Add/Drop, Withdrawal & Leave

Add/Drop Policy

Students may add or drop courses during the first two weeks of the fall or spring 14-week semesters, during the first three days of the winter session, and during the first week of all other sessions.

Course Withdrawal Policy

The course withdrawal policy that applies to undergraduates is the policy in the Undergraduate Catalog, and the course withdrawal policy that applies to graduate students is the policy in the Graduate Catalog, regardless of whether the course in question is an undergraduate course or graduate course.

The Office of the Registrar publishes deadlines for course withdrawal for every term. A student who withdraws from a course during the course withdrawal period will receive a grade of W for that course. Generally, the course withdrawal period falls between the end of the add/drop period and the point at which the term is approximately two-thirds complete, which for main terms is the 10th week. Students will not be permitted to withdraw from a course with a W after this deadline.

In rare, extraordinary circumstances, students may petition for a withdrawal with extenuating circumstances, which will be recorded as a WE. This request must be approved by the provost. A WE should be granted only in circumstances of documentable hardship, such as long-term, serious illness.

Grades of W and WE are not used to calculate a student’s grade point average, but will appear on the student’s transcript. A course withdrawal does not impact the tuition and charges associated to the student record.

A student who simply stops attending a course has not officially withdrawn and will receive a grade computed on the basis of all work completed and not completed at the end of the semester, including work assigned after the student stopped attending.

How to Request a Course Withdrawal

A student wishing to withdraw from a course must complete a Request for Grade of W form and obtain the signature of the chair of the student’s major department, or the assigned academic advisor, or the dean of the student’s major school. Athletes and F1-international students must also obtain the signature of the designated school official.

Limitations on Withdrawals from Courses

A student may not receive a grade of W in more than two courses in one semester/term, or more than six courses total at Georgian Court. Grades of WE are not counted in these totals.

Withdrawing from the University/Leave of Absence/Involuntary Withdrawal

Please see other sections of the Undergraduate Catalog or Student Handbook for policies regarding withdrawing from the university, leaves of absence, and involuntary withdrawal.

Leave of Absence

Students may apply for an official leave of absence for up to two consecutive main academic terms. The Request for Leave of Absence form will need to be completed. A leave of absence permits a student to maintain the curriculum of record at the university. The student will be allowed to follow degree major requirements if they return to the university within the specified time frame. Students leaving GCU to take courses at another institution are not eligible for a leave of absence. Students who fail to register for a third main academic semester must re-apply to the university.

Withdrawal from the University

A student who officially withdraws from Georgian Court in good academic standing and is not subject to any disciplinary action receives an honorable dismissal. To officially withdraw from the university students must submit a Request for Official Withdrawal from the University form to the Office of Student Success (Jeffries Hall, Room 101). The student will be considered withdrawn on the date notification is received.

Students who do not enroll for consecutive main terms are considered to have voluntarily withdrawn from the institution. Students who have withdrawn from GCU must reapply should they wish to return to the university. A student who leaves GCU and reapplies to the same academic program may choose to follow the curriculum and General Education requirements in place when they first enrolled at GCU provided the reenrollment is within five academic years after withdrawal. Under certain circumstances such as discontinuance of programs or courses or curricular changes required by a certification, licensing, or accrediting body, a student may be required to follow current curriculum and/or General Education requirements regardless of the date of first enrollment.

Nonattendance or verbal notification, in a semester for which a student has registered, does not constitute an official withdrawal.

Georgian Court reserves the right to require at any time the withdrawal of students who do not maintain the specified standards of scholarship or who are not in accord with its ideals and expected patterns of behavior. The former case is determined by action of the Academic Standards Committee; the latter by action of the provost.

Associate degree option for students who withdraw from the university

Students who withdraw from the university before earning a baccalaureate degree and are not planning to enroll at another institution to continue their education may be eligible to earn an A.A. in General Studies from Georgian Court University.  Once it is determined that students will be leaving GCU before earning a baccalaureate degree, staff in the Office of Student Success and/or Office of the Registrar will review students’ records to determine if the students are eligible for the program.  Eligible students are those who meet, or are within 12 credits of meeting, the requirements for completion of the associate degree program.  To be admitted into the program, students will complete a “Request for Change of Program” form that will trigger a formal, official review of the students' records as of the time the form is submitted. 

The requirements for the A.A. in General Studies Degree Program are that the student:

  • is withdrawing from GCU (not taking a leave of absence);
  • has a minimum 2.0 cumulative GCU GPA; and
  • has at least 60 total earned credits from all sources, including
    • at least 30 credits from GCU courses (however, students who transfer to GCU and enroll in a bachelor's degree program and then, after completing at least 18 credits of GCU courses, meet all of the requirements for the program, are eligible for the program).
    • at least 9 credits from a discipline, major, or cognate. These 9 credits must be from required or elective courses within the corresponding major(s).
    • at least 45 credits from general education courses.  These 45 credits will include:  GEN101 Pathway to the Bridge and GEN199 WI:Discovering Self in the Universe (as required in accordance with the GCU policy for transfer  students), three credits in writing (EN111 Academic Writing and Research I or EN221 Honors Argument: Rhetoric & Research or equivalent), and one or more three or four credit courses in each of the following four GCU Bridge General Education categories: Quantitative Analysis, Religious Studies, Humanities, and Social Science. 

Students may not choose the associate degree program when they enroll at GCU.  The degree program is open only to students who meet, or are within 12 credits of meeting, the requirements as listed above, are withdrawing from GCU, and are not planning to continue their education at another higher education institution.