Search for a Policy

Voluntary Medical Withdrawal

Scope: Undergraduate Students and Graduate Students are covered by this policy.

Published 7/12/18 • Last updated 6/29/26 12:53:11

Students

Voluntary Medical Withdrawal

Published 7/12/18 • Last updated 6/29/26 12:53:11

Policy

Statement of Policy

A student may request a Medical Withdrawal from the University before the end of a given semester or term if, during the course of that same semester or term, they encounter a physical or mental condition and/or experience a serious injury that prevents them from meeting the typical expectations required of a student. When a student takes a Medical Withdrawal, the student will receive a reversal of tuition and fees in accordance with the University’s established refund schedule. Please note that any reversals are based on the effective date of the Medical Withdrawal (determined from the last date of class attendance, regardless of the date of the onset of the condition prompting the request for the Medical Withdrawal) and must fall within the University’s established refund schedule.

Request

A request for a Medical Withdrawal must be completed through the Medical Withdrawal Website including the submission of all required paperwork as outlined in the Procedure for Obtaining a Medical Withdrawal section. Requests must be supported by a health care provider (which may include a health care provider from the Student Health Services or Student Counseling Service) who has assessed the student’s condition prior to the conclusion of the semester or term for which the withdrawal is requested.

Once all required paperwork has been submitted, the Office of the Dean of Students will review the complete packet and issue a decision regarding a Medical Withdrawal request.

If granted:

The Office of the Dean of Students will notify the University Registrar and the student of its decision in writing (via email).
The student’s transcript for the semester or term will indicate “officially withdrawn, [date].” The specific nature of the medical or psychological reasons will not be indicated in order to protect the privacy of the student.
A granted Medical Withdrawal will relieve a student of responsibility for uncompleted academic work but will not provide credit for work completed during that semester or term, unless the student has completed and been assigned a passing grade in a sprint course, prior to the date of last class attendance for that semester or term. If a student has completed and received a passing grade in a sprint course in the semester or term from which the student is requesting a Medical Withdrawal, the student must so indicate that on the Medical Withdrawal Student Request form and indicate a rationale for retaining it; otherwise, the course will be noted as withdrawn. (Note: A Medical Withdrawal is “all or nothing;” it is not possible to receive a Medical Withdrawal from individual classes while remaining enrolled in other classes. A student may petition the Interdivisional Committee of Advisors for withdrawal from single or multiple classes after the withdrawal deadline has passed [see the Academic Calendar for specific withdrawal deadline dates] by contacting his or her divisional advisor.) The normal policies and procedures for grades for students who withdraw during an academic semester or term, as described elsewhere in The Student Handbook, will apply to students who are placed on voluntary Medical Withdrawal.

Re-enrollment Process

A student who desires to re-enroll after a Medical Withdrawal must complete the return from Medical Withdrawal process as outlined in the Procedure for Returning from a Medical Withdrawal section on the Medical Withdrawal Website. All required paperwork must be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Students prior to the deadlines stated in the Academic Calendar in order to attend classes during the desired semester or term. The required documentation must include verification by a health care provider that the illness or condition which led to the Medical Withdrawal no longer prevents the student from meeting the expectations of a student without posing a significant risk of substantial harm to property, to self, or others.

Request for Retroactive Medical Withdrawal

Circumstances

Under extraordinary circumstances, a student may request a late Medical Withdrawal for a semester or term that has already been completed. All paperwork for a late Medical Withdrawal must be submitted no later than 35 calendar days from the completion of the semester or term for which the withdrawal is requested. Any request for a late medical withdrawal submitted after the university's re-enrollment deadline will not be considered. . Such requests for late medical withdrawal must be initiated by the student completing and submitting all required paperwork as outlined in the Procedure for Obtaining a Late Medical Withdrawal section of the Medical Withdrawal website. Requests must be supported by documentation from a health care provider (which may include a health care provider from Student Health Services or Student Counseling Service) who diagnosed or treated the student’s condition during the semester or term for which withdrawal is sought or within a reasonable period of time thereafter.

If the student would otherwise be academically suspended at the end of the term for which the Medical Withdrawal is sought, a student is not eligible for a late Medical Withdrawal without documentation of hospitalization or other in-patient treatment.

Once the completed request has been submitted, the Office of the Dean of Students will make a decision regarding a Late Medical Withdrawal request. The Dean of Students will notify the student in writing (via email) of its decision on the Late Medical Withdrawal request.