S-20 Compassionate Withdrawal Process

Compassionate Withdrawal Process 
This process applies to students enrolled at Maricopa Community Colleges who are unable to continue their enrollment due to a sudden emergency or severe change in personal circumstances, when other accommodations (e.g., an incomplete grade) are not possible. Students may request a compassionate withdrawal for non-medical issues preventing enrollment continuation. Compassionate withdrawal may be considered for situations such as caring for a seriously ill family member or a death in the family, which prevents the student from continuing their enrollment.

In the event that a student is unable to submit the request on their own (unable to verbally communicate), a parent and/or guardian and/or spouse may do so on their behalf with appropriate documentation to comply with FERPA regulations.

If a compassionate withdrawal is awarded, the student is granted a full-term withdrawal across all registered courses and campuses, and the transcript will denote “compassionate withdrawal” along with “W” grades for the semester (the specific reason will not be identified to maintain privacy). Refund appeals are a separate process and are student-initiated upon submission of a completed refund exceptions appeal form. 

The student may also be referred to the appropriate faculty or staff for additional resources and support through their return to campus in accordance with campus procedures and District policies.

Aside from a full-term compassionate withdrawal, a student may officially withdraw from specific courses - see AR 2.3.6 Withdrawal for general student withdrawal procedures.

Compassionate Withdrawal Procedure
Students must submit a completed Compassionate Withdrawal form along with relevant documentation to the Admissions and Records office. A committee composed of the Admissions and Records Director, Financial Aid Director, Counseling Faculty, Disability Resource Services Manager, Care Team Chair (if applicable), the Student Affairs Dean, Academic Affairs Dean, and other college representatives as appropriate will review the request. Committee decisions are final.

Documentation needs will change based on unique circumstances and should be relevant to the case at hand. For example, if applying for a compassionate withdrawal to look after a seriously ill family member, the necessary information might resemble that required for medical withdrawals. Depending on the specific scenario, other forms of acceptable documentation could be police reports, legal papers such as restraining orders, proof of travel such as airline ticket receipts, among others.