Medical Withdrawal from the University Policy

Owner	Academic Affairs
Contact	[email protected]
Document Type	Policy
Issue Date	July 25, 2007
Last Review	February 3, 2024
Related Documents	Academic Calendar Packet for Medical Withdrawal

Contents

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1. Purpose Statement
2. Policy
3. Audience
4. History

A. Purpose Statement

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This policy provides guidance for students who may have a medical condition that requires them to withdraw from the University to focus their time and resources on improving their health, and to ensure they are successful in their future.

B. Policy

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A student may initiate a Medical Withdrawal from the University by contacting the Registrar’s Office in the Timme Center for Student Services. A Medical Withdrawal results in a student being withdrawn from all classes for either a part of a term/session or full semester. Medical Withdrawals will result in the grade of “W.”

If a Medical Withdrawal is initiated after the end of a semester, or if a student is attempting to change an Academic Withdrawal to a Medical Withdrawal, all required forms and medical documentation must be submitted to the Birkam Health Center no later than the last day of classes of the following semester.

Grades awarded for part of a term/session courses completed on or before the effective Medical Withdrawal date will remain as assigned and credit will be given for those courses. Examples would be courses in session A, or session B. Within the part of term/session, the Medical Withdrawal is effective when the student is/was no longer able to attend classes due to documented medical reasons. Medical Withdrawal is an option for total withdrawal from Ferris, or withdrawal only from courses where performance was adversely impacted by the medical condition.

Students who receive a Medical Withdrawal effective fall or spring semester, and wish to return to the University, must reapply for admission and financial aid. The Birkam Health Center will place a “Medical Hold” on the student’s record, preventing the student from registering for future semesters, until the hold is cleared by the Birkam Health Center as explained in the Medical Withdrawal Packet (specifically, the student needs to fill out the Request to Lift Registration Hold after a Medical Withdrawal form and provide the required documentation). Summer semester Medical Withdrawals may or may not affect a student’s fall class schedule or financial aid as the student is not required to reapply for admission.

The withdrawal process is the responsibility of the student and will be initiated by the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar will review exceptions to all withdrawal policies. To remain in compliance with federal regulations, the University may change withdrawal policies without prior notification.

All documents must be submitted to Birkam Health Center at [email protected].

C. Audience

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The intended audience for this policy is students, deans, directors, department heads, and faculty.

D. History

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This policy supersedes 18:2, 07:4.