Medical Withdrawal Policy and Procedure

Purpose

The medical withdrawal policy is designed for students who are unable to complete course work due to medical or psychological illness. Students may withdraw from one or more classes or from the entire schedule due to medical or psychological illness, and receive a grade of “MW” (medical withdraw).

Petition Process

To receive a grade of “MW” a student must complete the appropriate petition, available in the Lang Center for Health, Wellness, Counseling and Disability Services. The student must obtain written documentation of medical necessity from the treating physician, psychologist or counselor and present the documentation to the director of the Lang Center. All petitions must be processed prior to the last day of final examinations. Students must complete an application form and obtain signatures from the director of Lang Center and Student Administrative Services (SAS) office. This information is then provided to the Chief Academic Officer for final approval. After final approval, the medical withdrawal is recorded as the final grade for the course(s). SAS will notify the instructor, academic advisor, and Lang Center that the process has been completed and the grade has been recorded.

Responsibility

The student is ultimately responsible for the petition process. When a student is medically disabled and unable to complete the application process, Lang Center will intervene and assist with processing until the student is able to continue on their own.

Rockford University encourages students who must withdraw for medical reasons to resume their course of study as soon as possible. Through the last drop* date, as indicated in the academic calendar, a student who withdraws will have tuition charges** refunded, and all financial aid cancelled for that term. After the last drop date, a portion of tuition may be reserved in escrow to use in a subsequent semester. The portion of tuition held in escrow depends on when the student withdraws according to the following formula:

Tuition held in escrow will be forfeited unless used within one year of the end of the semester in which the student received the medical withdrawal. The student’s financial obligations (i.e., tuition, fees, room and board, etc.) must be paid in full for this policy to apply.

IMPORTANT: 1. The U.S. Department of Education requires the recalculation of aid for any withdrawal (medical or not) prior to completing 60 percent of any term. This may result in some or all federal aid being returned, thus creating a balance on the student’s account. 2. The student must be aware that withdrawing from courses may alter full-time status. A student pursuing a medical withdrawal should consult with student administrative services.

*The drop date is determined by the program in which the student is enrolled. Typically, the last day to drop for traditional undergraduate students is the last day of the first calendar week of class (including the first day of class) of the fall or spring semester. Students should consult the current academic calendar for the specific date. All other program participants should consult with SAS as to the specific dates for their program.

**Charges other than those of tuition (i.e., room, board, fines, lab fees, registration fees, etc.) are neither refunded nor held in escrow