Withdrawals from the University of Houston

• Withdrawal Defined
• Official Term-Withdrawal
• University Withdrawal
  Financial Withdrawal | Financial Responsibility | Undergraduate Medical Withdrawal | Undergraduate Administrative Withdrawal

Withdrawal

The term withdrawal applies to the dropping of all courses for which students are enrolled (registered) at the University of Houston, and it may be initiated by students.

Official Term Withdrawal

In addition to following the procedure for dropping a course, students must return all library books and laboratory equipment and have their UH record clear in every respect. Students who wish to withdraw must complete the Student Request for Official Withdrawal form and submit to the Registrar's Office in the Welcome Center, or fax it to 713-743-8342.

The recorded date for withdrawal will be the date the withdrawal is processed by the Registrar's Office.

Students whose enrollment in a course is terminated on or before the last day to drop or withdraw without receiving a grade (a date listed in the academic calendar) will not have courses or grades appear on permanent records. When terminations are made after this date, permanent records will show grades of W for each withdrawn course and the date of withdrawal.

Withdrawal from the university is exempted from the 6W count.

Students are responsible for initiating action to withdraw from classes on or before the last day to withdraw. Students who fail to do so will be retained on the class rolls even though they may be absent for the remainder of the semester. In such instances grades of F (or U in S/U graded courses) will be given unless mitigating circumstances warrant grades of I (incomplete).

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University Withdrawal

In addition to suspension for academic or disciplinary causes, students may be withdrawn by the university for medical or financial reasons.

1. Financial Withdrawal

Students who make payment on their account with checks which are returned to the university for insufficient funds or who fail to pay by designated deadlines will be withdrawn from the university without refund. Students who are financially withdrawn after the last day to drop or withdraw without a grade will receive "W" or "F" grades only for the semester.

Note: Students with two or more returned checks must make payment on their account by cash, cashier's check, money order, or credit card. No checks - personal or otherwise - will be accepted.

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2. Financial Responsibility

Students incur charges for a variety of services provided by the university. It is the expectation, as well as a condition of enrollment at the University of Houston, that students satisfy their financial responsibilities in a timely fashion. Individuals who fail to do so will incur the sanctions outlined in this section.

Students who illegally enroll at the University of Houston by (a) failing to pay past due balances at any other University of Houston campus, (b) providing the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid with false information for purposes of obtaining financial assistance, or (c) presenting a check for enrollment expenses that is returned by the university's bank, will have 10 calendar days to legitimize their enrollment. The 10 days will begin on the date the university mails notification to the student specifying what action the student must take to correct existing deficiencies. Failure of a student to respond within the 10-day period to a notice of a returned check for the initial fee payment will result in the student being financially disenrolled from the university.

Students who write or produce two bad checks (unless due to bank error) to the university for tuition and fees, or for any other university obligation, forfeit check-writing privileges for one year and must petition for future eligibility. This means that students must meet financial obligations by cash, cashier's check, money order, or credit card only. No personal checks from the student or anyone representing the student will be accepted.

In addition, a student who has tendered to the university a check returned unpaid by the bank will be assessed a $20 service charge. Any time payment is not made by the due date indicated, a late fee will be assessed, and a financial stop placed on any balance of $10 or greater.

Students who fail to make their first payment indicated on their initial fee bill may be canceled from their courses for non-payment and their records will reflect no enrollment. Students who make their initial payment then fail to make subsequent payment by the final payment deadline provided will be subject to the following sanctions:

• A $50 severance of service fee will be assessed on balances greater than $200.
• Financial stops will be placed on accounts with unpaid balances, preventing further enrollment until cleared by the Student Financial Services Office.
• No degree will be conferred to a student or former student until financial obligations have been satisfied.
• University housing may be denied.
• Transcripts or statements regarding courses or prior credits will not be provided to or on behalf of a student who is in default on any payment to the university.
• Non-payment by the end of the semester may result in transfer of the student's account to the Collections Office and assessment of a collection fee of at least 25 percent of the outstanding balance.
• Continued delinquency will result in the placement of the account with an external collection agency

Grade changes as a result of non-payment, dropping courses, or withdrawing from the university will not relieve the student of unmet financial obligations to the university.

Stopping payment on a check used to pay tuition and fees is not sufficient notice of withdrawal from the courses and will not release students from their financial obligation for those courses.

The University of Houston is a state of Texas institution of higher education, which means that payment of a specified portion of the student's account balance (determined by the payment plan a student chooses) is a condition of enrollment. Courses will be canceled for students who do not pay their minimum enrollment (registration) and tuition fees by the assigned time. Should courses be canceled, students may enroll (register) or reenroll during the next enrollment (registration) cycle if one exists.

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3. Undergraduate Medical Withdrawal

A student may request withdrawals from all courses in which the student is enrolled in cases where the student experiences a medical situation that impedes academic progress. The policy and procedures for requesting a medical withdrawal follow.

