Course Withdrawal-100% Refund Period Extended
Dear Students,
KU Student Senate leadership recently put forward a request to help students adjust to university changes during these extraordinary times.
In light of revisions to the schedule of classes for the fall semester and ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, student leadership sought a change to the Academic Calendar that would extend the 100% refund period for withdrawing from a course.
The Chancellor and I have approved a proposal to extend the 100%-refund period by seven days for both the fall and spring semesters for semester-long courses in the 2020-2021 academic year.
- Fall 2020 the 100% refund date is extended from August 28 to September 4.
- Spring 2021 the 100% refund date is extended from February 5 to February 12.
- For short courses the 100% refund period will be extended proportionally.
- Add/Drop dates and processes remain unchanged.
- The 50% refund period will remain the same.
The new dates will offer some relief to students who may be uncertain of how some course format changes will impact them.
During the summer, instructors were asked to revamp their courses to make them engaging and rewarding as in-person courses, hybrid courses and online courses. We’ve also encouraged instructors to be prepared to offer course adaptations for students who cannot attend in-person courses. They have worked very hard to serve students and prepare to deliver content that is both engaging and flexible enough to meet individual student needs. Still, we are aware that students have choices, they have different learning styles and many will have personal situations that affect their ability to be successful as learners.
The extension of the refund period for a course or courses by one week gives students time to consider their options without affecting certain important university processes. Staff will still be able to accurately gauge enrollment to post bills and student financial aid to student accounts within the new time frame. The 20th day census for fall enrollment – an important metric for universities in Kansas – will remain as September 21.
It is important to note that student financial aid is affected if students drop below full-time status. In addition, this period extension applies solely to course enrollment and does not apply to other contracts or service fee arrangements a student may have.
I want to thank Student Senate leadership and those who helped address this concern on behalf of students: University governance leaders, Enrollment Management, Financial Services, Academic Affairs, Analytics & Institutional Research and the Registrar from the KU Medical Center.
Student Resources Reminder
Please remember KU offices continue to offer a broad array of programs and services to help you succeed as students:
- Student Emergency Aid Network, University Academic Support Centers, and Student Support and Case Management may be able to assist with a variety needs and concerns.
- This summer we launched Jayhawk Cloud, built on Microsoft Teams. The Jayhawk Cloud is a virtual space for building communities, relationships and networks and can be used for courses, student groups, research collaboration, and more.
- Several offices, including Counseling and Psychological Services, the Office of Institutional Opportunity & Access, the ADA Center for Equity and Accessibility and our University Ombuds, provide specialized services that can help you handle a wide variety of issues you might encounter.
In addition, we’ve created maps to help you find locations across campus where you can study between classes and better maintain appropriate physical distance. and made many other changes to help reduce the potential risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Students, I want to wish you the best as you begin this fall semester. Please be sure to visit the Protect KU website for information and resources that can help us all have a safer semester.
Respectfully,
Barb
Barbara A. Bichelmeyer
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor
Visit the Protect KU website for complete information about policies, resources and changes to campus for the fall semester.