Enrollment Status Policy

I. PURPOSE 

This Policy sets out the standards and processes for the various statuses which may be applied to an Enrolled Student during the course of their education at the institution.

II. REFERENCES

  1. Return to Title IV Policy (catalog)
  2. Leave of Absence Policy (student handbook) 

III. DEFINITIONS

A. Enrolled Student: Students who are registered for one or more courses on the first day of their first academic term are considered Enrolled Students, regardless of the start date and time of their first class on their course schedule. Once Enrolled Students have entered and begun taking classes at KCU, as long as they maintain continuous enrollment (are not withdrawn, suspended or dismissed from their primary program of study), they are considered actively Enrolled Students even during scheduled breaks between terms in the academic year when no classes are offered.

B. Registration: The assignment of courses (constituting at least 1 credit hour of coursework) to a student for a specific term with defined start and end dates.

C. Drop: Terminating registration for a class before the last day to drop classes, as stated in this policy. 

D. Withdrawal: Terminating registration for a class or all classes after the last day to drop but before the last day to withdraw, as stated in this policy. 

E. Formal Separation: The process of terminating a student’s enrollment at KCU due to a drop or withdraw.

F. Administratively Withdraw: Students’ registration for classes may be withdrawn by a decision of KCU administration, as stated in this policy.  

IV. POLICY

A. Registration

1. In general, KCU engages in block registration of student cohorts within each program. Each academic program sends enrollment information to the Office of the Registrar prior to the beginning of each academic term. Students are responsible for reviewing their enrollment in Workday prior to the beginning of each semester to ensure they are enrolled correctly. Students who are completing classes outside of the typical schedule for their cohort may be required to complete course registration through Workday.

2. The last day that a student may add a class is six business/class days after the first day of classes as published in the Academic Calendar. The first day of classes varies by program. This section does not apply to clerkships or inter-session courses.

3. All students are required to report to classes on the first day of the academic term as specified in the Academic Calendar. Students who fail to appear without an excused absence will be withdrawn from the University.

4. Third- and fourth-year COM students must complete registration materials, including financial aid arrangements, by July 1, as a condition of participating in clerkships. Third- and fourth-year COM students are not required to be physically present on campus for registration.

5. All outstanding financial obligations to the University or University-affiliated clerkship sites must be cleared and students must be in Academic Good Standing (As defined in the Academic Progress Policy) in order to be registered for classes. Students who are not registered may not attend classes or participate in clerkships, off-site clinical experiences, or practicals.

B. Course Drops & Withdrawals

1. Students who wish to drop or withdraw from one or more courses, but who do not wish to withdraw completely from the University, must adhere to the following procedures. Students may not drop or withdraw from individual required courses that are part of the lock-step COM, CDM, MHSAA, or PsyD curricula.

2. Course Drops. The deadline for requesting to drop a course is on or before the sixth business day of the term in which they are enrolled. For inter-session courses, the deadline to drop courses is prior to the first scheduled class. Students who wish to drop a course must officially communicate their request to their department and complete their request via Workday within the prescribed time requirements. A student who drops a course within the prescribed time requirements will have no record of the course on their transcript. Note that dropping certain required courses may constitute a withdrawal from the university.

3. Course Withdrawals. Students may withdraw from certain courses with the permission of the program director after the drop deadline and up to the withdrawal deadline for the academic term as defined in section IV.C below. Course withdrawals are recorded as a “W” on the student's academic transcript for that semester. Students may not withdraw from a course after the withdrawal date.

4. Dual-degree and track drops or withdrawals. Students who drop or withdraw from dual-degree or tracks within their program will be administratively withdrawn from coursework that does not count towards the completion of their primary degree program.  

5. Withdrawing from a course may have financial aid implications. Students are advised to talk with Financial Aid prior to withdrawal from any course. International Students are also advised to talk with a Designated School Official (DSO) prior to withdrawal from any course.

6. Late withdrawals or drops may be granted only upon demonstration of extenuating circumstances by written petition to the designated administrator of the program (typically the dean). 

