Each semester the course schedule is available online prior to registration. Fall and summer registration typically begins in March. Spring registration typically begins in October.
Students who do not participate in any activities, complete any assignments, or attend any scheduled meeting(s) during the first week of an enrolled course may be dropped from the course. Students dropped in this manner will not be permitted to re-enroll in the same course for that session. Students who are not planning on attending a course should drop the course in their EMPOWER ME account prior to the drop deadline.
Students are not permitted to withdraw after the withdrawal deadline published on the College's Academic Calendar webpage.
Independent Study
An independent study is a course taken with ongoing supervision by a faculty member for rigorous learning and knowledge enhancement in an area of interest beyond the courses offered. The content of an independent study course should not duplicate any course currently available to students except in extenuating circumstances. One to three credit hours will be permitted per independent study.
- Students who want to complete an independent study must discuss the course proposal with the Program Director (or Division Dean).
- This proposal should include rationale for the topic/project; and
- Suggested methods for evaluation of the project.
- If approved, the Program Director and/or Division Dean, will refer students to a designated faculty member, who will supervise the independent course of study.
- Students and the designated faculty member will identify the course learning objectives, resources, strategies, target dates, how students will be evaluated, a plan for substantive contact hours, and other course requirements.
- The substantive contact hour plan, reflective of the credit hours for the course, must be included and approved by the Division Dean.
- The Program Director, Division Dean, and designated faculty member must sign the completed Independent Study Proposal Form.
- Students submit the Independent Study Proposal Form to the Office of Student Records.
- The participating student must be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.7 or better.
The Independent Study Proposal Form is available on the Student Records Forms webpage.
Course Audit
Students may audit courses for the purposes of self-enrichment and academic exploration. Courses taken for audit earn zero credit and quality points. Courses are offered only if a space is available and with the approval of the instructor of the course, Division Dean, and the Office of Student Records. Students may not audit the clinical component of any course.
An audit designation (AU) will appear on the transcript. An audit withdrawal designation (WA) will be recorded on the transcript if the instructor certifies that the student has not regularly attended classes.
Students may not change class registration status after the first week of the course. The fee for audited courses is $100 per credit hour.
Withdrawal from The College
When students decide to withdraw from The College, they must contact their Academic Advisor or the Office of Student Records at registrar@mercycollege.edu. If withdrawing from the college prior to the end of a semester, students must also submit a ‘Withdraw/Leave Request’ within their EMPOWER ME account for all enrolled courses. (Refer to the Withdrawal from a Course section of the catalog.) After students contact their advisor or Student Records, they will receive the ‘Mercy College of Ohio Temporary Leave/Full Withdrawal form’ to finalize their withdrawal request. Once students have finalized their college withdrawal they will need to be readmitted to The College if they wish to enroll in future courses.
When withdrawing from The College, students should contact the Office the Bursar to discuss and/or review their current bill status. If a college withdrawal results in a tuition balance due, students can discuss options of payment (such as pay in full or set up a payment plan). Students can reach the Bursar at bursar@mercycollege.edu or 419-251-1726. For more information about paying a bill, students can visit https://mercycollege.edu/admissions/tuition-fees/pay-your-bill.
If students have received federal financial aid while attending Mercy College, they should read the Return to Title IV policy (R2T4) located at https://mercycollege.edu/admissions/financial-aid under the Financial Aid Documents tab. Students must also complete the student loan exit counseling located at https://mercycollege.edu/admissions/financial-aid/exit-loan-counseling. The Office of Financial Aid will notify students when a withdrawal results in a federal aid return. Students may submit any questions to financialaid@mercycollege.edu or call 419-251-1219 for assistance in understanding how this withdrawal may impact their financial aid.
Student Military Leave Policy
From time to time, students who are serving in the National Guard or Armed Forces Reserves may be called to active duty, and the guidelines as outlined in the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 will be followed:
Procedures
- A student called to active duty or service once enrolled at the College must provide copies of the issued orders. Once this paperwork is received, a withdrawal will be processed for the student.
