Revised Student Withdrawal Policy

Beginning this fall session, it will be the sole responsibility of the student to withdraw from a course. A student may withdraw from a course within the term prior to the 90 percent point of that course.

What does this mean for you?
1. Please update your syllabi, if you include withdrawal information.
2. Please communicate to students that it's their responsibility to formally withdraw from your class if they need to drop your course and that you will NOT be withdrawing them for attendance, participation, or any other issue. The revised policy and procedure for withdrawals are included with this communication.
3. Faculty may not issue a "W" to any student for any reason. Faculty may issue an “N” to any student who never attended.

What is the rationale for this change?
1. It respects the autonomy of students and encourages student
    self-responsibility.
2. It prevents unintentional harm to a student’s life, federal financial aid, car and health insurance eligibility, and employment.
3. It allows students access to the final grade dispute procedure.
4. It provides a consistent interpretation of the withdrawal policy, thus avoiding confusion for students, faculty, and staff.

Questions about the grading process?
Contact JLHoege[at] matcmadison [dot] edu (Jennifer Hoege) at (608) 246-6944.

Questions about use of Faculty Center?
Contact fmoritz[at] matcmadison [dot] edu (Fran Moritz) at (608) 243-4233.

NOTE: Prior to the policy change, outreach efforts to collect faculty feedback were conducted over two years, including an online survey in which 440 faculty/staff participated (386 faculty and 54 staff). Eight-two percent (82%) of the 440 survey respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that this policy change should be adopted by our college.