Withdrawal Policies

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Withdrawal From a Single Course
A student who wishes to withdraw from a single course may do so online. Prior to the deadline specified in the college calendar, the students will receive a grade of "W" for any course dropped. Withdrawal after the date specified in the calendar is permitted only under extenuating circumstances. A Catastrophic Withdrawal may be granted in circumstances that are outside of the student's control in which a serious catastrophic personal life situation prevents the student from attending classes or completing required classwork. If approved, a Catastrophic Withdrawal will be noted on the transcript with a symbol of "W". Courses in which a final grade has been earned may not be dropped.

Note: Students may not drop a course in which a final grade has been earned prior to the published date to withdraw.

Withdrawal From the College
The student may withdraw completely from SUSCC at any time through the last day to withdraw, specified in the College calendar. Withdrawing from the last class is considered a complete withdrawal from the college. Students cannot withdraw from the last class through their MySUSCC portal. Students wishing to withdraw from all classes should submit a complete withdrawal form or email the Admissions Office at admissions@suscc.edu, from their student email account. Should a student abandon any classes without officially withdrawing from the classes or from the College, the grade of "F" will be assigned.

Administrative Withdrawal or Drop from a Course or from College
A student may be administratively withdrawn from any course for the following reasons:

  • Failure to adhere to a faculty member’s attendance criteria and/or policies as described in their course syllabus or in programmatic attendance criteria and/or policies as described in, but not limited to, Health Science Handbooks may result in administrative withdrawal before the published date for the last day to withdraw. 

  • Failure to comply with “Standards of Practice” as established by the Alabama Board of Nursing, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, or other regulatory or licensing agencies for programs of study in the Health Sciences Division. 

  • Students enrolled in a program within the Technical Education and Workforce Development Division of the College may be administratively withdrawn from any course for failure to attend class when the student has missed more than 20% of the total hours that the class meets.

Administrative withdrawal from class may affect eligibility for federal financial aid. Students should contact the Financial Aid Office for information. Students who are administratively withdrawn from a class will also be withdrawn from all co-requisite classes, if any.

Administrative Withdrawal Appeal

Initiation of the Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Process: Within five (5) days of the College’s scheduled faculty duty days after the Administrative “W” has been posted in the student’s mySUSCC portal, the student must submit the following to begin the administrative withdrawal appeal process:

  1. An Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Form - Level 1: The form may be obtained from the Assistant to the Dean of Academics, Health Sciences, or Technical Services, as appropriate.
  2. A signed statement indicating rationale for the appeal: The statement signed by the student should include a detailed explanation of the reasons for why the administrative withdrawal should be overturned.
  3. Any supporting documentation: Documentation may include, but is not limited to, medical records, obituaries, birth records, police reports, legal records, and documented military service.

Dean’s/Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Committee Decision: If the student’s second appeal was denied, the student has five (5) scheduled faculty duty days from notification of the chair/director’s response to submit an Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Form - Final Level requesting a review by the Instructional Dean or by the Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Committee. The preference of the student should be indicated on the Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Form - Final Level. If a choice is not indicated, the decision of whether to use a committee will be made by the Instructional Dean. The dean’s assistant will give a copy of all materials that had been submitted by the student, instructor, and chair/director by the appropriate deadline to either the appropriate dean or to the Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Committee. If chosen, the committee will review documents and make a recommendation to the dean. The dean’s assistant will send the response from the dean or the Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Committee to the student’s SUSCC email account. The Instructional Dean or Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Committee’s written decision cannot be appealed under the Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Policy. 

The completed Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Form - Level 1, signed statement, and supporting documentation must be returned via email to the Dean’s Assistant. The Dean’s Assistant will log the appeal into the database and will email a copy of the student’s appeal form, statement, and documentation to the course instructor.

Students who appeal their administrative withdrawal are encouraged to remain in class while the appeal is under review.

Instructor Response: The instructor will prepare a formal written response within five (5) scheduled faculty duty days of the receipt of the appeal and submit the response to the appropriate Dean’s Assistant. The Dean’s Assistant will forward the instructor’s response to the student’s SUSCC email address.

If the appeal is granted and the student is to be reinstated in the class, the faculty member must submit a request to the Student Records Office for the student to be re-enrolled within five (5) scheduled faculty duty days.

If the student’s appeal is denied, the student may submit an Administrative Withdrawal Appeal Form - Level 2 to the Assistant to the Dean of Academics, Health Sciences, or Technical Services, as appropriate. The Dean’s Assistant will deliver copies of all documents to the department chair/program director who will analyze the appeal and provide a written response to the assistant within five (5) scheduled faculty duty days. The assistant will email the response from the department chair/program director to the student’s SUSCC email address.

Catastrophic Withdrawal Policies and Procedures
A Catastrophic Withdrawal may be granted in circumstances that are outside of the student’s control in which a serious catastrophic personal life situation prevents the student from attending classes or completing required classwork. A Catastrophic Withdrawal is intended to be considered on a case-by-case basis, and it is not intended to be used more than once per academic year. Catastrophic Withdrawal consideration is for a complete withdrawal from a given term. Students that have requested and received an Incomplete in a class will not be considered for a Catastrophic Withdrawal. All requests for Catastrophic Withdrawal require thorough, original, and credible documentation. If approved, a Catastrophic Withdrawal will be noted on the transcript with a symbol of “W.”

A Catastrophic Withdrawal may be requested upon recommendation of a licensed health care provider when a student cannot continue enrollment in his/her courses after the College’s published “last day to withdraw” date because of a serious physical and/or psychological condition. Additionally, a student may request and be considered for a Catastrophic Withdrawal when extraordinary personal reasons, not related to the student's physical or mental health, prevent the student from continuing in classes (examples may include caring for a seriously ill family member, death of an immediate family member, extreme financial hardship, a traumatic experience, or other significant personal hardship).

The Catastrophic Withdrawal Request Form may be submitted for consideration after the published “last day to withdraw” date but no later than the published “last class day” date in the term in which the event occurred. Consult the College Calendar for published dates. 

Requests for Catastrophic Withdrawals must be verified and approved by the Catastrophic Withdrawal Committee.

Prior to Submitting the Catastrophic Withdrawal Request Form

  1. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with a financial aid counselor to identify and understand the financial aid and monetary implications of processing the request for Catastrophic Withdrawal.
  2. International students with an F1/J1 visa are strongly encouraged to consult with the International Student Advisor to discuss the serious immigration consequences that may result from withdrawal from Southern Union State Community College.

Catastrophic Withdrawal Request Procedures

  1. Secure the Licensed Provider Recommendation for Catastrophic Withdrawal information and signatures, as required.
  2. Complete and submit the Catastrophic Withdrawal Request Form after the published “last day to withdraw date and before the published “last class day” date.
  3. Submit complete and credible documentation to support the catastrophic event with the Catastrophic Withdrawal Request Form. Examples of documentation may include a copy of the death certificate of the student’s immediate family member, police report, hospital admission and discharge papers, etc.