Dropping/Withdrawing from Courses
Students may officially withdraw from a course(s) without academic penalty and receive a grade of “W” if this withdrawal is made before the drop deadline as published in the academic calendar. Courses that meet on a non-standard schedule may have a different drop deadline than the one published.
All official withdrawals must:
1. Be made by the student (1) in person or (2) digitally signed and submitted through Isothermal Community College email to their academic advisor or academic dean by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Courses that have non-standard beginning and end dates may have different withdrawal deadlines than the full-term deadlines published. Students in these courses should consult their course syllabus or their instructor for deadline information;
2. Be recorded by the Student Records Office to be official. The form may be submitted by the student, advisor, or instructor, depending upon how the process is initiated; and
3. Receive a grade of “W” (Withdrawal). Students who stop attending the course without officially withdrawing may receive a grade of “F” (Failed). In some courses, as indicated on the course syllabus, if cumulative absences exceed 20% of the scheduled class hours, the student may receive a grade of “W#” (Administrative Withdrawal). Students should never assume that their instructor will administratively withdraw them for excessive absences. When a student is administratively withdrawn, the Records Office will send a notification to the student’s Isothermal email address. The student will be given five business days to respond via email with a request to remain in the course. When administrative withdrawals are submitted because critical course or program requirements are not met (e.g., required clinical hours, program dismissal), an opportunity to request readmission to the course will not be available.
Last dates of attendance are required for grades of “W,” “W#,” “R,” and “F” for students receiving veteran education benefits. The official withdrawal date will be the last date of attendance, the last day that a learning activity was submitted for a distance learning course, or in accordance with the Department of Education and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs requirements. Students are urged to consult with financial aid and Veterans Affairs staff regarding the impact of course withdrawal and the last date of attendance for financial aid and veterans educational benefit eligibility.
Withdrawals after the deadline published in the Academic Calendar must be approved by the vice president of academic and student affairs and are recorded as administrative withdrawals (reference Drop/Withdrawal Policy 401-02-04AP).
Dropping/Withdrawing for Active Military Service
In accordance with Title 38 of the U.S. Code, Section 3691A, when a covered member of the Armed Forces (including reserve components) who receives orders “to perform a period of service” (i.e., active duty, inactive duty training, or state service), the College may not take the following actions when a member receives orders for a period of service:
Assign the member a failing grade,
Reduce the member’s grade point average,
Characterize any member’s absence(s) as unexcused, or
Assess a financial penalty on a member because of a withdrawal or leave of absence due to receiving orders for service.
Also, in accordance with Title 38 of the U.S. Code, Section 3691A, the College must take the following actions when a member takes a leave of absence from a course(s) due to receiving orders for a period of service:
Assigning a grade of incomplete (or equivalent) for the course(s) during the term, and
Providing the opportunity to complete the term after the period of service.