Withdrawal from William Woods University
Students who wish to withdraw from William Woods University must complete the formal withdrawal process by completing the form online via Owlnet. Students may withdraw from the University during the first 11 weeks of the semester; exact dates are shown in the online academic calendar. A grade of W will be entered for all current courses. W grades do not count into the student’s semester or cumulative GPA. Students who have withdrawn from the University must apply for readmission to resume study. If program or degree requirements have been changed since the student’s initial enrollment, the student may be required to satisfy the current requirements upon readmission. Students who are forced to withdraw due to medical reasons, may, with proper documentation and a letter of readmission, register with their class of current students upon returning to WWU within one year of withdrawal. They may also continue under the catalog requirements under which they began their studies at the University. Departure without Withdrawal: Final grades are issued in each course for each enrolled student who has not withdrawn from the course. Students who terminate attendance without formally withdrawing from a course are assigned a grade of F. The consequence of a failing grade issued as a consequence of Departure Without Withdrawal is Academic Dismissal. Students who depart from a program without formally withdrawing effectively terminate their affiliation with the University. Such students may subsequently reapply for admission. The nature of their departure may be considered as a factor in the readmission decision. If program or degree requirements have been changed since the student's initial enrollment, the student will be required to satisfy all new requirements upon readmission. · Non-Registered Student Departure: Students not registered for classes by the end of first week of classes will automatically be withdrawn from the University. · Registered Non-Attendance Student Departure: Students who have not attended any of their registered class during the first two weeks of the semester will automatically be withdrawn from their courses and the University as a non-returning student. · Registered Attending Student Departure: Students who have attended some of their registered classes will be considered an attending student for the semester. These students who terminate attendance without formally withdrawing from a course or courses by the deadline are assigned the grade that they earned, which will be calculated into their GPA. · Non-returning Part-time Students: Part-time students and MMACU students will automatically be withdrawn after one semester of non- attendance. Medical Withdrawal William Woods University cares about the physical and mental health of its students. The University recognizes that at times a student may experience such extreme physical or psychological conditions that the ability to function successfully or safely in the role of a student is significantly impaired. Students are encouraged to prioritize their health and safety and take steps toward recovery, even if academic progress must be delayed. Students are encouraged to request a medical withdrawal when they believe their physical or mental health is preventing them from successfully engaging in and completing coursework; when safety is in question; or when the demands of university life are interfering with the ability to recover or adjust to a significant physical or mental health challenge. This can occur anytime throughout the semester; however, it may be more difficult to gain approval for medical withdrawal during the final three weeks of the session or semester. Students interested in considering or pursuing a medical withdrawal are encouraged to discuss this option with the Dean of Student Life (studentlife@williamwoods.edu). In most cases, students will need to provide documentation from their licensed provider that indicates that due to a specific mental or physical health condition(s), the student is impaired such that they are unable to function successfully or safely in the role of a student. In the interest of gaining a better understanding of the student’s need for a medical withdrawal, the University may require appropriate documentation and/or request for the student to sign appropriate release forms allowing designated WWU staff to consult with the evaluating and/or treating clinician(s) supporting the student. Once appropriate documentation has been provided and decisions have been made regarding a student’s status, the Dean of Student Life will notify the registrar’s office of the need for a medical withdrawal and/or ability to successfully return. The student will then complete the on-line withdrawal form found on Owlnet. For all approved medical withdrawals, the student receives a W (withdrawal) on their academic transcript, or is completely dropped from classes, without any notation on the transcript of having left for medical reasons. Thus, a medical withdrawal will not affect the student’s grade point average. Refunds for medical withdrawals shall follow the University withdrawal calculation process found in the on the website which may result in no refund. Medical Readmit Process In addition to completing the University readmit process, the majority of students granted a medical withdrawal must also complete the following procedures before being allowed to return to the University. These steps are designed to ensure that a health emergency no longer exists and a treatment plan for continuing good health and safety is in place: · The student must be assessed by an appropriate outside professional whose opinions will be advisory to the University. The professional, who is selected by the student, must be a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist if evaluating mental health concerns, and must be a licensed physician if the evaluation is regarding other medical concerns. Further, all providers must be unrelated to the student and must have specialty/credentials appropriate for the condition of concern. · Documentation of the assessment (conducted within 15-30 days of re-entry) and documentation of required treatment completion must be provided to the Dean of Student Life two weeks prior to the beginning of classes for the applicable session or semester. · To make an accurate assessment, before conducting the evaluation it may be necessary that the provider be given information relating to the precipitating events that led to the leave. This typically would involve the student signing a release allowing the University to share information regarding relevant incidents or concerns and, if applicable, recent hospital records. The outside mental health or medical professional, with the student’s written permission, must provide an assessment of current functioning of the student and provide written recommendations regarding:
- the student’s readiness to return to the demands of university life
- the student’s readiness to live in on-campus residential housing, if applicable
- ongoing treatment or testing needs, if any
- any conditions or restrictions that the University should impose.
After the evaluation results and treatment documentation have been provided, the Dean of Student Life, or designee, will communicate with the student to discuss the documentation and the student’s perception regarding readiness to return and any on-going needs. Additionally, consideration will be given to how the recommendations fit with the demands of university life. · If a student was required to complete specific treatment, the student must provide documentation regarding the completion of this requirement. · The University reserves the right to require the student to comply with a treatment plan recommended by the outside professional and/or the University health care/mental health professional as a condition of returning. Review and monitoring of the student’s required treatment plan may be assigned to a University designee assigned by the Dean of Student Life. · If a student was living on campus prior to the withdrawal, approval for return to the University usually includes approval to return to housing.