- Title IV Student Aid.
- Recipients of student financial assistance under Title IV of the Act who are affected individuals will not be placed in a worse position financially in relation to that financial assistance because of their status as affected individuals;
- Administrative requirements placed on affected individuals who are recipients of student financial assistance are minimized, to the extent possible without impairing the integrity of the student financial assistance programs, to ease the burden on such students and avoid inadvertent, technical violations or defaults;
- The calculation of “annual adjusted family income” and “available income,” as used in the determination of need for student financial assistance under Title IV of the Act for any such affected individual (and the determination of such need for the student's spouse and dependents, if applicable), may be modified to mean the sums received in the first calendar year of the award year for which such determination is made, in order to reflect more accurately the financial condition of such affected individual and his or her family;
- The calculation under section 484B(b)(2) of the Act (20 U.S.C. 1091b(b)(2)) of the amount a student is required to return in the case of an affected individual may be modified so that no overpayment will be required to be returned or repaid if the institution has documented the student’s status as an affected individual in the student’s file and the amount of any overpayment discharged.
- Tuition Refunds or Credits.
- Mercy College will provide a full refund to students who are affected individuals for that portion of a period of instruction each student was unable to complete, or for which such individual did not receive academic credit, because the student was called up for active duty or active service; and
- If affected individuals withdraw from a course of study as a result of such active duty or active service, Mercy College will make every effort to minimize deferral of enrollment or reapplication requirements and will provide as much flexibility as possible with administrative deadlines related to the application process.
- Repeating a Course.
- An affected individual enrolled in a nursing program of study who has been away from the College for more than one full academic year may be required to repeat any nursing courses the student has taken. This may apply to courses in other professional programs as well.
Military Tuition Assistance Policy
In accordance with Change 3, DoDI 1322.25 (July 07, 2014) (Appendix to Enclosure 3, 4, f. (2) (d) (page 42)), Mercy College of Ohio will return any unearned tuition assistance (TA) funds on a proportional bases through at least the 60 percent portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. Mercy College of Ohio will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt for the returned portion. All TA funds not earned will be returned to the Military Service, not the Service member. Any unearned TA funds will be returned on a weekly basis.
PLEASE NOTE: An affected individual will need to comply with revisions in the admission criteria that may have occurred while the individual was on active duty or service.
ORC 3345.53 Military leave of absence for student on active duty (http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3345.53)
As used in this section, "active duty" means full-time duty in the active military service of the United States, including full-time training duty, annual training duty, and active state duty for members of the National Guard.
- Each institution of higher education, as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code, shall grant a student a military leave of absence from the institution while the student is serving on active duty, and for one year after the conclusion of that service, if the student is a member of the United States National Guard or other reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, or a member of those armed forces in a retired status, and is called to active duty. The student shall not suffer an academic penalty as a result of the leave of absence.
- If requested by a student granted a military leave of absence pursuant to division (A) of this section not later than one year after the student's release from active duty, the state institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled shall do either of the following, as elected by the student:
- Credit tuition and fee charges toward a subsequent academic term in an amount that is one hundred per cent of what the student paid the institution for the academic term in which the student withdraws;
- Refund tuition and fees paid for the academic term, provided the student withdraws before the withdraw date established by the institution. The refund shall equal one hundred per cent of the tuition and fee charges the student paid the institution for the academic term. If the student withdraws after the withdraw date established by the institution, the student is ineligible for a refund of tuition and fee charges. For the purposes of this section, the "withdraw date" shall be the same as the date set by the institution for its general student population to withdraw from the institution or a course or class without academic penalty.
- If requested by a student granted a military leave of absence pursuant to division (A) of this section not later than one year after the student's release from active duty, the state institution of higher education shall restore the student to the educational status the student had attained prior to being called to active duty without loss of academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition and other fees paid prior to the commencement of active duty, except as provided in division (B) of this section.
