Program Changes and Withdrawals

Students in good standing wanting to change programs must submit a written request to their respective program director, as outlined below:

– When adding or changing a program, submit the written request to the director of the new program.*

– When dropping one of two programs, submit the written request to the director of the program being dropped.

– When adding or dropping a specialization or emphasis or changing between on-ground and online within the same program, submit the written request to the current program director.*

– The respective program director will then submit a program change form to the Office of the Registrar. Requests are reviewed by registrar staff to ensure adherence to catalog policy.

Please note that changing to the Accelerated MBA Online program requires a separate online admission application.

Students may request a leave of absence from the university if they do not plan to enroll for courses for more than one semester. Examples of why a student might request a leave of absence may include the following: military leave, medical emergency, family emergency, or work related situation such as a change in professional duties.

A request for a leave of absence must be made in writing to the student’s respective program director prior to the planned leave. Students requesting a leave of absence must be in good academic standing and must be on track to complete their program within the program time limit. Extensions to an already approved leave of absence may be requested following the same process used for the original request. Students who are not registered in three consecutive semesters and who are not on an approved leave of absence will be administratively withdrawn from the university.

Students called to active military duty, for a period of 30 or more consecutive days, before completing their courses have three options. They must indicate their choice in writing to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Services or designee before departure.

1. If the student is close to completion of the course, he or she may make arrangements with the program director to complete the course or request a grade of Incomplete (I). The student then completes the remaining required work when they return. There are no academic or financial penalties associated with a grade of “I”. If the student does not complete the work within 90 days of his or her return, the grade of “I” will be changed to W (Withdraw) and the student will need to re-register and retake the course.

2. The student may request withdrawal from the course. There are no academic or financial penalties associated with withdrawal from a course under these circumstances. No drop fee will be charged and the student will receive a full tuition refund. The course will be removed from the transcript.

3. The student may remain in the course and complete the course for full credit. Class sessions missed due to medical treatment or medical condition will not negatively impact the student’s grade or standing in the course. The student is not automatically excluded from completing assignments while receiving medical treatment or recovering from the medical condition.

Students who have service-connected disabilities as certified by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and whose service-connected medical conditions or medical treatment requirements reasonably prevent the students attendance at or progress in part or all of the students studies at any given time has three options. Students will be asked to provide written verification of the existence of the medical condition or medical treatment.

1. If the student is close to completion of the course, he or she may make arrangements with the program director to complete the course or request a grade of Incomplete (I). The student then completes the remaining required work when they have completed medical treatment or made sufficient medical recovery. There are no academic or financial penalties associated with a grade of “I”. If the student does not complete the work within 90 days of his or her return, the grade of “I” will be changed to W (Withdraw) and the student will need to re-register and retake the course.

2. The student may request withdrawal from the course. There are no academic or financial penalties associated with withdrawal from a course under these circumstances. No drop fee will be charged and the student will receive a full tuition refund. Any tuition refunds will be subject to the state or federal financial aid program requirements.

3. The student may remain in the course and complete the course for full credit. Class sessions missed due to performing active military service will not negatively impact the student’s grade or standing in the course. The student is not automatically excluded from completing assignments while performing active military service.

Students who wish to voluntarily withdraw from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota must do so in writing to the program director.

Since all degree requirements must be completed within the degree completion time limit, students who exceed this limit will be administratively withdrawn unless an extension is granted. Students who have not registered for three consecutive semesters will be administratively withdrawn.

Students who have been administratively withdrawn from a course as a result of an unauthorized withdrawal and not enrolled in at least one credit during the same term will be administratively withdrawn from the university.

Students who have been administratively withdrawn must reapply and be accepted before resuming their studies.

A student dismissed for academic reasons may appeal once, in writing, for academic reinstatement. The procedure is:

1. A committee composed of the student’s program director, the school dean who dismissed the student, and one other dean convenes to review the student’s written appeal.

2. The committee, chaired by the other dean, has two options:
a. Request additional information.
b. Recommend or not recommend reinstatement based on review of the appeal.

3. A recommendation for reinstatement shall include:
a. specific provisions for making up the academic deficit (e.g. retaking a course).
b. a date for reinstatement (e.g. immediately or the following semester).

4. The Dean of the Schools of Graduate and Professional programs makes the final decision regarding reinstatement, and the dean communicates the decision in writing to the student.

5. The program director monitors the progress of any reinstated student and reports to the school dean whether the student has satisfied the stipulated provisions for reinstatement.

6. The school dean writes to the student that all provisions for reinstatement have been met, or that provisions have not been satisfied. If not, the student is dismissed.

7. The decision of the school dean may be appealed to the academic dean of the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.