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Current Students

Deadlines and Policies

Be aware of important university deadlines.

View the OSU Academic Calendar for Current Students

 

College of Social Work attendance policy

Students in the College of Social Work are expected to attend all classes during their social work studies. Any absence deprives you of the opportunity to interact with your instructor and fellow students and interferes with your ability to fully acquire the knowledge and skills required for successful social work practice. At times, events beyond your control may interfere with your ability to fully participate in class or complete your field practicum hours. If that occurs, it is your professional responsibility to communicate with your instructors and your academic advisor to explore options for successfully completing your studies. Possible options include:

Requesting an incomplete for a course

Incompletes will be granted according to the university policies pertaining to Incompletes. The Academic Advising site at OSU states that:

If illness or an extenuating emergency prevents you from finishing a course, you may request an “Incomplete” from the instructor. When you receive this grade, you must consult with the instructor as soon as possible to make arrangements for completing the course requirements. Incomplete work must be completed no later than the sixth week of the following term, sooner, if the instructor will need it sooner. If the work is not made up by the due date, the “I” mark will be changed to the alternate grade the instructor reported..

Withdrawing from a course or changing from full-time to part-time status

Some students find that taking fewer courses each semester allows them to better balance the obligations and responsibilities of work, family, and school. If you find that you are enrolled for more courses than you can reasonably handle, talk to your academic advisor about dropping a course.  Complete information about dropping courses can be found at http://advising.osu.edu/drop_class.shtml. It’s important to remember that reducing the number of credit hours can have implications for financial aid and time to degree which should be carefully considered.

Taking a leave of absence by withdrawing from all courses

The OSU Academic Advising provides guidelines (for bachelor’s students) if you find that you must withdraw from all courses. Master’s students should connect directly with their advisor. The Student Advocacy Center can help with Petitions for Withdrawal from classes for students experiencing extenuating circumstances.

The Registrar’s Office publishes information on the dates for receiving a full- or partial-tuition reimbursement when you withdraw from classes or take a leave of absence. It will be important for you to check the dates posted by the Registrar to determine if you are eligible for full or partial reimbursement of your tuition. Your academic advisor will help guide you through this process.

 

Additionally, information from the OSU Student Advocacy Center notes that:

Students are not entitled to incompletes, but individual instructors have the ability to grant incompletes. Generally, if a student encounters extenuating circumstances (illness, family emergency, etc.) late in the semester, and he or she was making adequate progress up until that point, an instructor is more likely to grant an incomplete. Grades of incomplete allow the student up to six weeks into the subsequent term to finish coursework or exams. If extenuating circumstances arise early in the semester, or if the student is not making adequate progress when the extenuating circumstances arise, the student may consider withdrawing from the course.