Course Engagement
Students are expected to engage early in Excelsior University courses and remain active participants in academic-related activities throughout the term. Participation is monitored on a weekly basis. Students who do not meet expectations may be administratively withdrawn (AW) from the course. Excelsior University is regulated by the United States Department of Education and institutionally accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). This process is one component of how we ensure students are consistently and meaningfully engaging in their courses and with their instructors
Students who expect to miss a week of academic engagement should reach out to their instructor proactively for an excused absence.
An automated process runs weekly to identify students who have not been actively participating in academic-related activities for the preceding week. All academic-related activity must be relevant to course content in the module posted/submitted. Students who were not active will receive an automated message informing them of their inactivity. Three consecutive notifications (between weeks 1 and 6 in an 8-week course or weeks 1 and 13 in a 15-week course) will automatically result in an administrative withdrawal from the course. Repeated instances of non-relevant participation will be reviewed and may result in manual withdrawal from the course.
Students who are AW will not be eligible for a refund of tuition and will owe any balance due. Financial aid recipients who receive AWs risk losing eligibility for some or all awarded aid for the trimester. The accumulation of six AW grades for undergraduate courses and four AW grades for graduate courses will result in dismissal from the University. See related policies: Grade Scale, GPA, and Credit Application and Administrative Withdrawal and Academic Dismissal.
Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from participating must contact their instructor immediately. An excused absence is at the discretion of the instructor. Please refer to the Late Coursework policy.
Procedure
Students have the right to appeal an AW grade by using the Course Administratively Withdrawn Appeal Form. They must do so by Tuesday at 11:59 pm ET during the week that they were assigned the AW.
The appeal will be investigated, and a decision will be made no later than noon on Friday. If the appeal is approved, the Student Support team will notify the student, instructor, and the Registrar’s Office to remove the AW grade. The student’s access to the course will be restored. In the event the student’s appeal is denied, the Student Support team will notify the student of this decision.
