Students have just hours left to decide if they want to stay in their classes this semester, as today is the final deadline to withdraw from a course without penalty.

Prior to fall of 2008, there was no limit on the number of times a student could withdraw from a class. But, after the new withdrawal policy came into effect, students have been limited to four withdrawal-passing (WP) grades in their time as an undergraduate student. If a student exceeds the limit, then an automatic withdrawal-failing grade (WF) is assigned.

If students withdraw from a course past midnight tonight, they will automatically receive a WF.

“A concern was that students were signing up for classes and withdrawing from them if they felt they weren’t going to get a high grade,” said Registrar Rebecca Macon. “So, they were taking seats from other students who might’ve needed them.”

Macon said she is aware a WF does not look good on a student’s transcript, but she hopes that consequence will force students to take classes more seriously.

“Faculty members keep saying that they want students to talk with them if they are concerned about a grade,” she said. “We hope more students are doing that instead of just seeing [withdrawal] as an easy way out.”

Still, the policy is not absolute. Students can apply for a hardship withdrawal if there is a situation out of their control, such as a severe illness. In such cases, an instructor can assign a WP, regardless of the number of withdrawals the student may already have.

“It’s not intended to penalize students who have a true hardship,” Macon said, noting students always have the option to be approved for a hardship withdrawal.

Since this is the second year of the policy, it is not clear whether there has been a significant change in the amount of withdrawals per semester, Macon said.

“It just hasn’t been long enough yet,” said Jeffrey Dorfman, professor and member of the University Council’s Educational Affairs Committee – the committee that proposed the policy change. “But we are definitely planning on tracking those numbers and computing how it’s working.”

According to Macon, the ultimate goal is to discourage students from casually withdrawing from classes because it negatively affects students’ transcript, financial aid and graduation date.

“[Withdrawing] has to be a one-on-one decision with their adviser and their instructor,” she said. “It needs to be taken seriously, and it shouldn’t be a lighthearted, quick-fix decision.”