Military Withdrawal & Leave of Absence Policy

An enrolled student who is a member of the Armed Forces (including reserve components), receives orders, and is called to duty may elect a military withdrawal or take a military leave of absence from their covered education. Covered education means a course paid for with educational assistance furnished under a law administered by the Secretary (38 U.S.C. §3691A(c)). Furthermore, a currently enrolled student who is the immediate family member of a service member called to duty may elect to take a military leave of absence. Eligible students should contact the offices of Veteran & Military Connection and Student Life for assistance with the following policies and procedures.

Military Withdrawal Policy

An enrolled student who is a member of the Armed Forces may initiate a military withdrawal from all enrolled courses for a term due to military orders if the student does not intend to complete the course work. A military withdrawal may happen immediately prior to or after an academic term begins in which the student is enrolled. A student should request a military withdrawal prior to departure or within four weeks of their return from duty.

Military Withdrawal Options, Related Fee Refunds, and Academic Record Impacts

1. Withdrawing From the University (all courses) Before Term Start - Students receiving military orders prior to the beginning of an academic term may elect to withdraw from the university for an upcoming term.
   1. Students will receive a 100% refund of all fees, including deposits and all housing¹ and meal plan fees.
   2. Students may elect to have their deposits applied to a future term.
   3. No academic record for that term will be recorded for the student. 
2. Withdrawing From the University (all courses) After Term Start - Students receiving military orders for service during their active term of enrollment after the academic term begins may choose to withdraw from the university.
   1. Students will receive a full refund of academic (deposit, tuition and segregated) fees, a full refund of housing¹ fees, and a prorated refund of meal plan fees based upon the unused portion of the fee. Students must move their belongings out of the residence hall unless special arrangements have been made with the residence life staff. The housing refund will be issued after prompt, proper, and completed checkout.
   2. No withdrawal fee will be assessed.
   3. The student's academic record will show the notation: "Withdrew (date)." No credit will be earned. Emergency Withdrawal Passing grades of "EP" will be recorded for each course if withdrawal is after the last day to drop without a "W;" these grades do not affect GPA. No "EF" grade will be recorded. A student must repeat the course to earn credit. 
3. Withdrawing From Some But Not All Courses Within A Term - Students may elect to maintain enrollment in some courses and withdraw from others within the term in which they must depart for military orders. For example, a student may be able to complete all the coursework for a short term class prior to deployment later in the term, may have completed enough of a class to receive a final grade, or may choose to take an incomplete in some courses (see Military Leave of Absence Policy).
   1. Students will receive a 100% refund of academic fees (deposit, tuition and segregated) only for those courses from which the student withdraws and the course load drops below the minimum credits in the tuition plateau. Refunds of special course fees will be reviewed on an individual basis. Students will receive a full refund of housing¹ fees and a prorated refund of meal plan fees based upon the unused portion of the fee. Students must move their belongings out of the residence hall unless special arrangements have been made with the residence life staff. The housing refund will be issued after prompt, proper, and completed checkout. 
   2. Final grades on courses completed will be submitted, recorded and calculated into the GPA according to standard procedures. For the courses in which the student elects to withdraw, Emergency Withdrawal Passing grades of "EP" will be recorded for each course if withdrawal is after the last day to drop without a "W; these grades do not affect GPA. No "EF" grade will be recorded. A student must repeat the withdrawn course to earn credit. 

Military Withdrawal Financial Aid Policy

1. All academic (deposit, tuition and segregated) fees paid for the academic term will be refunded to the appropriate party. The Veteran Administration's (VA) interpretation of academic term is the term as reported to the State Approving Agency and VA.
2. Perkins Loan recipients will be granted a military deferment that will relieve the borrower of repayment responsibility while on active duty.
3. Stafford/Federal Direct Loan recipients should contact their lender or guarantee agency to request that their loans be maintained in an in-school status which will relieve them of repayment responsibility while on active duty for a period of up to three years. If needed, the Financial Aid Office will contact the lender or guarantee agency on behalf of the student. The National Student Clearinghouse file will not indicate in-school status.
4. Students may need to appeal satisfactory academic progress in future semester, (i.e. pace or maximum time frame requirements). Deployment will be considered in the appeal process.

