Consistent with the University’s Withdrawal Policy, students may make a request to fully withdraw late from all courses during an academic term after the Last Day to Withdraw deadline as noted on the official Academic Calendar, or request a Retroactive Withdrawal after the completion of an academic term, for extenuating circumstances.
Definitions
Late Withdrawal: A Late Withdrawal is a withdrawal that is submitted for an Extenuating Circumstance after the Term Withdrawal Deadline and prior to the end of the term.
Retroactive Withdrawal: A Retroactive Withdrawal is a withdrawal that is submitted after the completion of an academic term for a serious Extenuating Circumstance that prevented the student from seeking a Late Withdrawal.
Qualifying Extenuating Circumstances
Extenuating Circumstances are defined as unforeseen, uncontrollable, and unavoidable events that have resulted in a student's inability to complete academic responsibilities within a given academic term. Serious extenuating circumstances include a late or retroactive withdrawal request due to:
Health - Physical injury, illness, mental health concerns or substance use that has resulted in the student’s inability to complete academic responsibilities within the specified academic term.
Military Service - An Appalachian student who received orders for training or active duty within the specified academic term.
Unforeseen Personal Hardship - An uncontrollable, unavoidable and unforeseen personal event that is over and above the course of everyday experiences that is considered beyond a student’s control and impairs a student’s ability to complete the specified academic term. Includes but is not limited to the following examples:
Death of an immediate family member.
Request to care for a seriously ill child or other immediate family member.
Flood and/or fire of a residence.
Homelessness
Other
Extenuating Circumstances do not include requests made for:
- Poor performance in coursework
- Dropping courses to avoid failing grades
- Not wanting to use a career drop
- Missed deadlines
- Change of major
- Probationary standing
- Deciding that school/work/life responsibilities are overwhelming
- Job responsibilities/opportunities are overwhelming
- Jury duty
- Involved in a legal situation as a defendant
Process for Late or Retroactive Withdrawal Requests
Requests for Late or Retroactive Withdrawals may be made by completing the following steps:
Complete, sign, and submit the Late or Retroactive Withdrawal Request form.
Submit substantiating documentation (refer to Extenuating Circumstance Guidelines for Documentation below). This should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office no later than two business days prior to the committee meeting (which are listed below).
If the request is due to personal health reasons, your healthcare provider will need to supply documentation meeting the outlined requirements in the Health Documentation Guide. The substantiating health documentation will need to be uploaded along with your Late or Retroactive Withdrawal form.
Committee reviews the request. There is no guarantee that the withdrawal request will be approved. As a result, it is recommended that students continue to attend class, if at all possible, until they are informed of the Committee’s decision. However, that decision to attend or not is the responsibility of the student.
Requests received after the completion of an academic term (last day of the term) will not be eligible for review as a Late Withdrawal. These requests will be considered Retroactive Withdrawals and will follow the established timeline and guidelines for review. In addition, Retroactive Withdrawal requests must also include documentation showing that the serious extenuating circumstance(s) prevented the student from seeking a Late Withdrawal prior to the end of the applicable term.
Extenuating Circumstance Guidelines for Documentation
Documentation to substantiate that the nature of the circumstance was uncontrollable, unavoidable, unforeseen, and resulted in the student's inability to complete academic responsibilities within the specified term includes:
Health: A student requesting a Late or Retroactive Withdrawal for extenuating health reasons must submit health documentation that meets the criteria outlined in the Health Documentation Guide.
Military: A student requesting a Late or Retroactive Withdrawal for Military Service Obligation must provide documentation such as Title 10 Active Military Orders with length of time away, Title 32 Training Orders (Two weeks training), or a letter from the Director of Student Veteran Services which validates orders.
Hardship: A student requesting a Late or Retroactive Withdrawal for Hardship Circumstances must provide documentation meeting requirements verifying that the personal hardship event was uncontrollable, unavoidable and unforeseen. For example, a recommendation on official letterhead from a professional organization such as a social service provider, a Death certificate, or an obituary.
Review Timelines:
Request forms and supporting documentation submitted by the student are reviewed by a Committee composed of Appalachian faculty and staff. The Committee will determine if the student meets the requirements for a withdrawal due to an extenuating circumstance(s).
Late Withdrawals will be reviewed on a regular basis, beginning after the Last Day to Withdraw Deadline, as noted on the official Academic Calendar, and continuing through the Last Day of Classes for the current term.
Students will be contacted via their App State email with a decision within fifteen (15) business days of their request being reviewed. Because there is no guarantee that the withdrawal request will be approved, it is recommended that students continue to attend class, if at all possible, until they are informed of the Committee’s decision, but the decision to attend or not is the responsibility of the student.
Retroactive Withdrawals are those requests made after the completion of an academic term including final exams.
Students will be contacted via their App State email with a decision. In cases where a student no longer has an active App State email account, the decision will be sent to the email provided by the student on the request form.
Withdrawal Committee Meeting Schedule
- December 12, 2024 (Documentation must be submitted by December 9, 2024 by 5:00 pm)
- January 23, 2025 (Documentation must be submitted by January 20, 2025 by 5:00 pm)
- February 27, 2025 (Documentation must be submitted by February 24, 2025 by 5:00 pm)
- March 27, 2025 (Documentation must be submitted by March 24, 2025 by 5:00 pm)
- April 24, 2025 (Documentation must be submitted by April 21, 2025 by 5:00 pm)
Re-Enrollment and Return Requests
Upon approval of a Late Withdrawal, Appalachian may request documentation showing that the Extenuating Circumstance has been resolved and that the student is able to continue their academic studies. The documentation will be reviewed by the Committee before re-enrollment.
If requested by the University, a student must complete the Return Request form and provide supporting documentation showing that the Extenuating Circumstance(s) has been resolved and the student is able to continue their academic studies successfully. The documentation will be reviewed by the Committee before re-enrollment will be allowed.
Upon approval of a Late Withdrawal or Return Request by the Committee, students must then complete the Readmission Process in accordance with applicable dates and deadlines. Failure to meet stated deadlines at any point in the process may prevent the student from re-enrolling for a given term.
Appeals
- Students denied a Late or Retroactive Withdrawal or Return Request may appeal the decision to the Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management via the University Registrar (registrar@appstate.edu). Appeals must be received within ten (10) calendar days from the date App State’s decision is provided to the student via their App State email account. In cases where a student no longer has an active App State email account, the decision will be sent to the email provided by the student on the request form.
- In cases where an appeal deadline falls on a weekend or University closure, the deadline for filing the appeal will be extended to the next University business day. Requests received after any appeal deadline will not be eligible for review.