Re-Registration Withdrawals

Under exceptional circumstances that necessitate a short-term leave of absence from course work, Accessibility Services will consider a request for a medical withdrawal with the opportunity to re-register within 1 year, with waived course re-registration fee.

This is a specialized type of withdrawal that is offered to students registered with Accessibility Services in unique situations.

The need for this medical withdrawal with re-registration accommodation must be directly related to the student’s disability and must be arranged at the time of withdrawal, not afterwards.

Factors Considered

In addition to the factors considered for a medical withdrawal, Accessibility Services will be concerned with:

• Expected date of return to your studies
• Overall academic progress and history to date
• The actions and/or steps the student will take to successfully resume their studies within the allotted time (maximum of 1 year).
• Professional documentation that supports the need for the absence, indicates the severity and duration of symptoms, and indication of the student’s ability to return to their studies within a specific time frame.
• Whether you are a student receiving funding.
  • If you receive funding Accessibility Services strongly encourages you to contact your SFA Advisor to discuss potential implications a withdrawal would have on current and future funding opportunities.

If Approved

Upon approval, the recommendation along with a completed and signed Course Withdrawal form will be forwarded to the appropriate department for processing. The student will be notified when the recommendation has been forwarded as well as given a date that the accommodation expires (minimum 2 months to a maximum of 12 months). Students must contact Accessibility Services prior to the accommodation end date. This accommodation is offered once per course and cannot be granted a second time.

This course withdrawal will show as a “W” on the student’s transcript if withdrawn more than 30 days after the course start date. This “W” cannot be removed from the transcript.

To activate the re-registration accommodation and be registered int eh current version of the course, contact Accessibility Services prior to the 10th day of the month prior to your desired restart date. This must be before the accommodation end date arranged at the time of your medical withdrawal. Students are free to register in the course beyond the accommodation end date but must pay the full course registration fees.

Terms of Re-Registration Opportunity

• If the course is revised and/or you require replacement learning resources, you will be assessed a learning resources fee that is not refundable (approx. $189).
  • Check the current syllabus or call the Info Center (1-800-788-9041) to check if the course version has changed since your previous enrollment.
  • Learning resources fee payment method is indicated on the Course Registration form.
• If the course is permanently closed a replacement course will not be available.
• To carry forward any completed coursework, you must provide Accessibility Services with written approval from the Course Coordinator. This approval is at the discretion of the Course Coordinator.
  • Contact information for Course Coordinators can be found here.
• Your new course contract dates will reflect one term.
• You will not be eligible to receive a tax receipt for the re-registration.
• A second temporary course withdrawal will not be available for the course.
• You will remain withdrawn from the course if you have not submitted a re-registration form or otherwise contacted our Office by the specified deadline for the re-registration accommodation. You may re-register in the course later but will be assessed full course registration fees.
• You may become an inactive student if you do not register for an Athabasca University course within 12 months of your withdrawal from studies.