Medical Withdrawal Policy

Medical and Compassionate Withdrawal Policy 

The University recognizes that severe, unforeseen personal, medical, or extenuating circumstances may arise that prohibit a student from continuing and completing their coursework within a given semester.  This may be a result of personal illness or injury; the illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member; required military relocation or job transfer out of the area; or other extenuating circumstances that may warrant a medical or compassionate (hereinafter referred to as “medical”) withdrawal.

Students may be eligible to apply for a partial or for a full medical withdrawal. To be eligible for a partial or full medical withdrawal, the student must submit sufficient documentation to support the withdrawal request. The following information pertains to the documentation required and the process to follow when submitting the request.

Partial Medical Withdrawal 

A Partial Medical Withdrawal consists of withdrawing from one or multiple courses in which a student is enrolled. This request must be completed and turned in prior to the week of finals or before final grades are posted, whichever occurs first, to be considered for review.

Full Medical Withdrawal

A Full Medical Withdrawal consists of withdrawing from all courses in which a student is enrolled. This request must be completed and turned in prior to the withdrawal deadline of the following term.

Request & Documentation Process

This request must be:

• Made within the medical withdrawal deadlines listed above.
• Accompanied by specific supporting documentation:  
  -Medical documentation from a licensed health care provider directly caring for the student
  -Medical documentation from a licensed healthcare provider stating you were the primary caregiver of the ill immediate family member
• A copy of the death certificate if the request is due to circumstances surrounding the death of an immediate family member
• Military transfer orders or employment verification if the request is related to a relocation
• Accompanied by a personal statement specifying how the medical condition or personal circumstance directly impacted coursework or the ability to attend class.

Contact Disability Support Services at medwithdrawals@ju.edu for additional information and/or click on the box below to open the request application form.

View Form & Guidelines

All medical withdrawal decisions are final.

A medical withdrawal, when granted, impacts a student’s academic registration only. Any appeals regarding tuition and fees paid will be determined by the Office of Student Financial Assistance committee. Please reach out to them directly at tuitionappeals@ju.edu to inquire about this process. 

 

For situations occurring after the medical withdrawal deadline, students may send an appeal to the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students or their designee for a medical withdrawal from the University.  The student will have to present medical documentation (or other supporting documentation) that supports the extenuating circumstances that would have prevented the student from applying at an earlier date.

For students enrolled in a program with clinical requirements, please be aware that the late request process will include the following steps:

1. If you had extenuating circumstances that prevented you from applying during this timeline, please make sure you add a statement indicating the situation and/or reasoning. 
2. Your faculty members will receive an email from us requesting input about your progression in the term and/or any additional information they may have. 
3. Your academic program will be notified that you have made this request, as well as once a decision is made, but it’s important to note that the information provided for this process will not be shared with them. 
4. Any decision made by this committee will not change any decision already made by your academic program and will only change your academic report. If approved, you will have a “w” instead of a grade.

If a student is involved in a Code of Conduct violation(s) occurring prior to the submittal of a medical withdrawal request, the sanction(s) assigned for the violation will take precedence over the medical withdrawal process.  

Questions about this policy should be directed to the Student Life Office (Davis Student Commons, third floor, 904-256-7067).