Military Withdrawal Policy

Re:

Administrative Withdrawal Policy for Involuntary Uniformed Service Mobilization

Purpose:

To establish policy and procedures surrounding administrative withdrawals for military service members through the academic appeal process and in accordance to Board of Regents policy ( AA 2.21 Uniformed Service Mobilization).

Objective:

Provide military-connected students with written policy relating to academic appeal procedures associated with unexpected mobilization.

General Policy:

In certain circumstances, the Registrar’s Office may process academic appeals as an administrative withdrawal in order to remove enrollment, tuition, and fees from an active or activated service member’s account. An administrative withdrawal will only be granted in circumstances where the military-connected student is unexpectedly mobilized or activated, and military orders are provided as evidence to support their academic appeal. This does not include pre-scheduled training or scheduled active deployment periods.

The service-connected deployment should have interfered, or have the potential to interfere, with the student completing the term being appealed. The decision to administratively withdraw a student from their classes lies with the Office of the Registrar and is based upon documentation presented with the student’s academic appeal. It should be noted that appeals will not be considered if the term is complete and the student has taken any finals for classes on their schedule. All students receiving Veterans assistance, military funding, or scholarships should consult with the Veterans Services Coordinator prior to submitting an appeal about the potential financial impact of an administrative withdrawal. Students will be held responsible for repayment of financial aid where applicable.

Procedure:

In order to be considered for an administrative withdrawal, service-connected students must follow the guidelines for submitting an academic appeal to the Office of the Registrar. Their submission must include military orders and last dates of attendance from their professors. Appeals will be considered based off of the documentation provided.

Students can obtain a copy of the academic appeal form from the Office of the Registrar’s website. Keep in mind, a detailed explanation is necessary with every appeal. The student must complete this explanation or the appeal will be considered incomplete.

An appeal to withdraw, or backdate a withdrawal, must contain all of the following in order to be considered:

• A letter from each instructor of record reporting the student’s last date of attendance in the class. There must be one date reported for each class on the student’s schedule. Appeals without these dates will be considered incomplete.
• A copy of the student’s military orders

When the appeal is complete and includes all required documentation and dates, it should be delivered to the Office of the Registrar for consideration.

• If the appeal is incomplete, it will not be considered further. Notification will be sent to the student’s official University of New Orleans email by the Office of the Registrar.
• If the appeal is complete and contains all necessary documentation, it will be forwarded to the Registrar for final approval. Whether denied or approved, notification will be sent to the student’s official University of New Orleans email by the Office of the Registrar once a decision is made.

Responsibility:

It is the charge of the Office of the Registrar staff member who oversees the academic appeal process to conduct an administrative withdrawal where deemed appropriate by the Registrar.

It is the charge of the Registrar to ensure that all appeals associated with uniformed service mobilization be approved and processed in accordance with University and Board of Regents regulations.