Policies

In the case of serious illness, mental health crisis, family emergency, or some other emergency that arises during the final week of the semester or finals period itself, students may be eligible for an incomplete. Students may be requested to provide documentation to support their request.

• Approval is needed from both the faculty and the class dean.
• The deadline for a student to complete all outstanding course requirements and an incomplete to be resolved will be no later than December 31 (Fall semester) and May 31 (Spring semester).

It is important to note that an incomplete is not applicable if:

• A student has completed less than 50% of course expectations prior to an incomplete request.
• A student has stopped attending class or has had very sporadic attendance beyond the 6th week of the semester.
• A student has fallen behind in submitting work beyond the 6th week of the semester without sufficient documentation to support late work.
• A student is interested in more time to earn a better grade in the course.

When seeking out approval for an incomplete:

• A student is required to first meet with their Class Dean.
• Following this meeting, students will be asked to complete a Student Incomplete Request Form, share this completed form with their faculty, and seek approval from their faculty.
• If the faculty approve, they should stipulate the work that remains to be completed in order for a final grade to be recorded.

Once Coursework Has Been Submitted:

• Outstanding coursework must be completed by the incomplete deadline (December 31 for the fall semester and May 31 for the spring semester).
• The faculty will review and grade the outstanding academic work and submit a final grade to the Registrar’s Office no later than the first Friday of January (fall) or the first Friday of June (spring).
• If outstanding coursework is not submitted by the incomplete deadline, students will receive a “0” on those outstanding assignments and a final grade will be assigned.

As always, grades below merit, failures or withdrawals may trigger review by the Committee on Academic Standing. The student may be placed on warning, probation, academic leave, or dismissal from the college. Information on satisfactory academic progress can be found here.

Note: Haverford students seeking extensions or incompletes must follow Haverford's procedures and deadlines. See Haverford's Academic Regulation Guidebook for more information.

During the semester a student may have a short-term situation that may result in a temporary interruption of a student's academic life.

Regardless of the type of temporary absence, it is important to note that faculty make the ultimate decision regarding excusing absences in their classes. Students are advised to consult their course syllabus, keep up with coursework as much as their health allows, and contact their individual faculty (beforehand or upon return to campus) to obtain information on how absences will be handled for each class or to discuss the possibility for make-up work. 

The information below will minimize the impact and disruption to the educational process and ensure faculty are provided rationale for a student’s absences while preserving the integrity of the delivery of academic coursework.

Events that may result in a temporary (short-term) absence:

• Students seeking treatment and/or recovering from a medical or mental health event.
• Students are away from campus for a family emergency/crisis.
• Short-term hospitalization.

Documentation for Temporary Leave

Prior to acting on behalf of a student to notify faculty of a temporary absence window:

• A student’s Class Dean will request documentation (e.g., documentation from a licensed health care provider, an obituary, etc.) supporting the requested temporary absence.
• If supporting documentation is not readily available, the Class Dean will inform a student’s faculty of their temporary leave while explaining that the Undergraduate Dean’s Office is awaiting supporting documentation.  

Serious Illness or Medical Condition

If, in the judgment of Bryn Mawr College’s Medical Services staff, a student will be out of class due to a serious illness or medical condition (as opposed to a common illness) including but not limited to:

• Mononucleosis, which may require bed rest and/or removal from campus
• Hospitalization and/or surgery
• Highly contagious diseases (e.g., chicken pox, measles)

the following protocol will take place:

• The Medical Services staff will contact the student’s Class Dean.
• The Class Dean will then contact the student’s faculty.
• The Medical Services communication to the Class Dean will serve as the documentation needed by the Class Dean. 
• If the student is seeing an off-campus health care provider, the student will provide relevant documentation from that provider to the College’s Medical Services staff for review.

*Students may be provided accommodations due to a chronic condition documented through Access Services. In such cases, flexibility in respect to attendance, scheduled tests, and/or assignment due dates may be requested. It is up to the discretion of the professor to determine if flexibility can be granted without compromising rigor or essential course requirements. If granted, a student’s grade should not be penalized assuming they submit their work by the new agreed upon due date established by their professor.

Mental Health Concerns

A temporary absence window for mental health concerns will be provided for acute mental health issues and are not the result of a student being in on-going treatment at the Counseling Services or with an off-campus mental health provider. The College’s intent is to ensure our students are able to fully commit to their academic endeavors by providing a robust set of college services designed to support the mental health needs of our students.

• If a student needs to miss class for reasons related to their mental health, they are encouraged to be in contact with Counseling Services.
• Students will provide Counseling Services with appropriate documentation from their external mental health provider.
• Upon review of this documentation, Counseling Services staff may support a student’s short-term absence and communicate with a student’s Class Dean following a student’s written permission to do so.

If the duration of the short-term absence, due to acute mental health concerns, undermines the student’s ability to complete the academic work required, Counseling Services and the Undergraduate Dean’s Office may encourage the student to pursue a leave from the College.

