From time to time, students find it necessary to postpone the completion of a class or classes during a semester due to personal hardships. Our deferring courses policy gives students different options depending on the week that the class is in. The following table outlines the options available to students who would like to postpone a class before or during the semester. Below the table you will find detailed information about each of these options.
| Week of class | Options | Penalties |
| During Week 1 | Drop classes | No penalties for courses dropped during this period; Tuition/fees credited to student’s account |
| Weeks 2–4 | Defer classes | $50 deferral fee assessed (per course deferred); Tuition/fees credited to student’s account. |
| Weeks 5–8/17 | Two Options: Incomplete Withdrawal | Students will be allowed to take an Incomplete under certain circumstances; otherwise they will need to formally withdraw from the course. If a student withdraws, he or she will forfeit course tuition/fees without additional penalties, but a “W” will permanently appear on the transcript. |
Dropping Courses
Students will be able to drop courses from their semester schedule prior to and during the first week of each session without financial penalties. Instead, they will have their tuition/fees credited to their account. Dropped courses will not appear on a student’s transcript. No refunds will be made for dropping courses except in cases where a credit student can demonstrate financial hardship.
Students will not need to contact the Registrar to drop a course during the registration cycle. If a student would like to drop a course during the late registration period or the first week of class, he or she will need to contact the Registrar.
Deferring Courses
During Weeks 2–4 of the class, students may request to defer a course or courses for a semester due to personal circumstances, and their tuition and fees will be credited to their account. Requests for deferral must be submitted in writing to the Registrar and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. A $50 processing fee will be charged for each deferred course, which will be posted on the student’s invoice. This applies to all students—credit, audit and those auditing for Life Experience Credit (LEC). No refunds will be made for deferring courses except in cases where a credit student can demonstrate financial hardship. Deferred courses will not appear on a student’s transcript.
Incompletes and Withdrawals
After Week 4 of a session, students will no longer be able to drop or defer a class. Students who determine after Week 4 that they are unable to complete a class within a given session or semester will now have two options: 1) take an Incomplete for the course and complete the work by the date determined by the instructor, or 2) withdraw from the course and retake and repurchase the course at a later date.
Incompletes
In order to petition for an Incomplete, a student must have completed at least 75 percent of his or her work for the class and demonstrate a hardship that prevents the completion of the course on time. Instructors will review petitions on a case-by-case basis. If an incomplete is granted, the student will receive an “I” as a temporary course grade and will have a new due date by which to complete his or her assignments. If the student does not complete the necessary course work by this new due date, he or she can opt to receive a grade for the coursework already completed, or withdraw from the course and take it again in another semester (see below).
Withdrawals
If a student is not granted an Incomplete, or chooses not to complete his or her course work within the allotted time, he or she can withdraw from the course. A permanent “W” will appear on the transcript, which does not count towards the student’s GPA. The student will have to repurchase and retake the course in a future semester in order to receive a grade and credit towards his or her program. (This grade will not replace the “W” on the student’s transcript.) All tuition/fees will be forfeited with no further financial penalty (no processing fee will be assessed) and no refund will be issued.
Withdrawing from a Program
Looking for information on withdrawing from a program completely and associated refunds? Visit the Withdrawing from a Program page.