Hardship Withdrawal Policy

The Hardship Withdrawal request is filed if extenuating circumstances require students to withdraw from coursework after the official drop date for the term. The drop date can be found here on the Academic Calendar. Students who experience an unexpected occurrence that interferes with their ability to complete their coursework in a given term may petition for a Hardship Withdrawal. Hardship situations must be non-academic in nature. Acceptable reasons for a hardship withdrawal include mental or physical health challenges, military service, or a major life change (homelessness, death of a loved one, illness of dependent, etc.). These are considered extenuating circumstances and must be fully documented as part of the appeal. These extenuating circumstances must occur after the withdrawal deadline for the semester.

Hardship Withdrawal Request Form – Supporting Documentation is Required.

Before requesting a withdrawal, students need to understand the following:

Hardship withdrawals can be requested only after the official withdrawal/drop period. A student wanting to withdraw before midterm must follow the regular withdrawal procedure.

No hardship withdrawals will be considered for prior academic years. Academic years begin in fall semester and end in the summer semester.

Students are considered for hardship withdrawal only if they are making satisfactory academic progress (Grade of D or better in at least one class) prior to the last day to withdraw.

Hardship withdrawals are typically processed as total or complete withdrawals from the college. Partial withdrawals may be approved but the student must provide required documentation that demonstrates how a student’s particular situation impacted some, but not all, courses. There is no monetary refund for a partial withdrawal.

Hardship withdrawals will be made effective after the 60% date in the semester so there will be no refunds. All students who request a hardship withdrawal are instructed to contact Financial Aid and the Bursar to be informed about changes to
their accounts, if any.

Students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive financial aid for future terms. Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured by having a completion rate of at least 67% of all classes attempted, maintaining a 2.0 grade point average or better, and not going over the maximum hours for their program. If a student is not meeting these standards, the student may submit an appeal with Financial Aid. Financial Aid can be contacted at [email protected].

A student who files, or attempts to file, a fraudulent application for a withdrawal to avoid a failing grade or disciplinary action will be considered in violation of the Dalton State College Student Code of Conduct and subject to conduct charges.

There are individual situations which may cause students to believe they should receive a hardship withdrawal. Often, these do not rise to the level of hardship. Two of the more frequently cited circumstances are a lack of knowledge by the student about the midpoint of the semester deadline for dropping classes and transportation failures. Neither of these reasons constitutes the basis for approval of a hardship withdrawal. Other circumstances may exist which also fail to reach the hardship standard.

The Dean of Students will review requests submitted by students. All decisions are communicated to students via their DSC email, and appropriate administrative offices are notified. Questions should be directed to the Dean of Students, Dr. Jami Hall, at 706.272.2505 or [email protected].

Note: If it is determined by the Dean of Students that a student is not capable of completing this process, the student’s parent, guardian, or legal next of kin may act on behalf of the student.