Family Emergency

A temporary absence as a result of a family emergency (e.g., a death in the family or a family member suddenly falling severely ill) is appropriate when unexpected circumstances arise that necessitate a brief absence from classes. Family emergencies will be reviewed by a student’s Class Dean on a case-by-case basis. It is possible that a student may be required to provide appropriate documentation to support their request for a temporary absence.

If a family emergency occurs:

• A student is requested to contact their Class Dean immediately to communicate what has occurred. 
• If warranted, the Class Dean will then contact the faculty to make them aware of what has occurred. 
• It is also possible that the Class Dean will inquire with each faculty member to evaluate how a student is performing in class to better understand the impact of a temporary absence on a student’s academic performance.

Student Support Services

When a student encounters health or medical issues, mental health concerns, and/or family emergency, it’s very possible that faculty may also receive communication from Student Support Services, in addition to the Class Dean. The Assistant Director of Student Support Services in these situations will often assist a student by emailing faculty and offer support for any flexibility that may be provided as the student works to balance their wellness needs and academic responsibilities. The Assistant Director communicates to the student that it is up to the discretion of the faculty to determine if and how they provide flexibility. It is also communicated to the student that it is their responsibility to follow-up, in a timely manner, with faculty about any specific request.  

General Information

After students have confirmed registration during the second week of the semester, they are normally expected to complete all their classes, with the exception of a fifth class dropped within the first three weeks. Students may not withdraw from a course simply because they are not doing well in it, do not like it, or do not need it. However, circumstances may arise that make it unreasonable to expect a student to complete the entire course load.

• Students may be permitted to withdraw from a course when their ability to complete the course is seriously impaired by unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. These may include:  significant illness, a family emergency, or some other serious problem in a student’s life that has a significant impact on the ability to complete academic work. In this case, students should talk to their dean, who may do one or more of the following:
  • make sure students are making appropriate use of on-campus resources.
  • ask for medical documentation.
  • consult with students’ faculty to determine which course is most appropriate to withdraw from.
• Withdrawals are sometimes permitted in the event that students find they have been placed in a class for which they lacked adequate preparation.
• Withdrawals always require consent of both the dean and the instructor.
• International students with an F-1 or J-1 visa who are dropping below 3.0 units (below full-time enrollment) must receive prior authorization for a withdrawal from Patti Lausch. Students in this situation should make an appointment to meet with Ms. Lausch. For more information, please refer to this document on dropping below the required course load. 

Deadlines

Bryn Mawr College policy precludes withdrawing from a course after the final work for the course is due. If the course is at Penn, Swarthmore, or Haverford and that institution has an earlier deadline, the earlier deadline applies. For example, the deadline to withdraw from a Haverford course is the last day of classes.

Transcript

• The course will be listed, but “WD” will be recorded instead of a grade. 
• The grade of “WD” will not affect the student's grade point average. 
• The course will not count towards any requirements or the 32 units needed for graduation.

The Class Deans and Student Support Services are located in the Office of the Undergraduate Dean in Guild Hall.

First-Year Dean: MB Horvath
Email: mhorvath@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x7332

Interim Sophomore Dean: Rachel Heiser
Email: rheiser@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x5375

Junior & Senior Dean: Tonja Nixon
Email: tnixon@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x7867

Office of Student Support Services

Sara Donals (she/her), Assistant Director, Student Support Services
Email: sdonals@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x5372

Rose Miller, Campus Safety Student Liaison
Email: rmiller2@brynmawr.edu

• Academic Concerns
• Accident and Injuries (e.g., Concussions)
• Emotional or Behavioral Concerns
• Family Emergency/Death of a Loved One
• Financial Aid Concerns
• Financial Hardship
• Food and/or Housing Insecurity
• Leave (from the college) guidance and support
• Medical Issue/Physical Health Concerns - 
• Mental Health Issues/Concerns
• Navigating College-Wide Requirements
• On and off-campus resource consultation
• Personal Concern about a Student
• Relationship Concerns
• Students Repeatedly Missing Class
• Title IX Support - Physical and/or mental health hospitalization
• Unable to reach a student after multiple attempts
• Uncharacteristic Behavior

If you’re ever unsure of who to contact, please contact the Class Dean directly and copy the Assistant Director of Student Support Services.

Director of Counseling: Luci MacNamara
Email: lmacnamara@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x7361
Student Life and Wellness Building

Reasons to Refer Students

• Expressed suicidal or homicidal thoughts (if urgent threat, call 911 or Campus Safety for ER transport)
• Major Life Event in Student’s Life (death of a loved one, house fire, significant break-up)
• Mental Health, Emotional, or Behavioral Concerns
• Recent mental health hospitalization
• Relationship Concerns
• Student Repeatedly Missing Classes
• Title IX-Related Experience
• Uncharacteristic Behavior

Please refer students to Triage Hours for an initial assessment: Monday through Friday, 10am-12pm and 2-4pm