Factors to Consider | Withdrawing from a Class

WITHDRAWING AND ITS IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AID

Thinking about withdrawing from a course?

Deciding whether to stay in a course or withdraw is an important decision and there are many factors to consider. Before you withdraw, you should talk to your instructor about your current progress in the course and explore appropriate alternatives to withdrawal, such as receiving an incomplete grade (I) or making special arrangements to complete your assignments. Then, meet with your academic advisor or a counselor to discuss the information you received from your instructor along with your reasons for why you want or need to withdraw.

Know your options.

Helpful resources

Common reasons for withdrawing from courses and where you can turn for help:

Reason	Where to Get Help
Illness	Instructor
Serious Illness	Dean of Students
Difficult Course(s)	ACE Center
Child Care	Child Development Center
Finances	Financial Aid Office
Work Schedule Conflict	Instructor or Counselor
Too Many Courses	Counselor
Excessive Absences	Instructor or Counselor
Personal Problems	Instructor or Counselor

Weigh the consequences.

Important information to know about NVCC’s grading system:

Withdrawal (W) Student Initiated: Students have the right to formally leave a course or the College and the right to receive counseling and assistance in order to maintain enrollment in courses. Students are advised that course withdrawal may alter progress toward program completion. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss their decisions with their instructor, counselor or advisor.

Incomplete (I): At the discretion of the instructor, the notation “I” may be assigned if a student, for extenuating circumstances, has not completed all course requirements. Usually, an “I” would be changed to a letter grade by the end of the next semester; however, the instructor has the option of establishing the completion date. If a grade change is not submitted to the Records Office by the instructor by the end of the semester following that in which the “I” was assigned, the “I” will be converted to an “F.”

It is important to know that courses from which you withdraw are not counted or audited as part of your academic load when full-time or part-time status is reported to the following:

Financial Aid Office
an employer
a health insurance carrier
Immigration and Naturalization Service
Department of Veterans Affairs.

Follow the proper steps.

A registered student wishing to withdraw from a course must submit a withdrawal request, in writing, to the Registrar. Requests must be received by the deadline within the withdrawal period. The effective date of withdrawal is the date the withdrawal is received. Withdrawals can be made in person, by mail or online through your student account at myCommnet. Visit your instructor, academic advisor or a counselor to discuss your withdrawal from a course.

Students who plan to withdraw from any courses must also report to the Financial Aid Office for counseling prior to the actual course withdrawal.
Be aware of the last day to initiate your withdrawal. View the refund policy online or visit the Registrar.

Refund Policy

Connecticut State Community Colleges Refund and Withdrawal Policy

Refunds

Traditional Fall/Spring Semester Courses:

Students who drop courses prior to the term or up until the 7th day of the term having elapsed (i.e. 10% of the term) will be entitled to a 100% refund of tuition and fees.
Students who drop subsequently to the 7th day of the term but prior to the 21st day of the term having elapsed will be entitled to a 100% refund of tuition and fees less a “late drop” fee assessed at $50 per dropped course.
Students who withdraw subsequently to the 21st day of the term having elapsed will be charged 100% of all tuition and fees.

Courses Offered in Abbreviated Terms (e.g. summer, winter, late start courses, etc.):

Students who drop courses prior to the abbreviated term and up until 10%, not exceeding seven calendar days, of the abbreviated term having elapsed will be entitled to a 100% refund of tuition and fees.
Students who drop subsequently to 10% of the abbreviated term having elapsed but prior to 20% of the abbreviated term having elapsed will be entitled to a 100% refund of tuition and fees less a “late drop” fee assessed at $50 per dropped course.
Students who withdraw subsequently to 20% of the abbreviated term having elapsed will be charged 100% of all tuition and fees. Dates representing the 10% - 20% points of the respective abbreviated terms will vary according to each session/part of term in which the student is registered. Please see the Registrar or Bursar’s office for the exact dates on which the “late drop” fee will be assessed.

Withdrawals

Traditional Fall/Spring Semester Courses:

No course withdrawals will be accepted once 80% of the semester has passed. For a typical 15- week term, 80% of the term is considered the last day of the twelfth week of the term. A student may appeal the course withdrawal deadline due to mitigating circumstances.

