Changing Courses or Withdrawing?

It is important for students to be in class starting from the first day in order to hear the overview of the entire course on the first day. After the first day, later topics will be connected back to this overview. To minimize changing, dropping, or withdrawing from courses, students should meet with their advisor before the start of the semester and plan out a full year of courses using the schedule of available courses found at www.miu.edu/classes

If, in spite of careful planning, you must drop or change a course, the following policies apply:

Changing a course

If a student wishes to change from one course into another, the student must obtain approval from his/her academic advisor. The student then comes to the Enrollment Center to be placed into the new class and receive an “Admit to Class” slip. The student presents this “Admit to Class” slip to the professor of the course into which he or she is entering. The student must be in the new course by the afternoon of the second day of class for a two or four-week class.

Please note: Not all courses may be entered after the first day of class. Professors reserve the right to require attendance on the first day of their class.

Withdrawing or dropping a course

Note: if you are a U.S. student, withdrawing or dropping a course may affect your financial aid and delay your award disbursement.

Students wishing to not attend a class they have signed up for must contact their instructor and the Enrollment Center.

Dropping a course

A student may drop a course for any reason:

• by 4 p.m. of the second day of a course four weeks or less,
• by 4 p.m. of the fifth day of a course longer than four weeks.

If the above criteria are met, the course is removed from his or her academic record.

Withdrawing from a course

In the event that a student needs to withdraw from a course after the initial deadline above, he/she should notify the Enrollment Center as soon as possible either in person or in writing.

A student wishing to withdraw from a course should meet with his/her academic advisor beforehand to discuss the implications of withdrawing from the course. In some cases, the student may also need to meet with Financial Aid and/or Student Life.

To withdraw from a course and receive a grade of W (course withdrawal), the student must have:

• attended part of the third day of class
• stopped attending before 4 p.m. on the second Monday of the course for a 2- or 4-week course,
• stopped attending before completion of 25% of the course for a course longer than 4 weeks.

If the above requirements are not met, the student will receive NC (no credit) for the course, except in the case of illness, family emergency, or other compelling circumstances beyond the student’s control (see below). An NC means 0 credits for the course and will negatively affect a student’s GPA.

Exception for illness or family emergency

If a student is ill or has a family emergency and must withdraw from a class after the deadline, the student may petition to receive a grade of W, but he or she must do so within two weeks after the last day he or she was present in class.

To petition, the student must contact his or her instructor. If the student is unsatisfied with the instructor’s decision, the student can discuss his or her situation with an Associate Dean of Students. The Associate Dean of Students may then choose to discuss the matter with the instructor. If the student is too ill to follow this procedure, an Enrollment Center officer or Associate Dean of Students may contact the instructor.

In all events, the instructor has the final say with regard to the grade.

Note: After two weeks from the last day of attendance, if a student has not requested a grade change per procedures above, he or she will receive NC for this course.

Any student who lives on campus and withdraws from a course must either move off-campus for the remainder of the course or engage in an activity as approved by an Associate Dean of Students.

Development of Consciousness course requirements can be adjusted if students are less than full time in any semester. Students should contact the Department of Development of Consciousness to request this adjustment.

The Course Drop or Withdrawal Form can be obtained from the Enrollment Center. Or you can download the form online

Leaving the university

Students who wish to take a break from their studies need to inform their graduation advisor in the Enrollment Center before leaving campus. The Enrollment Center will remove the unattended classes from the student’s record and fill out a “Change in Charges” form for the student if an adjustment of charges and/or refund is warranted. Students who withdraw from the university must apply for readmission through the Office of Admissions when they desire to return. See Student Finances for details.