2.64 – Administrative Withdrawal from a Course
A. Purpose
Establish a procedure by which students can be withdrawn or dropped from a course due to lack of attendance.
B. Policy
Students will be administratively withdrawn from a course due to lack of attendance.
C. Procedures
It is the responsibility of instructors and select college personnel to withdraw a student from a course due to lack of attendance.
Once a student has enrolled in a credit class, enrollment in the class is maintained throughout the semester unless the student officially drops, is removed for non-payment, or is withdrawn by the instructor for meeting the administrative withdrawal criterion once the term begins.
Instructors shall maintain accurate class attendance in a college-sanctioned electronic system. Attendance that is reported for seated, hybrid or live-online classes should ideally be updated each day of class, but no less than once per week. Online courses should have at least one activity per week to track student participation.
To facilitate proper financial aid disbursement, instructors will withdraw any student who has never attended a class by the date set for roster verification.
An instructor will administratively withdraw a student from class if the student has not attended the class for 14 consecutive calendar days (including holidays, college closures, breaks, and weekends). Withdrawals should occur on the fourteenth day of non-attendance. If class will not be held again prior to the fourteenth day after their last absence, the student should be withdrawn.
An instructor, upon their discretion, can have the administratively withdrawn student re-enrolled by providing the course and student information to the Office of Academic Affairs. This should occur only after the instructor and student have developed a mutually agreed upon plan for academic success.
In rare instances, the Title IX coordinator, dean of students, or their designee may contact the instructor and dean or academic administrator to request that the instructor refrain from administratively withdrawing a student who has met the withdrawal threshold. This exception applies when the student has federal or other protections that require their continued enrollment. Should a request of this nature be made, the requesting office will keep the instructor and dean or academic administrator apprised of the status so that if an administrative withdrawal is indicated, the instructor can complete the withdrawal in a timely manner. Non-attendance and withdrawal from a course may reduce the amount of financial aid a student receives, delay graduation, or necessitate repayment of aid already received and does not relieve a student of their obligation to pay the tuition and fees due to the college.
D. Definitions
Attendance is defined as being physically present during a class meeting or actively participating in an online course by completing an academic assignment.
Administrative withdrawal is defined as the instructor or other college personnel dis-enrolling a student from a class due to lack of attendance.
Face-to-face courses are taught at an OTC location by an instructor in a designated room and at a designated time with all students present.
Online courses provide students the opportunity to complete class material and assignments in a virtual environment.
Hybrid courses include a combination of face-to-face and online class content and material. The face-to-face components are scheduled for specific dates and times at a designated location and are supplemented by an online learning component.
Live Online courses provide students the opportunity to take classes in a variety of ways. The
instructor will teach from one OTC location; students can attend face-to-face at that location, at another designated location, or attend virtually from anywhere in the world via Teams.
E. Authority
This policy is maintained under the authority of the executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.
F. Related Policies
2.61 – Attendance Requirements
G. Implementation
Policy approved and adopted by the Board of Trustees on 07/12/10. Revised on 6/11/2025.
Purpose, procedures, responsibilities, and definitions approved and adopted by the Cabinet on 02/04/16. Revised on 6/4/19 and 05/13/2025. Set for review in fiscal year 2028-2029.