Courses Offered in Abbreviated Terms (e.g. summer, winter, late start courses, etc.):

No course withdrawals will be accepted once 80% of the abbreviated term has passed. For abbreviated terms, 80% is considered the last day of the business week of that period. A student may appeal the course withdrawal deadline due to mitigating circumstances.

Note: financial aid students who withdraw from summer courses subsequently to 20% of the abbreviated term having elapsed but prior to the summer financial aid census date may be charged 100% of tuition and fees for those courses with no corresponding/offsetting summer financial aid disbursement.

Adding & Dropping Courses

Full-Term Courses (15 weeks)

Students may drop courses through the end of business day of the 21st calendar day of the term. Courses dropped during this period would not appear on a transcript. Courses can only be added up to calendar day seven of a full, 15-week term.

Abbreviated Term Courses

Students may drop courses through the first 20% of an abbreviated term length. Courses dropped during this period would not appear on a transcript. Courses can only be added up to the first 10% of the abbreviated term length but not to exceed seven calendar days.

Non-Participation (Academic Engagement)

The community colleges are required to verify the academic engagement of each student in each registered course by demonstrating “academic attendance” or an “academically-related activity” for Title IV purposes. This must be completed prior to the predetermined census date of each traditional semester, as well as during periods of enrollment shorter than the traditional 15-week semester (i.e., summer terms and other abbreviated terms).

Students who are determined to have not academically engaged in a period of enrollment leading up to census shall be assigned a registration status of “Never Participated (NP)” for each affected course. Students with the NP designation will be dropped from the course(s) they have not participated in and will be assessed a Late Drop Fee of $50 for each affected course as outlined in BOR policy 3.7.

Types of withdrawals

DIFFERENT TYPES OF WITHDRAWALS

Official and Unofficial Withdrawals

Official withdrawal is the date the student officially notified the school that s/he would withdraw through written signature or online withdrawal.
Unofficial withdrawal (non-attendance taking institutions) is the date the school became aware the student ceased attendance.

Withdrawal from Courses

Before two-thirds of the semester, a student who withdraws from all must obtain a withdrawal form from the Registrar’s office, and return the completed form to the Registrar’s office. Students can also withdraw on-line prior to two-thirds of the semester through their myCommNet account. Grades for courses from which a student withdraws during the first two-thirds of the semester will be recorded as “W” at the end of the semester.

If a student stops attending and fails to withdraw officially from a course, a grade of “F,” or “UF” may be recorded on the student’s transcript. In all cases of withdrawal, a “W” does not affect the student’s grade-point average.

Withdrawal from the College

A student who withdraws from the college must withdrawal from all classes at the Registrar’s office. Failure to officially withdraw in writing from the college may result in failing grades for uncompleted courses and might result in probation or suspension status.

Unofficial Withdrawals
The “UF” is an administrative transcript notation or grade used by the faculty for students considered to have no basis for a grade due to non-attendance.

Students who are registered for courses and are not attending are ineligible to receive financial aid funds. NVCC works closely with the Academic Affairs and Continuing Education divisions, who collect information directly from instructors of students who are in non-attendance status for their classes to ensure no aid is disbursed. The Financial Aid office understands the federal requirement to identify students who fail to attend classes. Faculty receives a written request to collect and report information of students who do not attend their classes.

The Financial Aid office staff cancels the aid for the students included on these lists. If there is a change in the attendance and the student continues to attend class, the student is asked to bring proof of attendance for all classes registered. A deadline is given to the student to submit proof of attendance.

Acceptable proof of attendance includes a notification from the professor that the student is attending, a recently graded paper/assignment from student’s class, or our in-office Verification of Attendance form completed with the professor’s signature. Proof of attendance is required from all professors in each class the student is registered. If proof of attendance is submitted, then the student’s financial aid is reinstated. If there is no contact from the student, the student is charged for the class they failed to attend and is not granted financial aid for that class.

After the semester grades are posted, the Financial Aid office will review and consider any passing grades the student may have earned and reinstate the disbursable aid.