Military Withdrawal Re-entry Policy

1. Students who withdrew from the university due to military orders are guaranteed re-entry to the university.
2. The usual re-entry application fee will be waived upon request.
3. On-campus housing will be guaranteed.
4. Readmission decisions for specific programs, if necessary because of academic standing, will be made on an individual basis.

Military Leave of Absence

A military leave of absence is a period of time the student must be absent from class due to military orders or other legitimate military obligations. A military leave of absence start and end dates are determined by the military period of service. Both members of the Armed Forces and immediate family members of military members are eligible to take a military leave of absence.

If the military leave of absence occurs within a term, the student may still be able to complete the work of the course upon their return. For situations where the student is unable to make up the work by the end of the term, students who are military members may elect to withdraw from the university or individual courses following the Military Withdrawal Policy and procedures or take an incomplete in their course(s). Students who are immediate family members of military members who elect to withdraw should refer to the Withdrawal from UWL Policy or the Individual Class Withdrawal Policy, and are subject to the rules and deadlines of those policies.

Military Leave of Absence Options and Academic Record Impacts

Enrolled students in military service and their immediate family members shall not be penalized for absences of any length of time due to military orders. However, students are not relieved from completing missed assignments or work. Therefore, students who elect a military leave of absence from their education should choose one or a combination of the following options prior to the military service period or within four weeks of returning from service:

1. Return to Complete Academic Term² - A student may elect to return after the military leave of absence and complete remaining coursework before the end of the academic term.
   1. If the student misses more than 10 percent of the class, discussion with the instructor is required to return to complete the class within the academic term. If completing the coursework by the end of the academic term is not practical, students should pursue a withdrawal from the course or an incomplete. If the service member is the student pursuing the withdrawal due to their own military service obligation, they should follow the Military Withdrawal process. Immediate family members should follow the university's standard withdrawal processes.
   2. Final grades will be submitted, recorded and calculated into the GPA according to standard procedures.
2. Incomplete² - Students may take an incomplete ("I") grade for any courses during the term in which the military leave of absence is granted and finish the work upon returning from the military leave of absence. 
   1. Students must discuss this option with the instructor before an incomplete ("I") grade will be granted. Incomplete grades will be assigned by the instructor during the standard grading period within the term. 
   2. The unfinished coursework should be completed within the one year timeline indicated by the university's Incomplete Grade Policy. However, this timeline may be extended beyond the standard year upon request by instructor or due to the length of the military leave of absence. 
   3. Students are not eligible for the refund of academic fees (deposit, tuition and segregated) or special course fees for courses in which incompletes ("I") are granted, but military service members are eligible for a full refund of housing¹ fees and a prorated meal plan fee if they do not plan to return to campus before the end of term.
   4. Students may also request to withdraw from a course, in which they were originally granted an incomplete due to a military service obligation, if the grade lapses to a failing grade due to the standard incomplete rules and timelines. Service members will receive a 100% refund of tuition and fees for this withdrawal; however, family members are subject to the standard course refund schedule.
   5. See the university's Incomplete Grade Policy for more details on the impact of an incomplete ("I") grade to the academic record.

Additional Policy Information

Military students and their immediate family members currently enrolled at UWL shall not be penalized for medical appointments at a VA facility and other legitimate and unavoidable military obligations, determined by the UWL Veteran Services staff, that are not required by orders. Unavoidable absences outside of military orders are not to exceed ten percent of instruction hours unless given special permission by the instructor to exceed ten percent. Students are not relieved from completing missed assignments or work.

For students who have completed enough work during the impacted term to receive permanent/final passing grades, those will be submitted, recorded and calculated into the GPA according to standard procedures.

Students may elect a combination of withdrawing from individual courses, taking an incomplete, accepting the final earned grade, and/or returning to complete coursework within the term, depending on their particular situation. Tuition and fees apply accordingly. 

Related US Code and Veterans Administration Regulations

1. 38 USC § 3691A
2. 38 CFR § 21.7576(e)(1)(ii)

Student Life

149 Graff Main Hall
608.785.8062
studentlife@uwlax.edu