Drops, Withdrawals, and Refunds, OH MY!

There are significant differences between a drop and a withdrawal, and students often misunderstand these differences, to their detriment!

DROP
Definition: Deleting a class entirely from the student schedule and transcript.
When and How: Accomplished only before the deadline for add-drop each semester OR after the deadline, by approved petition to the Admissions and Credits Committee.
Result: All tuition charges are removed, and the student is deleted from the class roster.

WITHDRAWAL
Definition: Voluntarily removing oneself from a class or classes in a semester already underway. When and How: After the deadline for add-drop, using either a Course Withdrawal Form (for partial withdrawal) or a Complete Withdrawal Form. Result: The course(s) remain(s) on the student schedule and transcript. Student remains on the class roster, and a final grade of W is automatically assigned.

REFUNDS
Whether a student receives a refund for tuition depends on two things: the type of withdrawal, and the effective date of withdrawal. No refunds are given for partial withdrawals. For complete withdrawals, a refund is possible based on the effective date of withdrawal (when the signed form is presented to the Registrar). Fall 2006 refund dates are found on pg. 3 of the Schedule of Classes:

NOTE: A revision to the Complete Withdrawal Form is going through an approval process this semester. It adds the requirement of an advisor¹s signature, gathers additional data regarding the student¹s reason for withdrawal, provides important information regarding the impact of withdrawals to students and their advisors, and institutes a much quicker electronic notification of the withdrawal to several administrative offices. Watch for it!

DROP FOR NON PAYMENT
We are in the second year of a two-year trial period which shifted the date that we usually dropped courses for nonpayment of tuition. Traditionally, the drop for nonpayment happened just prior to the Orientation session; at the beginning of the 2005-2006 academic year, however, the Executive Staff agreed (for a two-year experimental period) to shift that date to just after the add-drop period closes.

Many offices have gone to great lengths to reduce the number of students who end up being dropped: the Office of the Registrar sends "audit" lists of these students to several administrative offices which can make contacts and resolve issues; the Business Office sends daily e-mails to students on the list throughout the add-drop period; and the Admissions Office makes direct phone calls to all incoming students who are on the list.

Last fall, as a result of the shifted date and the multiple avenues of communication to students, the usual drop of over 500 students was reduced to just around 100!

This semester, 150 students who still had not paid by the close of add-drop had their classes dropped on August 28. Revised rosters have been sent electronically to all faculty, and students wishing to be re-registered for their courses will have to petition to the Admissions and Credits Committee.

NOTE: For routine petitions to add classes, where all parties agree and have signed (instructor, advisor, chair of department), the Admissions and Credits Committee has instituted a streamlined approval process to speed up the re-entry of students into their classes. We are also using Shepherd e-mail notification for more timely and efficient notification of the approval to all parties. Students approved for re-registration will be required to pay in advance for their courses before the registration will be entered.

http://www.shepherd.edu/register/

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Drops, Withdrawals, and
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