- If a state institution of higher education fails to comply with this section, the student may bring an action against the institution to enforce its provisions in the court of claims. The court may award reasonable attorney's fees and expenses if the student prevails in the action.
Effective Date: 05-18-2005
Voluntary Leaves
The College supports the overall success of students, including their physical, social, and emotional well-being. When situations arise that hinder students’ abilities to perform academically, they can request a voluntary leave.
Students requesting a leave due to active duty military service should refer to the Student Military Leave Policy when requesting a leave.
Students requesting a leave due to pregnancy should refer to the Pregnant Student Policy when requesting a leave.
When students decide to request a voluntary leave, they must contact their Academic Advisor or the Office of Student Records at registrar@mercycollege.edu. If the leave request is to begin prior to the end of a semester, students must also submit a ‘Withdraw/Leave Request’ within their EMPOWER ME account for all enrolled courses. (Refer to the Withdrawal from a Course section of the Catalog.) After students contact their advisor or Student Records, they will receive the ‘Mercy College of Ohio Temporary Leave/Full Withdrawal Form’ to finalize their request.
Students who withdraw from all courses and return the next immediate semester do not need to submit a request for a Voluntary Leave.
Students requesting a voluntary leave are strongly encouraged to investigate the financial implications of taking such a leave by contacting the Office of Financial Aid (financialaid@mercycollege.edu or (419) 251-1219) and the Bursar (bursar@mercycollege.edu or (419) 251-1726). Students should also review the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy for leave implications. Mercy College students enrolled in dual degree programs with another institution are also required to follow the applicable procedures for leaves for that institution.
Students who wish to return to the College after missing three consecutive semesters must seek readmission to the College (e.g., if a student submits a leave request at the end of Spring 2024, they will need to return before Spring 2025 semester). Voluntary Leave requests beyond three semesters will be denied.
After submitting a Voluntary Leave request, for students to return to the College, they must set-up an appointment with their academic advisor to develop/revise their plan of study prior to enrolling in classes.
Administrative Appeals
Administrative appeals are requests by students to the College Administration to consider making an exception to policy or procedure due to extraordinary circumstances. Administrative appeals consist primarily of two types of appeals, detailed below, Administrative Withdrawals and Refund Requests.
The College is under no obligation to grant an appeal as any appeal is an exception to the policy or standard operating procedures. Circumstances that support an administrative appeal may include, but are not limited to, unexpected/unscheduled:
- significant illness, injury;
- significant illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member;
- legal matters that require students to be absent for significant periods during the term;
- change in employment status or increased workload; and
- other significant life events that impacted student ability to complete coursework or otherwise meet requirements of the College’s policies and procedures.
Administrative Withdrawal
An administrative withdrawal is a request to withdraw from coursework after the last day to withdraw and receive a grade of “W” as listed on the Academic Calendar (https://mercycollege.edu/academics/academic-calendar). An administrative withdrawal request may be considered in cases when a student can provide evidence of having experienced exceptional circumstances that significantly impaired their ability to complete coursework and prevented withdrawal from courses as described in the Registration and Scheduling section in the College Catalog.
A request for administrative withdrawal will not be considered while a grade appeal, program dismissal appeal, or College dismissal appeal is in process.
Prior to requesting an administrative withdrawal, students will:
To request an administrative withdrawal students must:
- complete the Administrative Appeal Request Form.
- provide a letter that describes the extraordinary circumstances that prevented the student from requesting to withdraw in accordance with the current withdrawal policy. So that the College is able to properly analyze the appeal, it is important that this letter gives accurate details about the circumstances resulting in the appeal, the date(s) of the emergency situation, and an account of how the situation specifically prevented the student from withdrawing in accordance with the current withdrawal policy.
- provide objective supporting documentation as indicated below.
If students are requesting an administrative withdrawal from some, but not all courses, the documentation must provide sufficient and appropriate rationale for the request.
