Undergraduate Program

It is important that you become familiar with the Gardner-Webb Undergraduate Catalog, and it is especially important to your academic success that you read carefully the section entitled “Academic Policies.” Please study the catalog carefully, especially the sections dealing with your major. It is your primary responsibility to familiarize yourself with these policies and understand how they affect your progress toward graduation. Your advisor and others can assist you, but ultimately it is your responsibility if correct policies and procedures are not followed.

Class Attendance

Regular class attendance is an important student obligation. Students are responsible for all coursework conducted in class meetings and are required by University policy to attend a minimum of 75% of the scheduled class meetings. Failure to meet this attendance requirement will result in a grade of “@F” in the course. In face-to-face classes, attendance is counted from the first scheduled meeting. In online classes, attendance is counted from the student’s completion of the Enrollment Verification Activity or first required course activity or assessment, whichever comes first. Furthermore, it is the prerogative of the instructor to set a more stringent class attendance policy. The instructor will clearly state in the syllabus the attendance policies which will govern the class. Students are responsible for knowing the number of absences that they accumulate.

In online classes, attendance satisfying the 75% requirement is measured by the documented weekly participation in the class on the part of the student, e.g., a minimum of one activity per week that demonstrates attendance, such as submitting an assignment, attending a webinar, or participating in a discussion board (logging into a course in Blackboard does not constitute participation or attendance in the class). As in face- to-face classes, the instructor in an online class may stipulate a more stringent attendance policy in the syllabus.

Absence from class does not excuse the student from responsibility for class work. Planned class absences for foreseeable personal circumstances or official University business must be negotiated with the instructor prior to the absence.

Should a student exceed the number of absences in his/her class(es) or cease attending classes at all, he/she may be required to vacate his/her residence hall room. In such instances, the Housing Contract will be canceled.

Withdrawal, Suspension, and Expulsion Policies

Voluntary termination of enrollment during the course of a semester or summer term is defined as withdrawal. Dismissal from school for a specified period of time is defined as suspension. Dismissal from school for an expulsion is permanent. The University reserves the right to suspend or expel any student or students when it believes that such action is in the best interest of the institution and/or the student(s). This action will take place only after careful consideration and consultation with the student or students in question and all other parties with information pertinent to the matter at hand.

Any student withdrawing from school before the end of a term (up until the last day of classes) is required to complete and submit the online “Complete Withdrawal Form” from the Registrar Services page.

Involuntary withdrawals will be processed by the University for any student that receives a disciplinary suspension or expulsion from the University. The involuntary withdrawal will be processed and dated based on the date of the suspension or expulsion.

Students leaving the University for Disciplinary Reasons will not be eligible for any reduction and will be liable for the entire semester charges.

Medical Withdrawal Policies

Any registered student who experiences medical trauma or a chronic illness that may prevent completion of the semester may apply for a medical withdrawal from the University. A medical withdrawal is a complete withdrawal from the University (i.e., not from a particular course). A request for a medical withdrawal must be submitted prior to the beginning of final exams for the semester in which the medical withdrawal is desired. A medical withdrawal request is initiated through the submission of the online Withdrawal Form located in WebbConnect in the same manner as a general withdrawal from the University. In addition to the online request, the student must also provide a statement from a licensed medical or mental health professional trained in the diagnosis of the student’s medical condition. The statement should verify that the medical condition prevents the student from participating in classes or carrying out course requirements.

The statement from the medical or mental health professional must be submitted on official letterhead, addressed to the Gardner-Webb University Registrar, and include the practitioner’s name and title. The statement should indicate that the student is unable to continue in school and include the date at which the student became unable to continue (or the closest possible approximation to the date). The student will be notified by the Registrar of the decision made by the Medical Withdrawal Committee. If the request is approved, the student will receive a final grade of “W” for each class (except in instances of Academic Dishonesty). Any adjustment in tuition will be made on a prorated basis.

Once granted a withdrawal, students must apply for readmission to the University in order to continue their studies. All program admission requirements, programmatic and degree requirements, departmental student handbook and accreditation requirements at the time of the student’s return will apply.

Any appeal for a retroactive medical withdrawal must be initiated by the end of the next Fall or Spring semester. Documentation for these appeals includes the same materials required for other medical withdrawal requests but must also include an explanation as to why the medical withdrawal request could not have been made by the normal deadline (i.e. by the beginning of final exams for the semester in which the medical withdrawal is desired).

Adding and Dropping Courses

A student’s schedule may be adjusted by adding and dropping courses with the approval of the academic advisor during the schedule modification period. Check the Academic Calendar for dates. Courses that are officially dropped by a student do not appear on a student’s transcript. If a student does not officially drop a class but never attends the class, a grade of “@W” will appear on the student’s transcript.

After the schedule modification period, any official withdrawal from a class must be done by the student by submitting the Withdrawal Form located in WebbConnect. When a student officially withdraws from a course, a grade of “W’’ (withdrew) is recorded during the first 40% of the term. After this period, a “WP” (withdrew passing) or “WF” (withdrew failing) is assigned by the instructor based upon an assessment of the student’s work to date in the course. No hours attempted are recorded for “W’’ and “WP” grades. Check the Academic Calendar for dates.

The last day for withdrawing from an individual course is four weeks after mid-term or a date not to exceed 75% of the course. Check the Academic Calendar for dates. After this date only a complete withdrawal from school will be processed.

The directions for withdrawing are listed below.

  1. Log in to WebbConnect,
  2. Click Registration
  3. Click Withdrawal Information