Category: College Policies

By Dru Macasieb (March 2, 2017)

It is not recommended to disrupt your academic journey, however, we do understand that sometimes students need to for various reasons. Here is what you need to know before dropping from school.

NOTE: In order to remain an active student at CCSD you must have a class assigned. If you drop your one and only class, you will be may be dropped from the college.

Discuss Dropping with your Associate Dean First

Students should first discuss dropping with their associate dean so that he or she can advise you on possible ways to overcome challenges so that your academic journey does not get disrupted. Another good reason to discuss dropping with your associate dean is so that he or she can advise you on the best way to drop with minimal consequences. 

Consequences of Dropping A Class

Dropping a class is not as simple as it sounds. It comes with consequences.

1. If you have attended any classes, even logging in once, you will be charged.

Because CCSD is an accelerated environment, you will be charged for any portion of class you attend, either online or on-ground. Dropping during the first week, you can still get a “W” grade for withdrawn. It will charge your student account a prorated amount, credit units will be factored in your course completion percentage, however, the “W” grade not be factored in your grade point average calculation.

Dropping after the first week will garner you an automatic grade of “F.”

1. If you have a scholarship, you will lose it. Please read your scholarship documentation.

Scholarships from CCSD have very specific guidelines, one of them being that you complete your academic journey without breaks. Remember, scholarships get factored into your student account after you have finished your program. Kinda off topic, but there is a minimum of 3.0 GPA required for scholarships.

2. CCSD does not offer a “time off” or “leave of absence.”

If you take a “time off” from your academic journey, you will be dropped. When you decide to come back from your “time off” you must reapply to the college (again) and go through the enrollment process as well as the financial aid process (again).  Please note, students are not guaranteed to be accepted upon enrollment, which is why you must reapply for admissions.

3. You may not be able to come back to school right away due to the possibility of classes (that you need) not being available.

When students drop or fail a course it sends them off their scheduled track. We can no longer guarantee graduation date or course availability. However, we do our best to schedule you as effectively as possible. The sooner you finish, the better it is for both parties.

4. Similar to #3 above, if you drop during weeks 3 and 4, you may not be able to return to the mod after next.

Everything goes through a process. When students drop we have to process your drop paperwork. It goes through the associate deans, the registrar’s office, financial aid, and the business office (to name a few). Re-entering also goes through a process. We cannot re-enter a student if the student has not been completely processed through drop side. Because of these lengthy processes, students who drop in weeks 3 or 4 may not be able to re-enter until the mod after the next one (for instance you drop in week 3 in mod 1, you probably not be able to re-enter until mod 3).

5. If you drop, you will not maximize your financial aid (Title IV funding).

We want you to maximize your student loan. When students do not maximize their student loans, it causes them to refund unused amounts. Students end up reaching their borrow limits and have to borrow additional funds from a private lender to compensate for the missing federal funds. I know this may sound confusing, it best to speak with your financial aid adviser on this topic.

6. If you are receiving VA benefits, you may be required to pay them back.

The Veteran Affairs distributes education benefits depending on enrollment factors (i.e. full-time, part-time, on-ground, online etc.). Depending on the nature of your circumstances, the VA may decide to recoup any benefits distributed based on non-attendance or failures aka “F” that the student received because of non-participation.

7. Other charges involved with dropping.

Students that drop must return their laptop, any outstanding books, and any other school property in their possession. Failure to do so in a timely manner will create a charge in their student account.

When you drop there is a $150 admin for processing your drop.

8. Upon the last day of attendance, students will enter student loan repayment after six months for federal loans. 

As a reminder, be sure to speak with financial aid to find out who your student loan servicer is and communicate with them regarding repayment plans. Please note this grace period is for federal loans only, not private loans.

Conclusion

It is best not to drop and work with your instructor and associate dean to overcome obstacles. If you have to no better choice but to drop, you associate dean will provide you with guidance as to how to best approach dropping with minimal consequences.

There are a number of ways to check your schedule .The most sure way to check your schedule is read your syllabus. If still unsure, email your instructor. Below is a handy slide show that shows you serveral ways to check your schedule.

By Dru Macasieb

Originally Written: December 16th, 2016

All students, including VA students, must progress satisfactorily toward meeting graduation requirements. Academic progress is measured in two ways: (a) grade point average, and (b) course completion. The academic progress of each student will be reviewed at the end of every term. A student is considered to be making academic progress if his or her grade point average is above the minimum requirement and the student has successfully completed at least 67% of the credits attempted, otherwise known as the completion rate standard. The evaluation points, grade point average standard, and the completion rate standard are provided in the table listed.

• Required Evaluation Point and Minimum GPA with 67% of Grades Completed for Associate’s Programs
  • First Term (4 Months/Mods)    1.0
  • Second Term                         1.5
  • Third Term +                         2.0
  • Graduation                            2.0

The consequences of failing a course can be detrimental to your academic future. 

The consequences of failing a course are as follows:

• You will waste time and resources
• You will have to retake the course
• You basically paid to get an F
• You will be charged for retaking the course (so basically one F will cost you twice as much!)
• Your GPA will significantly drop
• Your graduation date will be pushed further

Consequences of a trend of failing courses:

• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards apply to all students at a college.
• Failure to achieve a 2.0 GPA for each term will put you on Academic Probation, called a Financial Aid Warning Status (FAWS)
• Failure to complete 67% of credits attempt will also put you in a FAWS
• Once in FAWS you need to demonstrate positive progress by having 2.0 or above GPA for a term (which is 4 months).

So what happens if I get dropped for not achieving Satisfactory Academic Progress?

• Financial aid may stop loaning you funds for your education with us.
• You will be dropped from the college and cannot attend at our college.
• Your chances of future financial aid benefits may be in jeopardy.
• For VA students, you may be decertified from the VA benefits program and you may have to pay them back.
• If not in school, you will have to repay any student loans after 6 months.
• If you do not pay student loans and go into default, it will harm your credit score and the government may garnish your wages and intercept any tax refunds.

OPINION: Why You Should Not Fail A Course

By Dru Macasieb

Students that have a history of poor academic performance at ANY school may be denied enrollment based on multiple variables which include: GPA, grades, financial aid borrowing history, and repayment history to name a few.

The reason this may happen is that, when colleges admit students, they are accepting reasonable responsibility to educate, graduate, and place these students in careers related to their field of study, as well as ensure that graduates make payments to their student loans. This is why college typically asks for transcripts. If a student’s transcripts have a history of poor academic performance (like a low GPA, or its plagued with Ds and Fs, or they have taken many courses but have not completed a degree), the student may be denied admission as this becomes a liability for the school.

The school’s financial aid department will also see how much money a student has borrowed, thus far, and can deny a student admission based on the amount of debt the student has acquired versus the amount the student needs to graduate. For example:

• Say you went to ABC College and racked up $25,000 in student loans.
• You apply at XYZ College, but in order to complete an associate’s degree, it will cost $50,000.
• The total amount the student will owe after graduation will be $75,000 for an associate’s.

The school will be responsible to educate, graduate, and place student in careers related to their field of study, as well as ensure that student make payments to their the student loan (as default rate is also known as the rate in which students’ do not pay their loan on time, is also a metric that a school must achieve).

This is why it is crucial to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP). Schools that are impacted (have a surplus of applicants) often deny students based on academic performance at other schools (including High School).

If you are struggling with achieving good grades and attending class, I recommend speaking with your school’s student services, your area of study’s department head (like the associate dean), or any school staff in the academic department. The worst thing a student can do is nothing.