Withdrawal from Trinity
Voluntary Withdrawal
Any student in good academic standing may voluntarily withdraw from the College. Trinity students on exchange or participating in an approved study abroad program do not withdraw from the College. A student voluntarily withdrawing must have a confidential exit interview with the Dean of Students, or the Director of IDP ( for IDP students) and complete and sign a Notice of Voluntary Withdrawal form that will be filed with the Registrar’s Office. Notice of voluntary withdrawal is recorded permanently on the student’s transcript. Students should consult the Leave of Absence/Voluntary Withdrawal Timing and Implications Chart for more details. To start the withdrawal process, print a copy of the Voluntary Withdrawal Form (also available on the Registrar’s Office Forms page) and schedule an appointment with the appropriate office.
Students who withdraw voluntarily mid-semester may not participate in the academic and co-curricular activities of the College until their next semester of enrollment has begun. Students will also lose meal plan privileges and are expected to vacate campus housing for the remainder of the semester.
Students who withdraw voluntarily from the College during the term will have W grades entered on the transcript and will be placed on academic probation, but may request through the Dean of Students Office/Director of IDP a waiver from the Academic Affairs Committee/IDP Council of probation when extenuating circumstances required the voluntary withdrawal.
Information on the tuition refund policy can be found here. Please contact the Student Accounts Office with any questions regarding refunds. Also, if you are receiving any financial aid, contact the Financial Aid Office to see how withdrawal from the semester will impact the aid you have received. NOTE: if you withdraw from Trinity before the next semester, but after bills for that semester have been processed, you will be assessed the administrative fee listed within the refund policy.
To return to the College from a voluntary withdrawal, a student must notify the Registrar’s Office of the intention to return not later than March 1 for return in the fall term, and October 1 for return in the spring term. Additional information on the return process may be found on the page Return/Readmission to Trinity.
Required Withdrawal
Required withdrawal is a suspension from the College because of academic deficiencies. Suspension is a physical separation from the College and restricts those students on withdrawal from participating in the academic and co-curricular activities of the College. At the end of the fall and spring terms, required withdrawal is voted by the Academic Affairs Committee and noted on the student’s transcript.
If a student incurs academic probation in two consecutive semesters of enrollment or in any three semesters of enrollment at Trinity or in the Twelve-College Exchange Program, the committee will require withdrawal from the College for one year. If a student incurs one academic probation subsequent to a required withdrawal, regardless of whether or not that required withdrawal was waived, the committee will require that student to withdraw from the College for one year.
Seniors in their last semester prior to graduation who suffer academic probation and are therefore liable to incur required withdrawal will be exempt from the withdrawal as long as all other graduation requirements have been met. However, the notation of academic probation will be entered on their permanent records.
A student will also be required to withdraw from the College for one year if, at any time, in the opinion of the committee, neglect of work warrants it. A 2⁄3 majority vote will be required under this circumstance.
Students who have been required to withdraw will be offered the opportunity to explain mitigating circumstances to the Academic Affairs Committee. If the circumstances warrant it, the committee may grant a waiver of required withdrawal. A student who receives a waiver of required withdrawal will remain on academic probation and is subject to all the conditions of probation as explained above.
Students required to withdraw who receive a grade change that might affect their current academic status shall not automatically be readmitted to the College. The Academic Affairs Committee shall review such cases within the context of the required withdrawal.
If, during a period of required withdrawal, a student wishes to do work at another accredited college and have such work credited at Trinity College, the approval of the registrar must be obtained prior to enrolling in the course(s). A student may petition the Academic Affairs Committee to have such work credited a) after he/she has been in residence at Trinity College for one semester following the period of required withdrawal, b) if he/she does not incur academic probation in the semester following the period of Required Withdrawal, and c) if work of C– or better in at least four Trinity College courses has been recorded during the semester (i.e., a semester GPA equal to at least 1.667).
Return after Required Withdrawal
To return to the College from required withdrawal, students must notify the Registrar’s Office of their intention to return not later than March 1 for the fall term, and October 1 for return in the spring term. Additional information on the return process may be found on the page Return/Readmission to Trinity.
