Excessive Unexcused Absences
During the fall or spring semester, students having more than an equivalent of two (2) weeks of unexcused absences in a semester-long in-seat or online course will be notified that administrative withdrawal from the course is imminent, pending immediate communication from the student with the professor. For online courses, an absence means that the student has not contributed substantially to the class at least once in the week for which attendance has been taken. A "substantial contribution" is defined as posting to an assigned discussion forum, submitting an assignment, completing a quiz/exam, or any other academic activity required for that specific instructional week of the course. If the student fails to meet this minimum requirement, the student will be counted absent for that instructional week. If the student goes on to accumulate more than an equivalent of three (3) weeks of unexcused absences in the course, the student will be administratively withdrawn from the course. If the student is administratively withdrawn from a course:
- The student will receive a grade of W for the course if it occurs before the end of the last day to withdraw from a course in a term. Financial aid may be affected and housing may be in jeopardy if the student is living on campus.
- The student will receive a grade of X after the last day to withdraw from a course in a term, and up to the last three calendar weeks of the term. Housing may be in jeopardy if the student is living on campus.
Students will not be administratively withdrawn on this basis during the last three calendar weeks of the term (two weeks of class plus finals week). Instead, the student will receive the earned grade at the end of the term when grades are recorded.
As with semester-long online courses, in online courses eight weeks or shorter during fall, spring, and summer terms, an absence means that the student has not contributed substantially to the class at least once in the week for which attendance has been taken. However, the student may be absent not at all in a four-week course, no more than once in a five- or six-week course, and no more than twice in an eight-week course to remain in the course without the professor's permission. A W grade will be awarded to a student in any online course when the student voluntarily withdraws by the end of the first week of class. Thereafter, an X grade will be awarded when a professor reports to the registrar that a student has been absent more than the maximum times allowed and wishes the student to be administratively withdrawn.
Note: If administrative withdrawal from a course results in the student's enrollment falling below full-time status (minimum 12 hours), the student's financial aid, athletic eligibility, campus housing, and any other factor that requires full-time status may be impacted.
Appeal Process: Students administratively withdrawn from a course on the grounds of excessive unexcused absences may apply for reinstatement to that course within a week (seven calendar days) of the withdrawal. To accomplish this, the student must complete the required appeal application (on the MVNU Portal at Student Resources/Academic Resources/Excessive Unexcused Absences Appeal Application). The application must be submitted electronically to Academic Affairs, which will seek input from others, including (but not limited to) Center for Student Success personnel, the student's advisor, and the student's professor for the course at issue. Students appealing the administrative withdrawal are required to continue attending the course up through the time of their final decision. The final decision will rest with Academic Affairs and cannot be appealed.