Approval of an administrative withdrawal will not reinstate a student who has been Program Dismissed from their program of study or Academically Dismissed from the College. A student who has been dismissed must submit either a Program Dismissal Appeal or an Academic Dismissal Appeal to be reinstated regardless of the outcome of an Administrative Withdrawal Appeal. Undergraduate students refer to the Undergraduate Student Progression section of the Catalog for more information. Graduate students refer to the Graduate Student Progression section of the Catalog for more information.
Refund Request
Students may request a refund after the refund deadlines listed on the Academic Calendar (https://mercycollege.edu/academics/academic-calendar). A refund request may be considered in cases when students can provide evidence of having experienced exceptional circumstances that significantly impaired their ability to complete coursework and prevented withdrawal from courses as described in the Withdrawal from a Course section in the College Catalog.
A request for a refund will not be considered unless students have successfully dropped or withdrawn from the course in question.
To request a refund students must:
- complete the Administrative Appeal Request Form.
- provide a letter that describes the extraordinary circumstances that prevented the student from submitting a withdrawal request in the appropriate time to receive a refund. So that the College is able to properly analyze the appeal, it is important that this letter gives accurate details about the circumstances resulting in the appeal, the date(s) of the emergency situation, and an account of how the situation specifically prevented the student from submitting a withdrawal request in the appropriate time to receive a refund.
- provide objective supporting documentation as indicated below.
Required Documentation
ALL documentation must:
- be objective supporting documentation from a source other than students, a relative, or friend of the students;
- indicate the event occurred or impacted students during the term students are seeking the appeal; and
- include an email address or phone number that will allow verification of the authenticity of the document. |
| Circumstance |
Required Documentation |
| Illness or injury to students |
Documentation or a dated letter on letterhead from the attending physician containing: 1) nature of illness/injury; 2) dates; 3) severity of illness; 4) inability to attend school due to the condition; and 5) the date the physician recommended students stop attending classes. |
| Illness, injury, or death of immediate family emergency |
Documentation or a dated letter on letterhead from the attending physician or hospital containing the nature of relative’s illness/injury, dates, and severity; or
A death certificate or obituary notice. |
| Legal matters |
Documentation or a dated letter on letterhead from a lawyer, court, or other professional/entity indicating the date of legal incident or proceeding that required students to be absent; or
Documentation indicating dates of incarceration; etc. |
| Change in employment |
Documentation or a dated letter on letterhead indicating change in employment status; or
Documentation or a dated letter on letterhead from an employer indicating unexpected increase in workload. |
| Other significant life event |
Documentation or a dated letter on letterhead that would prove an unexpected and serious life event occurred that impacted student ability to complete coursework or otherwise meet requirements of the College’s policies and procedures. An example is an Eviction/Evacuation letter or other documentation proving an unexpected change in residence. |
Circumstances Not Sufficient to Support an ADMINISTRATIVE APPEAL Include, But Are Not Limited to:
- Dropping courses to avoid low grades
- Dissatisfaction with instructor of course
- Not being aware of add/drop deadlines
- Late payment fees/charges
- Lack of reasonable planning on the part of the student
College representatives from the Offices of Financial Aid, Business/Bursar, Student Records, Academic Affairs, or College Administration may be involved in the review of administrative appeals.
Transcripts
The Mercy College of Ohio transcript is the official record of student academic progress, documenting all course grades, grade point average, and degree(s) awarded. Mercy College of Ohio transcripts and transcripts for Mercy College of Northwest Ohio, St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, St. Vincent School of Nursing, St. Vincent School of Radiography, and Mercy School of Nursing are issued by the Office of Student Records, through the National Student Clearinghouse, upon request by the student, former student, or alum.
Information on how to request a transcript can be found at www.mercycollege.edu/transcript.
Transcripts may not be issued to former or current students who have outstanding financial obligations to the College. “Unofficial” copies of transcripts are not issued by the College but may be available through EMPOWER ME.
There is no fee charged for electronic copies of official transcripts. A fee of $6.00 will be charged to a student requesting a paper copy of their transcripts.