Late or Medical Withdrawal from a Course

The University grants students a time frame to withdrawal from classes with no academic penalty. Withdrawing after this published deadline is not permitted except in proven, extraordinary circumstances.

The following are examples of reasons for which exceptions to the University policy are NOT granted:

• A student’s forgetting or missing the deadline or complete the withdrawal in a timely manner.
• A student’s not knowing the deadline or that they need to withdraw
• A student’s failure to process a withdrawal correctly online
• A student wished to take more time in the course to see how it would go
• A student wishes to avoid a poor or failing grade in the course or preserve a GPA
• A student wishes to avoid loss of scholarship or financial aid
• A student has stopped attending the course for an unapproved reason
• A student's dissatisfaction with the course or instructor
• A student is missing assignments, exams, etc.
• A student’s decision to stay in a course past the published deadline to try to improve a grade
• A student’s decision to stay in a course past the published deadline to determine whether or not to withdraw from the course
• A student’s having a hold on their account (Exception: the hold was placed in error)
• A student’s ceasing to attend the class, even if the instructor is informed
• An instructor’s simply “approving” the withdrawal or "recommending" the withdrawal
• A student's change of major
• A student has no documentation of sudden, extreme circumstances 

Account Holds: A student with a registration hold on their account may contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@stockton.edu or call 609-652-4235 to request a course withdrawal during the permitted withdrawal period.

In the rare event that a student has experienced extraordinary circumstances that might permit an exception to the University policy on course withdrawals, the student may submit an appeal and attach recommended/required documentation by clicking on the blue button on the bottom of this web page.

---

Withdrawal deadline information

Requests for a late or medical withdrawal appeal must be submitted by the 20th calendar day following the end of the term (i.e. fall, spring, summer).

Please refer to the dates below for upcoming deadlines for late and medical withdrawal academic requests:

A late or medical withdrawal will only be granted in a current semester (or the semester that just ended for post term appeals) and will not be approved retroactively for any prior semester. Additionally, a medical withdrawal will not be granted a second time in a future term for recurring or chronic conditions. A medical withdrawal applies to all courses taken during a semester unless specific explanation is provided that describes how the medical reason for the withdrawal affect only specific courses.

Documentation (Required): Late Withdrawal

Students may need to withdraw for reasons of significant and sudden hardship, based on involuntary and unavoidable circumstances.  Any documentation supporting the appeal should be included. It is recommended—but not required to submit a statement from the course instructor describing the student’s course attendance, percentage of graded work submitted, and any information deemed relevant by the instructor. The statement should be sent by the instructor to academics@stockton.edu.  Examples of circumstances for which hardship withdrawal after the deadline may be considered, when appropriate documentation is provided of severe, unforeseeable, and uncontrollable circumstances that prevented a student from withdrawing in a timely manner: 

Death of immediate family member
Sudden illness or injury to the student or to a family member that required the student’s care
Extreme, sudden, and unexpected change in life circumstances that prevented the student from completing a specific course
Military deployment

Documentation (Required): Medical Withdrawal

Appeals for medical withdrawal must include documentation regarding medical circumstances. The medical documentation must be clearly associated within the time frame of withdrawal and must verify the duration and/or severity of the condition.

Note: The student must submit an original, signed letter from a licensed medical provider, licensed mental health provider or an equivalent healthcare provider on the provider’s letterhead.

Medical documentation will be evaluated by the Stockton University Wellness Center and must contain, minimally:

1. General nature of the medical condition which prevents the student from completing course work.
2. Date of the onset of the illness (or if a chronic condition the date the condition was exacerbated).
3. The last date the student was able to attend class.
4. The duration and/or severity of the condition, and if appropriate, a determination of when the medical/psychological condition will be successfully resolved so that the student can return to effectively function in an academic environment.
5. The healthcare provider’s recommendation for full or partial medical withdrawal.

Medical withdrawal determinations made by the Office of the Provost are final.

Important to note:

The Office of the Provost may confer with the Wellness Center for a review of the appeal and documentation. 

The Office of the Provost may request additional information or documentation before considering a student’s request for an exception to University policy. In no case will an appeal be considered without submission of a detailed appeal and documentation. Decisions made by the Office of the Provost concerning exceptions to the established withdrawal policy are final. 

A medical visit summary and/or photographs of a student appellant in a medical facility will not be accepted as supporting documentation for an appeal. Incomplete requests that do not include all required documentation will not be processed.

 

Financial Implication of a Medical Withdrawal

A medical withdrawal is designed for an academic purpose, not a financial purpose; it allows the student the opportunity to protect their academic standing by preventing the student from failing all courses for that semester when faced with extraordinary circumstances that inhibit making academic progress that term. There is no automatic tuition refund associated with a medical withdrawal.  Refer to Procedure 6400:  Refunds upon Withdrawal for refund eligibility criteria.  If a medical withdrawal request is approved, tuition charges and eligibility for financial aid will be adjusted per the refund timeline published on the academic calendar, based on the last date of attendance.

 

 

What happens after I submit my withdrawal request? 

Once your form is submitted, allow at least three weeks for the appeal process to be completed. You will receive the final appeal decision via email.

Other things to note:

• Students are financially responsible for all charges associated with any withdrawn courses after refund eligibility dates on the academic calendar. 
• Withdrawal grades do NOT affect GPA.
• Students receiving financial aid should meet with the Office of Financial Aid to determine how the course(s) withdrawal will affect their financial aid eligibility that term and/or result in a return of funds.
• Students are strongly urged to meet with their Instructor and/or Preceptor, to seek advising, before withdrawing to discuss any other options that may be available.
• Students withdrawing from all of their courses for a term must do so with the submission of one form.