Cancellation, Withdrawal, and Suspension

PURPOSE

This memorandum is to define a cancellation, a withdrawal, and a suspension and to describe the steps necessary to process each of them.

1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Once a student has registered and it becomes necessary to terminate the registration, there are three possible courses of action that may be taken. These are cancellation, withdrawal, and suspension. The one to be used depends upon the circumstances in each individual case.

2. CANCELLATION

A cancellation is, in effect, the same as not having a registration at all. No entry is made on the permanent record and no tuition or fees are charged.

1. A Registration Cancellation will be processed on any student who has a Registration Cancellation University stop imposed on the tuition and fees due date (Spring, First Summer Session, Second Summer Session, and Fall). A Cancellation Notice will be mailed to the student's grade/billing address if any one of the following stops exists on a student's record at the time cancellations are processed: University Cashier (BH/C1), Undergraduate Admissions (A1), Arts and Sciences Dean's Office (DA), or Student Health Services (H3).
   
   
2. A Registration Cancellation will also be processed on any student who has an Academic Eligibility stop (E1, E2, ED, EG). This is separate from the cancellation process above and is done twice a year - January (after the fall term) and August (after the summer terms).
   
   
3. A Registration Cancellation will be processed and a notice will be sent to a student if the student fails to register for courses during the Early Registration period and no courses are present on the student's record as of the tuition and fees due date each term. This situation normally occurs when either the student drops all their courses prior to the end of early registration, or only waitlisted courses are on their schedule.
   
   
4. Students may call, request in writing, or come by the University Registrar's Office prior to the beginning of classes and request a "Registration Cancellation" and the cancellation request will be processed when the request is received. On the first day of class, if a student wishes to cancel his/her registration for the term, the student must contact his/her Dean's Office. (Normally, if a student attends any classes once the term begins, and then wishes to discontinue attendance for the term, the student must process an official withdrawal.)
   
   
5. School Dean's Offices can process a cancellation by dropping all of a student's courses on-line before the first day of class, or complete a "Cancellation Form" and submit it to the University Registrar's Office for processing.

3. WITHDRAWAL

Students withdrawing from the University should complete an official withdrawal through the appropriate University office before the end of classes during a semester or summer session. An official withdrawal constitutes an honorable dismissal from the University and may facilitate readmission. Failure to withdraw officially results in the assignment of an AB course grade, which is computed as an F grade in establishing grade point averages and academic eligibility. This means that a student will also be responsible for the tuition and fee payments associated with the course(s).

1. Medical Withdrawal. If a student decides to withdraw for reasons of illness, the student should contact the Student Health Service, whether the treatment was received there or elsewhere. If a medical withdrawal is authorized, the official withdrawal will be handled through the Office of the Director of the Student Health Service. A medical withdrawal is effected without grades and without a semester-in-residence.
   
   
2. Academic Withdrawal. If a student decides to withdraw for reasons other than illness, or if a medical withdrawal cannot be authorized, the student must contact his/her Dean's Office. An official withdrawal involves the completion of an "Application for Withdrawal" form which can be obtained in the student's School Dean's Office. The student must obtain clearance signatures from course instructors and certain University offices, as determined by the Dean's Office, before the form is submitted. In determining an undergraduate student's eligibility for readmission the following conditions apply:
   
   
   1. Withdrawal from a fall or spring semester is recorded without grades and without a semester-in-residence if initiated prior to the eighth week of class, or if the withdrawal is initiated after the eighth week of class but prior to the end of classes and is accompanied by the recording of less than six hours of F grades for that semester's work.
      
      
   2. Withdrawal from a fall or spring is recorded with grades and a semester-in-residence is awarded if the withdrawal is initiated after the sixth week of class but before the end of classes and is accompanied by the recording of six or more academic hours of F grades for that semester's work.
      
      
   3. Withdrawal from a summer session is not counted as a semester-in-residence. However, failing grades are recorded if the student is reported as below passing in more than one academic course. Students enrolled as summer session visitors must withdraw through the Office of the Director of the Summer School.

   If a student completes an official withdrawal during any term (fall, spring, and summer sessions) tuition and fees will be prorated. See "Important Dates" for each term and the related percentage of credit for amount of prorated refund: http://cashier.unc.edu/impodates.htm. For other important information, see also "Important Information for Students Leaving the University"

   If students withdraw from the University and they receive financial aid funds prior to the date of withdrawal, they may be expected to repay a portion of the funds to the aid program(s). The repayment will be calculated by the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid when the student is cleared by that office at the time of withdrawal.
   
   

3. Retroactive Withdrawal. Once classes have ended for a term, committee approval is required for a withdrawal. If there are medical/psychological reasons, Counseling and Psychological Services will authorize a withdrawal after the last day of class but before the beginning of final examinations (can be done on reading day[s]).

   Appeals for exceptions on the basis of extraordinary circumstances must be addressed to the appeals committee of the administrative board of the college or school having jurisdiction over the student during the semester or summer session in question. The decision of that appeals committee is final.

4. SUSPENSION

Students may be suspended through the honor system for disciplinary infractions or by their dean for neglect of duty.

1. The Office of the University Registrar will be notified by the Office of Student Affairs when a student has been suspended for disciplinary reasons and by the Dean of the School or College concerned if the suspension is for neglect of duty.
   
   
2. Suspensions will be processed generally in the same way as a medical withdrawal. The University Registrar will notify only the Cashier's Office. A "withdrawal letter" will not be forwarded by the University Registrar to the student, the student's parents' or any other office on campus. Internal notification regarding suspensions (except for the Cashier's Office) is handled by the Office of Student Affairs.