Student Information

Exceptions to Major Requirements

Any exception to a requirement in a major area must have the approval of the division chair of the major area, who will submit the approval in writing to the registrar.

*Leaves of Absence

A leave of absence is a period of time approved by the College during which the student is not in attendance but is considered a student of record.

A leave of absence may be granted to a matriculated Wilson College student on completion of the leave of absence form available in the registrar’s office. A leave of absence for an undergraduate student may not exceed two years. A leave of absence for a graduate student may not exceed one year. When a student returns from a leave of absence, the student returns under the catalog she/he followed before leaving.

A leave of absence is terminated in one of the following ways:

• Return to the College – The student must notify the registrar’s office to register for courses.
• Withdrawal from the College – The student must notify the College of the intent to withdraw. After two years, the student is automatically withdrawn from the College and will need to reapply in order to return.

A leave of absence is not granted for the purpose of taking a course for transfer credit from another institution. A student, working with an academic adviser, must get prior approval from the academic dean for any course from another institution if it is to apply toward Wilson College’s graduation requirements. The student must complete the off-campus study form available in the registrar’s office.

Students may take a leave of absence, provided they complete a leave of absence form that includes all the appropriate signatures and return it to the registrar’s office by the last day of class in the semester. Students who complete this process will receive a “W” for each course that semester. After this date, students may take a leave of absence without academic penalty only for reasons of illness, family crisis or other problems outside of the student’s control and only with prior approval of the Committee on Academic Policy and Procedures.

The official date of the leave of absence will be the date the completed form is returned to the College, not the date the student stopped attending classes. Students who stop attending classes and fail to officially take a leave of absence or withdraw from their course(s) will be assigned the grade of F (failure) for all courses in which they were registered.

Note: Regulations for financial aid may differ from academic regulations. A student should meet with a financial aid counselor to determine the impact of a leave of absence.

*Students Called to Active Duty

Students enrolled in the U.S. military who are called into active duty may be eligible to withdraw from classes without penalty and receive a refund of tuition and fees and room charges and a prorated refund of unused board. A copy of the military orders must be provided to the Registrar’s Office and a leave of absence/withdrawal form must be completed. If the orders are not available until after a student leaves for active duty, s/he should submit a copy to the Registrar's Office when they become available. Filling out the form requires exit meetings with staff in several offices, including Financial Aid, who can provide advice about available options. In accordance with federal regulations, students who receive financial aid benefits may be required to repay a portion of the financial aid received depending upon the point in the semester when the student withdraws. The student would be informed of any repayment obligations during the exit interview with Financial Aid.   Students are responsible for all charges made to the College Store. Students may receive some credit at the Virtual Bookstore depending on the condition of the textbooks and submission of the receipt.

Students who are able to complete most of the semester before they report for active duty may be able to complete the semester rather than withdrawing from their courses.  In this case, arrangements for incompletes must be made with their instructors. Permission to take additional time to complete courses beyond the six weeks allowed through the Academic Regulations may be granted, depending upon the circumstances.

*Short-Term Student Absences

Policies relating to short-term student absences (i.e., funerals, illnesses, medical treatments, pregnancies, etc.) will be determined by individual faculty members.

Student-Athletes: Missed Work

The college has a strong commitment to its NCAA-affiliated athletics program. While academics must take precedence over athletics, we recognize the importance of athletics in the education of Wilson students. Generally, an absence for scheduled athletic events shall be considered an *excused absence, permitting the student to make up the work. However, for appropriate academic reasons, a faculty member may refuse to grant an excused absence. As mandated by the NCAA, the college must have a Faculty Athletics Representative whose duties are listed in this section under number 4.

1. Responsibilities of the Athletics Director (or designee):
   • Make athletic schedules and rosters available.
   • Confirm the academic eligibility of student- athletes.
   • Review attendance of student-athletes during their season.
   • Require study hours of freshman athletes and athletes on academic probation.
   • Meet with athletes on academic probation and with any athlete appearing to have academic difficulties as requested
   • Convey academic regulations, policies and expectations to student-athletes.
   • Attempt to reduce academic conflicts via strategic scheduling of competition and class registration
   • Monitor academic progress.
2. Responsibilities of the Faculty.
   • Grant *excused absences to student-athletes for dates of competition whenever possible.
   • Inform the student of any dates where attendance is mandatory before the final withdrawal date for the course. Ideally these dates should appear on the course synopsis form or on the course syllabus.
   • Attempt to resolve any conflict without imposing an academic penalty on the student.
   • Communicate student-athlete attendance concerns with the Athletics Director and/or the Faculty Athletics Representative.
   • Recognize that postponed games must be made up within 72 hours and in some instances the next day—athletes should inform the faculty as soon as a change is made but the notice may be short due to conference make up regulations.
3. Responsibilities of the Student-Athlete.
   • Recognize that academics take priority over athletics.
   • Attend all classes and complete all assignments in a timely manner.
   • Provide faculty with the Academic Conflict Form to inform them of absences necessitated by scheduled athletics events.
   • Request *excused absences based on the following timeframes:
     • *Home games: Maximum of 90 minutes prior to game time and 30 minutes after the game is completed.
     • *Away games: Maximum of 15 minutes prior to bus departure and return.
   • Inform faculty immediately if a game is postponed and provide the rescheduled date.
   • Expect to make-up all work due to athletics-related absences and initiate communication with faculty member to do so.
   • If a conflict cannot be resolved with the faculty member, inform the Faculty Athletics Representative.
4. Responsibilities of the Faculty-Athletics Representative.

               The Faculty Athletics Representative position is a requirement for membership in

               the NCAA. As stated by the NCAA, the primary duties of the Faculty Athletics 

               Representative are:

   • Maintain the academic integrity of the athletics program.
   • Monitor performance of student-athletes in conjunction with the Registrar.
   • Monitor and facilitate the delivery of academic services to student-athletes.
   • Serve as an ombudsman in the resolution of conflicts relevant to the academic affairs of the student-athlete.
   • Meet with athletics teams to discuss academic policy and expectations of student-athletes.
5. Responsibilities of the Coach

• Recognize that academics take priority over athletics.
• Communicate schedules to athletes at the beginning of season, including leaving and return times.
• Support and enforce the academic regulations policy.
• Conduct team based study hours

*Withdrawal from the College

A student who withdraws from the College plans to leave the College and does not intend to return. If a student is contemplating withdrawing from the College, an appointment should be made with the registrar for advice concerning procedures to be followed. Because such a decision has numerous and broad implications for the student, she/he is advised to discuss the matter with her/his academic adviser, family and the appropriate faculty and staff members.

Students may officially withdraw from the College provided they complete a Withdrawal Form that includes all the appropriate signatures and return it to the registrar’s office by the last day of class in the semester. Students who complete this process will receive a W for each course that semester. After this date, students may withdraw from the College without academic penalty only for reasons of illness, family crises or other problems outside of the student’s control, and only with prior approval of the Committee on Academic Procedures.

The official date of the withdrawal will be the date the completed form is returned to the College, not the date the student stopped attending classes. Students who stop attending classes and fail to officially withdraw from the College will be assigned the grade of F (failure) for all courses in which they were registered.

In order to re-enroll in the College, a student must reapply and follow all the appropriate admissions procedures. When a student is readmitted to the College, she/he must follow the current catalog.

Note: Regulations for financial aid may differ from academic regulations. A student should meet with a financial aid counselor to determine the impact of withdrawing from the College.