AA: Late Drop/Refund Petition

A student may petition to drop/withdraw retroactively and/or request a refund of tuition and fees under the following or similar conditions, which should be documented to the extent possible:

1. Written verification from a recognized professional (e.g., physician) that the student must withdraw or was physically prevented from dropping or withdrawing due to illness, injury, or personal emergency of the student or a member of the immediate family.
2. Written verification from an appropriate representative or publication of the University proving the student was given misinformation as to the correct deadline for receiving a refund of tuition and fees, dropping a course, or withdrawing from the University.
3. Written verification from the instructor(s) of record that the student never attended/participated in the class(es).
4. Other hardship or extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control that have arisen after the refund deadline, deadline for dropping a course, or deadline for withdrawing from the University.

Reasons similar to those listed below will not result in approval for petitions to retroactively drop course(s), withdraw from the University, or for receiving a refund of tuition and fees after the deadline:

1. Student’s lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of the deadline.
2. Student waited to get the results of an exam or other assignment.
3. Student’s grades have declined since the deadline.
4. Student doesn’t need the course for graduation.
5. Different deadlines existed at a previous school.

Regulation: After the 12th week of a regular semester, or the 6th week of an eight-week session, or proportionate periods for block or short courses, a student may not drop a course and shall be assigned only the grade of A, B, C, D or F, or (when appropriate) I, NP, P, S, U, R, SR, or UR by the instructor at the end of the semester. After the beginning of “pre-finals week” a student may not withdraw from all courses for the semester and shall be assigned grades. Exceptions to this policy may be allowed by petition due to extraordinary circumstances. According to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, institutions may refund tuition and fees paid by a student who must withdraw from the institution due to hardship or extraordinary circumstances. Students may only petition for a refund of tuition and fees for courses in which they have officially withdrawn.

Deadline: The maximum time period for submitting a petition to retroactively drop/withdraw and/or requesting a refund of tuition and fees is six months after the end of the semester or summer term of the pertinent enrollment. The review committee may consider petitions received after the deadline if extenuating circumstances affected a student's ability to submit the petition before the deadline or if the committee determines that other circumstances warrant a deadline exception. Such circumstances must be explained and documented by the student at the time the petition is submitted.

Committee Decision: Petitions for a retroactive drop/withdrawal that are approved by the committee will fall into one of two categories, depending upon when the student's extraordinary circumstances occurred: [1.] Approved petitions where the circumstances beyond the student's control clearly occurred within the automatic "W" drop/withdraw period will be forwarded directly to the Registrar's Office indicating the grades for the applicable course(s) should be changed to a "W." [2.] Approved petitions where the circumstances occurred after the automatic "W" drop/withdraw deadline will be forwarded to the course(s) instructor(s), asking the faculty to assign a grade of "W" (student passing) or "F" (student failing). The instructors may consider how the student's exceptional circumstances may have affected performance, but the ultimate responsibility for the final grade assignment in these cases rests with the instructor. The decision of the committee is final. Members of the committee have full authority to act on the petitions as representatives of faculty and administration. No appeal exists for the decision of the committee. Students whose petitions are denied may request an additional review by the committee if new documentation or information regarding the petition is promptly submitted. (Policy 2-0206)