WITHDRAWAL (W)
A student may withdraw from a course or courses after the final withdrawal date if there are extenuating circumstances. The petition must be submitted online 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 (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:
- Job transfer outside the geographical region;
- Illness in the family where the student is the primary caregiver;
- An incarcerated student in a California State Prison or County Jail is released from custody or involuntarily transferred before the end of the term (In the case of an incarcerated student, an excused withdrawal cannot be applied if the failure to complete the course(s) was the result of a student’s behavioral violation or if the student requested and was granted a mid-semester transfer);
- The student is the subject of an immigration action;
- Death of an immediate family member;
- Chronic or acute illness;
- Verifiable accidents; or
- Natural disasters directly affecting the student.
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.
