Enrollment Change (Withdrawal or Cancellation) Procedures

Withdrawal from Enrollment

Any undergraduate student who finds it necessary to withdraw from the College while currently enrolled in class must complete the Withdraw or Cancel Enrollment Form (via the Student Forms widget on the Wheaton Gateway) and meet with the Dean of Student Wellness. The Student Wellness office oversees this process and can be reached at student.wellness@wheaton.edu or 630.752.5941 or in person in the Student Services Building, Suite 218.

Official withdrawal notification takes place when a student completes the Withdraw or Cancel Enrollment Form notifying the College that s/he has either ceased to attend classes and does not plan to resume academic attendance or will cease to attend classes immediately. The Official Withdraw Date will be the date the student submits the Withdraw or Cancel Enrollment Form. This date will determine any financial aid adjustments and/or possible tuition reimbursement based on the Registrar’s Calendar. Room and board refunds are determined by Housing Services for those students living on campus. Pertinent campus departments will be notified of a student’s withdrawal based on submission of the Withdraw or Cancel Enrollment form.

Students withdrawing from all full-semester courses between the third and twelfth week of classes, or from all A-Quad or B-Quad courses between the third and fifth week of the respective Quad, will have a “W” (Withdrawal) recorded on their transcript for those courses. After the respective withdrawal deadlines, students are not able to withdraw from the College and will receive the grade(s) earned at the end of the term.

Students who withdraw their enrollment from the College for reasons related to mental or physical health concerns may be required to have a healthcare provider complete a Readiness to Return and Continuation Plan before being reinstated to resume classes. Students may also be required to receive a Care Plan through Student Wellness upon reinstatement.

Withdrawal Exemptions

There are three situations that constitute withdrawal exemptions, that is, when a student has met the respective withdrawal deadlines and may receive “W” (Withdrawal) recorded on their transcript for those courses but is not considered to have withdrawn from the College and is reported as enrolled for the entire semester:

1. A student completes all the requirements for graduation from their program before completing the semester (e.g. a student completes degree requirements during A-Quad).
2. A student successfully completes coursework equal to or greater than half-time enrollment during a module (e.g. an UG student successfully completes six or more hours; a graduate student successfully completes four or more hours during A-Quad).
3. A student successfully completes an A-Quad course, if A-Quad is at least 49% of the period of enrollment (semester) as determined by the number of countable days.

The tuition refund policy does not apply to students qualifying for a withdrawal exemption. Financial aid may be retained, except for Federal Pell Grants, which must be recalculated based on the adjusted enrollment status.

Administrative Withdrawal

These same guidelines apply to students who are administratively withdrawn or dismissed for disciplinary reasons. Information regarding tuition refunds can also be found in the College Catalog.

Unofficial Withdrawal

If a student stops attending or academically participating in all courses before the withdrawal deadline for the term and subsequently fails all courses, the student may be unofficially withdrawn from the College as of the last date of attendance or academic activity. If the withdrawal deadline has passed, the student will receive the grades earned at the end of the term (likely failing grades).

In either case, the student may forfeit all fees or deposits paid to the College, and tuition refunds will not be granted.

Cancellation of Enrollment

Official cancellation notification takes place when an undergraduate student completes the Withdraw or Cancel Enrollment Form notifying the College of one of the following statements:

• I will complete the current term but will not be returning for the next term; or
• I have completed the most recent term but will not be returning for the next term; or
• I will not be returning for the current term (whether I have registered for classes or not, and I have not attended any current term classes).

Students who cancel their enrollment from the College for reasons related to mental or physical health concerns may be required to have a healthcare provider complete a Readiness to Return and Continuation Plan before being reinstated to resume classes. Students may also be required to receive a Care Plan through Student Wellness upon re-enrollment.

Compassionate Withdrawal

The withdrawal enrollment procedures recognize circumstances under which students are incapacitated and unable to complete courses due to serious and unexpected physical or mental illness, accident, grievous personal loss, or such circumstances beyond a student’s control. If a student cannot make academic decisions due to incapacitation, the Dean of Student Wellness will withdraw the student from all courses to keep the student from receiving failing grades. If a compassionately withdrawn student seeks re-enrollment at Wheaton, the Dean of Student Wellness may require the student to meet certain criteria before readmission is possible.