What if I get called to Active Duty and I can't finish my current Semester?

Students serving in the Selected Reserves or National Guard who are called to Active Duty during a semester may request a full reimbursement of tuition and fees. The student must file an Exception to Enrollment Policy form and submit a copy of their orders to the Gadson OMVAE. If the recall occurs after the student has made considerable and successful progress in the semester's coursework, it may be in the best interest of the student to complete the work successfully rather than withdraw. The University will make every attempt to give special consideration with respect to examinations, tests, and other assignments to allow the student to successfully complete the courses whenever feasible. Students called up near the end of a semester are encouraged to consider requesting incomplete grades (I) for coursework.

Wayne State University supports students who are members of the United States Armed Forces and reserve units. Under current University policy, students who enlisted for military service, or are serving in Reserve or National Guard units who are called to short-term or long-term active military duty, are also eligible to withdraw from classes and request a full refund of tuition by way of an administrative withdrawal through the Registrar's Office. In the event that a currently enrolled student serving in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, including any U.S. State National Guard, is called to active service during the current semester, cancellation of all tuition and fees will be granted. For the purposes of this rule, "called to active service" is defined as involuntary and unanticipated.

When appropriate, instructors may prefer to make arrangements for the student to take an incomplete to be made up within one calendar year of the term in which the incomplete is given.

In the event that a student finds him/herself in any of these circumstances, he/she must supply the appropriate documentation as evidence of his/her need to sit for a make-up examination (mid-terms, finals, quizzes, etc.). Whenever possible, students are expected to notify their instructors well in advance so that alternative arrangements as suitable as possible may be worked out.

What if I fail a course? 

The law prohibits payment of VA benefits for a course from which the student withdraws or for a course which will not be used in computing requirements for graduation, such as an I, W, or a Z (for auditing.) Payments may be allowed, however, if the student submits evidence of acceptable mitigating circumstances to explain why the course should not be completed and/or a credible grade assigned.

Mitigating circumstances are unanticipated and unavoidable events or situations beyond a student's control that prevent him or her from completing a course with a credible grade. This means that if a student drops a course, unless he or she can show the DVA that there are mitigating circumstances, s/he must return all the money paid to him or her for the pursuit of that course from the start of the term, not merely from the date he or she dropped the course.

The following circumstances are representative of those which the DVA considers to be mitigating provided they prevented the veteran or eligible person from pursuing the program of education continuously. This list is NOT all-inclusive.

• A serious injury or illness affliction to the student during the enrollment period
• A serious illness or death in the student's immediate family
• Unforeseen family or financial obligations requiring a change in their terms, hours, or place of the student's employment, and precluding further pursuit or successful completion of a course
• Discontinuance of a course by the school
• Unanticipated active duty military service, including active duty training
• An unavoidable geographical transfer resulting from the student's employment
• An unavoidable change in the student's condition of employment
• Unanticipated difficulties with the childcare arrangements the student has made for the period during which he or she is attending classes

Examples of reasons the DVA may not accept are:

• Withdrawal to avoid a failing grade
• Dislike of the professor
• Too many courses attempted
• Unsubstantiated Deployments or Joining the Military while in semester.

For withdrawals on or after June 1, 1989, mitigating circumstances will be considered to exist without explanation by the student in the first instance of withdrawal from a course or courses totally not more than 6 semester hours or the equivalent. This does not mean, however, that the school does not have to report the withdrawal. It means that in the first instance of withdrawal, mitigating circumstances automatically are presumed to exist, up to a total of 6 semester hours.

If you are applying for restoration of benefits based on mitigating circumstances, it is important that you provide the DVA with documented material/data such as a doctor's note, hospital bill, letter from your employer explaining any employment changes affecting your academic status, or a letter from your academic advisor. It is also highly recommended that students furnish a Statement of Mitigating Circumstances along with their notification of reductions and terminations. You should not delay contacting the OMVAE even if you do not have the necessary supporting documentation. Written notification can be submitted at a later date.