Drops & Withdrawals

 

A "Course Drop", which will be recorded on your transcript as a "W", is defined as an affected credit course not completed by an undergraduate who is enrolled in the course on the census date.

A "Withdrawal" is when you drop all of your courses during a semester. A complete withdrawal will not count towards your six-drop limit.

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Drop Limits:

Under Texas law, students entering a Texas public institution of higher education will not be allowed to drop more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career.  All college-level courses that are dropped after the date of record are included in this six-course limit.  This includes courses dropped at any other Texas public college or university.

Once a student has accumulated a total of six drops (from WCJC and/or any other Texas public institution), that student may not drop any additional courses. Students will be required to stay enrolled in all future courses and the instructor will be required to award a student a grade of A, B, C, D, or F.

Students are required to submit all college/university transcripts for the purposes of identifying all dropped courses that a student may have on their record prior to entering WCJC. The total number of drops from all transfer institutions and WCJC may not exceed six.

Until all official transcripts are received from all colleges and universities, students will be allowed to register (add or drop) until the official add/drop period is over. After that time, students will not be allowed to drop until all transcripts are received and reviewed for six-drop status.

Exceptions:

Exceptions to the six-drop limit may be made in instances where a student can prove “good cause” for dropping a class.  Dropping a course for a “good cause” includes:

• A severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course;
• The student’s responsibility for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person if the provision of that care affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course;
• The death of a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s death is considered to be a showing of good cause;
• The active duty service as a member of the Texas National Guard or the armed forces of the United States of either the student or a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s active military service is considered to be a showing of good cause;
• The change of the student’s work schedule that is  beyond the control of the student, and that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course; or
• Other good causes as determined by Wharton County Junior College.

Approval of good cause requires that the student provide official and appropriate documentation of third-party verification for the qualified exclusion to be included in the student’s official educational record at Wharton County Junior College.  The documentation must be attached to the WCJC drop form.

Exclusions:

Drops from the following types of courses are excluded from the course drop limit:

• Students who entered college before fall 2007.
• Courses taken by students while enrolled in high school – whether for dual credit or early admission. Once a student has graduated from high school, drops will begin to count.
• Courses dropped at private or out-of-state institutions.
• Remedial or developmental courses, workforce education courses, or other courses that would not generate undergraduate credit that could be applied to a degree.
• Drops that meet the definition of a complete withdrawal.

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If you believe that you have provided proper documentation for an exemption and have been denied the exemption you have the right to appeal. The appeal process will be as follows:

Within five (5) business days after being denied an exemption, you must submit an appeal to the Director of Admissions and Registration with:

• A written statement explaining the reason you believe the decision to not be granted an exemption to the six-drop rule was capricious and arbitrary.
• Copies of documents to support the request for an exemption.

The WCJC Registrar will respond within five (5) days, in writing, to you regarding their review of the appeal and their decision to grant or deny the appeal. If the appeal is denied, you will be directed to Wharton County Junior College Administrative Policy FLD for further steps of action.

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