Approved by:	President
History:	Issued             -- August 2006
	Revised            -- September 16, 2021
	Last Reviewed -- September 16, 2021
Related Policies:
Additional References:
Responsible Official:	Provost tel. (202) 319-5244

 

I. Change of Course

 

A change of course must be approved as specified in the procedures of the school concerned. A course for credit may be changed to a course for audit no later than the midterm date. A course for audit may be changed to a course for credit during the drop/add period, however, once approved a student may not change back to auditing the course. (See Academic Calendar for exact dates.)

II. Withdrawal from a Course

 

To withdraw from a course, a student must use Cardinal Station on the Web at http://cardinalstation.cua.edu., following the instructions. If the course is dropped during the drop/add period, the course will not appear on the academic record; if the course is dropped after the published date, a W grade will be recorded. A course cannot be dropped after the last day to withdraw with a W grade. (See Academic Calendar for exact dates.) An exception may be granted under extraordinary circumstances with the approval of the Provost.

If a student does not attend or stops attending a course for which the student is registered, the student will be assigned a failing grade.

 

III. Change of School

 

Transfer from one school to another will be permitted on the written approval of the deans of the schools and the chairs of the departments concerned.

 

IV. Interruption of Studies

 

A student in good standing who must interrupt his/her studies for adequate reason, such as prolonged ill health or military service, may be granted an Academic Leave for a stated period, usually not to exceed one year. Undergraduate students should apply in writing to the Office of the Dean of Students, with a copy to the academic dean, stating the specific reasons for requiring the leave. Graduate students should apply to the Dean of Graduate Studies, with a copy to the academic dean stating the specific reasons for requiring the leave.

The period of academic leave is not counted as part of the time allowed for the completion of residence or other degree requirements. Any incomplete (I) grades that are outstanding must be changed in accordance with the policy on incomplete grades by the date published in the Academic Calendar, whether a student is registered for the current semester or not. If the academic leave extends beyond the period approved by the academic dean, the student will be considered to have withdrawn from the University, and must apply for readmission to be reinstated and satisfy current degree requirements.

Students may apply for an academic leave for a semester if they are not enrolled in courses for that semester up until administrative withdrawals are processed for that term (usually the last date to enroll in any class offered for that semester (including modular, i.e. dynamically dated, classes)).

Students who wish to temporarily leave the University during a semester in which they are enrolled in classes will receive a term withdrawal for that term. An additional request will need to be made if the student wishes to extend the leave into a future semester. This extension will be considered an academic leave subject to the terms stated above. The dean of students notifies the offices of the student's academic dean, enrollment services, financial aid, housing services and residence life of this action. The student will receive confirmation of the approved action from dean of students once finalized. A residential student granted an academic leave or term withdrawal must also cancel his/her housing agreement with housing services.

A student placed on military orders for mobilization or in response to a national emergency, and either did not apply for or maintain a leave of absence, will be readmitted at the next earliest opportunity to continue the student’s course of study at the completion of the student’s mobilization.

A. Academic Leave

 

An academic leave, if granted, will be effective as of the last day of the semester in which they were most recently enrolled.

Students on Academic Leave are expected to return to the University when their stated duration of leave has expired. Students who do not return from an Academic Leave when scheduled will be subject to Administrative Withdrawal during the semester for which they failed to return.

B. Term Withdrawal

 

1. During Drop/Add Period

 

Students enrolled in classes who subsequently drop all their classes within the drop/add period will be considered to be on a term withdrawal, effective as of the date they notify the University or the date they drop from the last class in which they are enrolled if they do not notify the University. They will receive a notation on their transcript that they dropped every class in which they were enrolled, and are subject to the tuition refund schedule policy.

If the separation from the University is intended to be for the duration of the current semester only, no further action is required, and the student will be eligible to enroll for the next future semester. If the separation is expected to go beyond the start of the next semester, they must apply for an Academic Leave (see above).

 

2. After End of Drop/Add Period

 

Students who decide to withdraw from all their classes after the last day of drop/add and on or before the published W date will be considered to be on a term withdrawal, effective as of the date they notify the University or the date they withdraw from the last class in which they are enrolled if they do not notify the University. They will receive a grade of "W" in every class in which they were enrolled, and are subject to the tuition refund schedule policy.

NOTE: Students on Term Withdrawal (Official or Unofficial) or Academic Leave will be reported to the National Student Clearinghouse as 'not enrolled' with an effective date as noted above. Recipients of Federal Student Loans will enter their loan grace period, and if they have previously used up their loan grace period, will immediately enter into loan repayment. "Official" means that the student notified the University; "unofficial" means that the student did not notify the University, but stopped attending all the courses in which they were enrolled.

V. Permanent Withdrawal

 

Undergraduate students who no longer wish to continue at the University should notify the Dean of Students, with a copy to the academic dean. Graduate students should notify the Dean of Graduate Studies, with a copy to the academic dean.

Students who make the decision to leave before finishing the semester in which they are enrolled will be withdrawn as of the date they notify the administration. For those students who inform the University of their intent to withdraw for a future semester, the withdrawal date will be the last day of the semester in which they are currently enrolled.

Students who withdraw from the University during a semester in which they are enrolled are subject to the tuition refund schedule policy regardless of the reasons for their withdrawal. Exceptions to the refund schedule will be considered by the Withdrawal Committee (Dean of Students, Assoc. VP of Enrollment Services, Director of FA, Academic Representative appointed by the Provost). Students who withdraw during a semester will receive a "W" grade in each class in which they were registered.

Students who do not enroll in the University for a given semester and do not inform the University of their intentions to leave on a temporary or permanent basis will be administratively withdrawn from the University as of the last date to enroll in any class offered for that semester (including modular, i.e. dynamically dated, classes).

Students who have withdrawn from the University will be reported to the National Student Clearinghouse as 'not enrolled' with an effective date as noted above. They will enter their federal student loan grace period, and if they have previously used up their student loan grace period, they will immediately enter into loan repayment.

If a student who has withdrawn from the University subsequently decides to return to the University, he/she must submit an application for re-admission to the Office of Admissions. If a student who has withdrawn from the University without receiving a degree applies for re-admission to a degree program, no credits earned by the student more than seven years before the time of re-admittance will be applied toward a degree unless they have been evaluated and approved by the school to which the student is applying.