1. Policy: Undergraduate and Postbaccalaureate Students
   
   1. The senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative) may grant medical withdrawals at any time to students who must withdraw for medical reasons from all courses for which they are enrolled (registered) at the University of Houston. It is expected that the request will be filed as soon as possible, no later than 140 calendar days after the close of the term in which the coursework was taken.
   2. Students who receive medical withdrawals after the last day to withdraw without receiving a grade shall normally receive a W in each course for which they were enrolled (registered), although the instructor has the option of assigning an I or F.
   3. Students may not receive medical withdrawals for courses in which they have been found guilty of a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy. If a medical withdrawal is completed prior to a guilty finding, the student will become liable for the Academic Honesty penalty, including F grades.
   4. Students who receive medical withdrawals must obtain permission from the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (or designated representative) to enroll again at the University of Houston.
2. Procedures
   1. Students (or their appointed representatives if they are unable to act for themselves) who seek to withdraw for medical reasons from all courses for which they are enrolled (registered) at the
      university shall, as soon as possible, submit a medical withdrawal request to the senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative), submitting all appropriate documentation, including a statement from a physician or psychologist, with their written request.
   2. The senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative) shall
      1. review each request and its accompanying
         documentation,
      2. make inquiries and seek recommendations from instructors of record and others as appropriate,
      3. decide whether to approve or deny the request,
      4. inform both the student and the dean of the college of the student's major of the decision in writing, and
      5. if the request is approved, place a medical withdrawal enrollment "stop" on the student's record unless otherwise noted by physician, clinical psychologist or licensed clinical practitioner.
   3. If the medical withdrawal is requested with an effective date after the last day for a student to withdraw from classes without receiving a grade, the senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative) shall, in making inquiries and seeking recommendations from each instructor of record, notify each that if approved, the withdrawal will normally result in a grade of W.
   4. The senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative) shall determine the student's final grade when approving the request, and shall inform the student and each instructor's dean, the Registrar's Office (which will enter the assigned grades into the student's record), the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, and the Student Financial Services Department.
   5. Students who receive medical withdrawals and later seek to return to the university shall submit a written request, including a statement from a physician or psychologist, to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (or designated representative) justifying their readiness to resume their studies.
      1. review each request to resume study at the university,
      2. make inquiries and seek recommendations as appropriate,
      3. decide whether to approve or deny the request,
      4. inform both the student and the dean of the college of the student's major of the decision in writing, and
      5. if the request is approved, remove the medical withdrawal enrollment "stop" from the student's record. (This action does not remove any other "stops" that may have been placed on the student's record by other university officials.

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4. Undergraduate Administrative Withdrawal

A student may request withdrawals from all courses in which the student is enrolled in cases when the student experiences an extenuating personal or family situation, beyond the control of the student, that impedes academic progress. The policy and procedures for requesting an administrative withdrawal follow.

1. Policy: Undergraduate and Postbaccalaureate Students
   
   1. The senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative) may grant administrative withdrawals at any time to a student who must withdraw from all courses for which he or she is enrolled (registered) at the University of Houston based on an extenuating circumstance beyond the control of the student. It is expected that the request will be filed as soon as possible, no later than 140 days after the close of the term in which the coursework was taken.
   2. Students who receive administrative withdrawals after the last day to withdraw without receiving a grade shall normally receive a W in each course for which they were enrolled (registered), although the instructor has the option of assigning an I or F.
   3. Students may not receive Administrative Withdrawals for courses in which they have been found guilty of a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy. If an Administrative Withdrawal is completed prior to a guilty finding, the student will become liable for the Academic Honesty penalty, including F grades.
2. Procedures
   1. Students (or their appointed representatives if they are unable to act for themselves) who seek to withdraw for administrative reasons from all courses for which they are enrolled (registered) at the university shall, as soon as possible, submit an administrative withdrawal request to the senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative), submitting all appropriate documentation, including a statement from a physician, psychologist or legal advisor, with their written requests. In the event of death of an immediate family member (mother, father, grandparent, sister, brother, child, spouse) an official death certificate will be required.
   2. The senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative) shall
      1. review each request and its accompanying documentation,
      2. make inquiries and seek recommendations from instructors of record and others as appropriate,
      3. decide whether to approve or deny the request,
      4. inform both the student and the dean of the college of the student's major of the decision in writing, and
   3. If the administrative withdrawal is requested with an effective date after the last day for a student to withdraw from classes without receiving a grade, the senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative) shall, in making inquiries and seeking recommendations from each instructor of record, notify each that if approved, the withdrawal will normally result in a grade of W.
   4. The senior vice president for academic affairs (or designated representative) shall determine the student's final grade when approving the request, and shall inform the student and each instructor's dean, the Registrar's Office (which will enter the assigned grades into the student's record), the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, and the Student Financial Services Department.

 

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Catalog Publish Date: August 18, 2011
This Page Last Updated: August 24, 2011
Effective Date of Archive: August 20, 2012