitted and registered as an auditor.
Attendance Requirements
Students are expected to attend all sessions of each class in which they are enrolled. Since regular attendance is one of the most important factors contributing to student success in college work, the student will enhance his/her own performance by eliminating all unnecessary absences.
Instructors may drop a student from a class for excessive absences. A student is considered to be excessively absent when his/her cumulative absences exceed the total number of hours that the class meets during one week. Individual instructors may establish more stringent regulations at their discretion. However, if they do, each student involved is to be given a written notice of explanation by the instructor at the beginning of each semester. Otherwise, the general attendance policy applies.
Faculty members should give full consideration to excusing students from classes to participate in scheduled college activities such as athletics and field trips. The student must make arrangements in advance to make up the work to be missed.
Students are responsible for officially withdrawing from any class or classes in which they no longer wish to be enrolled. Students should not depend on the instructor to drop them for non- attendance and they will be held liable for enrollment fees on courses not dropped by the stated drop deadlines posted on the website. Financial aid may be affected.
Withdrawing After the Deadline
A student may withdraw from a course or courses after the final withdrawal date if there are extenuating circumstances. The procedure for students or their representatives to petition for withdrawal after the deadline is available in the Counseling Center or on the Taft College website.
The petition must be submitted to the Director of Admissions and Records no later than the last day of the fourth week of the fall or spring semester following the semester in which the student was enrolled in the course(s) of concern. Supporting documentation must be submitted with the petition. The Director will evaluate each petition and forward to the Academic Policies and Procedures committee for review as needed.
Extenuating circumstances are verified cases of accidents, illnesses or other circumstances beyond the control of the student. Withdrawal after the end of the fourteenth week (or 75 percent of a term, whichever is less) when the district has authorized such withdrawal in extenuating circumstances, after consultation with appropriate faculty, shall be recorded as a “W” for withdrawal.
Excused Withdrawal
EXCUSED WITHDRAWAL (EW)
In accordance to Title 5, section 55024(e)(1), excused withdrawal occurs when a student is permitted to withdraw from one or more courses in a specific term all courses enrolled (specific to the term in which the student is petitioning)[1] beyond the withdrawal date due to specific events (i.e. “extenuating circumstances”) and beyond the control of the student affecting his/her ability to complete the course(s). A student may petition for an Excused Withdrawal due to extenuating circumstances (defined below), which occurred after census at any time during the semester and no later than the date in which a student would be eligible for academic renewal for the course(s) in question (two years). A student may request to use an EW for only one course or all courses in a term depending on the reason for the request. It is possible a student, based on an illness for example, is not able to participate in an in-person course but is able to continue with online courses. Excused Withdraw shall not be counted in progress probation or dismissal calculations nor shall it be counted towards the permitted number of withdrawals or counted as an enrollment attempt. For the purposes of the Federal Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy, an EW grade will be counted as units attempted. Therefore, students who are approved to receive an EW will not be entitled to a refund.*
ACCEPTABLE REASONS FOR AN EXCUSED WITHDRAW
In accordance with Title 5, section 55024 (e), an EW is acceptable when students withdraw from a course due to reasons beyond their control, which include but are not limited to, the following:
Verifiable documentation can include but is not limited to a note from a doctor stating the student is not currently able to complete the work due to illness, employment verification of a new job, a booking report, police report of an accident, or any other documentation that proves the student’s completion of a course is impractical. The Chancellor’s Office defines impractical as impossible due to reasons beyond the student’s control. The determination shall be made by the local college’s admissions and records office.
*The financial aid eligibility of a student may be affected depending on individual circumstance. A student should consult with the financial aid staff regarding any impact.
Leave of Absence
In exceptional cases a student may be granted a leave of absence and re-enter with the same standing as at the time of withdrawal. Contact your counselor for additional information.