Non-Attendance or Stopped Attending/Administrative Withdrawal Policy
Non-Attendance
In order to comply with federal student aid requirements, the Office of the Registrar contacts class instructors after the second week of the term to request that they verify in Colleague Self-Service which students listed on their class roster(s) have not attended any class sessions or participated in an academic-related activity.
An academic-related activity is defined by the U.S. Department of Education, and includes:
- Physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between instructor and students
- Submitting an academic assignment
- Taking an exam, an interactive tutorial or computer assisted instruction
- Participating in an online discussion about academic matters
- Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course
An academic-related activity does NOT include:
- Logging into an online class without active participation
- Academic counseling or advising
Students who are marked as “never attended” for all of their classes in the term are administratively withdrawn from the University by the Office of the Registrar. The students’ courses are deleted (non-punitive) and their financial aid is canceled. The student, his/her academic advisor, course instructor(s) and the Financial Aid and Housing Offices are notified of this withdrawal.
Students who are reported as “never attended” for one or some of their courses (but not all) are assigned a “W” grade for the “never attended” course(s) in the fourth week of class by the Office of the Registrar unless notification via email is received by the Registrar’s Office from the instructor stating the student is now attending class. The student, his/her academic advisor, course instructor(s) and the Financial Aid and Housing Offices are notified of this/these course withdrawal(s).
Stopped Attending
Students who stop attending classes shall be considered as having been administratively withdrawn and may be required to repay a portion of the federal financial aid for that term. Ceasing to attend classes will result in non-passing grades, therefore, it is imperative that the student speak with his/her instructor(s) if personal or academic difficulties are encountered which disrupt class attendance. Grades, financial aid, and housing can potentially be affected by dropping out of class(es). Early intervention and action reduces complications for all concerned.
During final grade entry, a course instructor will enter the last date of attendance along with a non-passing grade “F or NC”. The non-passing grade may be due to poor academic performance or because the student has stopped attending class.
At the end of each term, all federal financial aid recipients who receive non-passing grades, “F” and “NC”, are reported to the Office of Financial Aid. Financial Aid staff will calculate the Return of Title IV funds amount to be returned to federal financial aid programs, if any, in accordance with federal regulations. Any refund owed to a federal financial aid program is the student’s responsibility and will appear as a charge on the student’s account.
If a student’s instructor initiates a course withdrawal or the student’s academic advisor completes a University Withdrawal after a discussion with the student, then the student does not fall under the Unofficial Withdrawal Policy, and will be assigned final grades(s) according to the University’s Course/University Withdrawal Policy.