COVID-19 Excused Withdrawal

If you were registered in Spring 2020 courses beyond the date of March 13, 2020, and were impacted by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, you may request an Excused Withdrawal.

Students are asked to very carefully consider if withdrawing from a class is truly in their best interest. Before submitting this request, please talk to your instructor about challenges you may experience with remote learning. Your instructor may be able to identify alternatives conducive to your learning and provide resources to assist you with completing the course. 

To request an Excused Withdrawal for one or more of your Spring 2020 courses due to the impact of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, please complete the COVID-19 Excused Withdrawal Form and submit to: Admissions@sbcc.edu. Please allow up to 2-3 weeks for A&R to process your request. You will be notified via your campus Pipeline email once the request is processed. 

Yes. Students are highly encouraged to submit this request prior to the end of the spring semester. However, students will have one full calendar year after the completion of their course(s) to submit this request. 

The student’s transcript will reflect an “EW” symbol indicating an Excused Withdrawal was awarded for the course(s). This means the student withdrew from a course(s) due to specific events beyond the control of the student affecting their ability to complete the course(s). 

Excused Withdrawals do not count negatively towards the student’s academic or progress standing. The “EW” symbol is not a substandard grade nor will it be counted negatively towards GPA, probation, disqualification, or loss of financial aid. 

Yes. Under normal circumstances, per Title 5, section 58508, refunds are not allowed after the first two weeks of instruction, or the ten percent point of the length of the course. However, regulatory authority has been granted to SBCC via the Chancellor to grant a refund of enrollment fees ($46 per unit) for any students who withdrew after March 13, 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak. All mandatory, optional and nonresident fees will not be refunded unless the college took action to cancel the course or drop a student that fails to meet a prerequisite. If you are a recipient of a third party sponsorship program (e.g.. SBCC Promise Program), the enrollment fee will be credited back to your sponsor’s contract (e.g. the SBCC Foundation). If you are a recipient of a CCPG (formerly the BOGW Fee Waiver), the enrollment refund will be credited back to the CCPG program.

 

Please allow up to 3-4 weeks for Admissions & Records to process your request and post the EW to your record. Refunds will be processed automatically. Please allow 4-6 weeks for refund processing.

The Federal Government passed the CARES Act which allows SBCC to waive most Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements and Return to Title IV requirements if your EW was requested after March 13, 2020. Substandard grades earned of F, FW or W will still be applied to your financial aid satisfactory academic progress and you may owe money back due to Return to Title IV regulations, so it is important to go through the process of requesting an EW.