C. Withdrawal Deadlines

1. The KCU Academic Calendar is divided into Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. The withdrawal deadlines for each program are described in the following table:

Program Format Fall Withdrawal Deadline Spring Withdrawal Deadline Summer Withdrawal Deadline Intersession
College of Osteopathic Medicine Semester Friday before Thanksgiving Last Friday in April N/A Third Monday of the term
College of Dental Medicine Semester Friday before Thanksgiving Last Friday in April First Monday of second week in July Third Monday of the term
Biomedical Sciences & Biomedical Sciences Research Semester Friday before Thanksgiving Last Friday in April First Monday of second week in July (Research Only) N/A
Master of Health Sciences – Anesthesiologist Assistant Trimester Friday before Thanksgiving Last Friday in March First Monday of second week in July N/A
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Program Two 10-week blocks Friday of the eight week of each block Friday of the eight week of each block N/A N/A
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Program (Internship Year) Semester Friday before Thanksgiving Last Friday in March N/A N/A

D. Student Separation from the University

1. Students may choose to voluntarily separate from the University entirely through the drop or withdrawal process outlined below.

2. Any student who is considering separating from the University is encouraged to first talk with their faculty advisor, director of student success, program director, and/or campus dean as appropriate. Separating from the University may have financial aid implications. Students are advised to talk with Financial Aid prior to dropping or withdrawing from the University. See Withdrawal & Refund Policy. International students are advised to talk with a DSO prior to dropping or withdrawing from the University.

3. In order to initiate a drop or withdrawal from the University, student must complete the Program Withdrawal request in Workday before the drop or withdrawal deadline for their program of study. The Workday Program Withdrawal request initiated by the student will be reviewed by the appropriate campus dean and the vice provost for Student Services. Once the request has been approved, the student will receive notification via their KCU student email detailing the steps to complete in preparation for separation from the University. Failure to complete the required separation steps may cause the University to withhold future admission and/or registration from the separating student. Students separating from the University who have an outstanding balance may not be able to make transcript requests until all financial obligations are fulfilled.

4. The following list details general expectations of the University for students prior to Formal Separation through voluntary student drop or withdrawal:

i. The student's KCU ID badge will be deactivated upon completion of the separation process.

ii. All materials borrowed from the library must be returned.

iii. All KCU property must be returned to the appropriate department (such as the "bone box" issued to DO program students).

iv. Students who withdraw from KCU may keep approved institution-issued personal technology (i.e., iPad).

5. Grades and Transcripts. Students who drop all of their registered courses prior to an academic term’s drop deadline will have no grades from those courses recorded on their transcript. Course grades from previous academic terms will remain on their transcript.

6. Students who withdraw from all of the courses they are enrolled in prior to that term’s withdrawal deadline will have their grades for each course recorded as a “W.” Course grades from previous academic terms will remain on their transcript.

7. Students may withdraw from the University after the withdrawal deadline by appealing to the appropriate dean, however their course grades will be calculated for the academic term based on completed work and will be recorded on their transcript.

8. Students who fail a course may not preemptively initiate a withdrawal for the same course to avoid an Academic Failure under the Academic Progress Policy.

E. Student Administrative Withdrawal from the University

1. Students who begin coursework at KCU, but then stop attending classes or completing coursework during the term may be Administratively Withdrawn, even if they do not complete the voluntary withdrawal process. KCU's Office of Financial Aid and the Office of the Registrar will review the records of such students at the end of each academic term to determine if they meet the criteria for an administrative withdrawal from the University. A student receiving all grades of fail (F) or withdrawal (W)) in any combination may be subject to the Return of Title IV funds calculation (R2T4).

F. Dismissal from the University

1. The University reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to dismiss any student at any time prior to graduation in accordance with KCU polices, including the Academic Progress Policy, Student Conduct Policy, Title IX Policy; the Student Handbook or University Catalog; and any applicable college or program directive or guideline. Failure to satisfy any requirement for graduation may likewise lead to dismissal.

2. The Office of the Registrar may decline to release all or portions of formal transcripts for nonpayment of unpaid student balances, consistent with the law.

3. Dismissal is recorded on the students' transcript.

V. RELEVANT FORMS/LINKS

VI. QUESTIONS/RESPONSIBLE OFFICE

  • The responsible office for this Policy is: Office of the Registrar

VII. POLICY ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT DATES

  • Adopted: June 22, 2026
  • Updated: