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AMU Doctoral Handbook
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Last Revision: April 12, 2023

How to Drop or Withdraw from Your Course and Term

You are required to maintain continuous registration by completing coursework with your cohort, based on the doctoral program of study, and registering each term during the dissertation phase until graduation. If you are experiencing an academic or personal challenge that impacts your ability to continue in a term, please reach out to your Department Chair. Once you have spoken with your Department Chair, you may choose to request a drop or withdrawal by completing and returning a form provided by your Department Chair and the Doctoral Academic Advisor. If you choose to drop or withdraw from courses, you will be removed from all the courses in your current term.  At that point, you must also decide if you would like to “stop out” of your program through a Program Hiatus or disenroll from the program completely. With a Program Hiatus, you may re-enter the program in a term based on the last course you completed; however, re-entering will mean joining a new cohort based on the term you are entering. Disenrolling means that you would need to apply for admission again. 

Students who need to stop out from their doctoral program may request a Program Hiatus by communicating with the Doctoral Advisor and completing the Program Hiatus Request form. Students may request one or more Program Hiatus(es) during the program, but the Program Hiatus(es) may exist for no greater than a total of 6 terms. You must still complete the program within the approved timeframe of 7 years. You may return from a Program Hiatus and enter a new cohort by contacting the Doctoral Advisor to initiate the return process.

Your program deadline is not extended if you are on an approved Program Hiatus; you will have the same program deadline when you return from a Program Hiatus and may need to work with the Doctoral Advisor based on if it your program deadline is nearing or expired upon your return.

Deciding Whether or not to drop or Withdraw from Your Course and Term

Important Definitions

  • Course Drop: The removal of a course from your schedule prior to the end of the first week of class which will also result in being placed on a Program Hiatus.
  • Course Withdrawal: The removal of a course from your schedule after the end of week one which will also result in being placed on a Program Hiatus.
  • End of Week One: 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time of the first Sunday of the course.
  • Drop or Withdrawal Date:  This is the date you submitted the online “Course Drop/Withdraw” Form, the date you contacted the Office of the Registrar with your official request by email, phone call or voicemail. 
  • SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress): One measure used to determine eligibility for both federal student aid and for graduation. Withdrawals impact SAP, as they count against your maximum cap of 150% of courses attempted vs. courses successfully passed.

Consequences of a Course Drop

  • Grades: You will see a "DP" for the course when viewing grades inside the Records Menu area of the ecampus under My Academic Plan or My Academic Records under Grade Reports.
  • GPA (Grade Point Average): Your GPA is not impacted.
  • Transcript: If you have a transcript sent out, it will NOT show any record of the dropped course.
  • SAP: Classes you drop do not count as “attempted” in calculations used to determine eligibility for Federal Student Aid or for graduation eligibility.
  • Federal Student Aid: If you do not complete a term you were scheduled to attend, your aid may be subject to a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.
  • Course Access: You will no longer have access to a course once you drop it as you will be placed on a Program Hiatus.

Consequences of a Course Withdrawal

  • Grades: You will see a "W" for the course when viewing grades inside the Records Menu area of the e-campus under My Academic Plan or My Academic Records under Grade Reports.
  • GPA: Your GPA is not impacted.
  • Transcript: If you have a transcript sent out, it will show this course with a “W” grade.
  • SAP: Withdrawn courses do count as “attempted” in calculations used to determine eligibility for Federal Student Aid or for graduation eligibility.
  • Federal Student Aid: If you do not complete a term you were scheduled to attend, your aid may be subject to a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.
  • Course Access: You will no longer have access to a course once you withdraw from it as you will be placed on a Program Hiatus.

Returning Your Books/Course Materials

Please refer to Course Materials for more information on returning books/course materials.