Information for Drake Students Who Are Called to Military Active Duty

When contemplating a withdrawal from the university due to being called to active duty, students should consult their academic advisor and instructors to consider the time and/or coursework remaining in the term.

Students who wish to withdraw from some or all of their classes must contact the Office of the Registrar to provide a copy of military orders verifying “called to active duty” status.  The Office of the Registrar also can provide the student additional information about specific procedures relating to their withdrawal and identify next steps for the student.

Students may pursue the following options:

1. Complete Withdrawal: Withdraw from all current-term courses
2. Partial Withdrawal: Retain enrollment in one or more courses and withdraw from one or more other courses. Students must receive approval from the instructor(s) of the course(s) for which they wish to remain enrolled.
3. No Withdrawal (retain current enrollment): Earn either a final grade or an incomplete in all courses for which the student currently is enrolled. Students must receive approval from all of their instructors to remain enrolled in their courses.

If the withdrawal occurs after the drop deadline as described in the official catalog, students will receive a “W” for courses from which they withdraw.

Courses for which the student receives a grade, including a grade of incomplete, will have applicable tuition and fees assigned.  Courses from which the student withdraws will result in a refund of tuition and fees to the student’s account.

Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Accounts, the Financial Aid Office, and Drake’s certifying official for veterans’ benefits.  In particular, there may be federal or state rules and requirements that are not under the control of Drake University and must be strictly administered.

I. Scope and purpose

In accordance with federal regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 668.18 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Drake University will promptly readmit service members who seek readmission to a program that was interrupted due to military service or a uniformed service obligation. The service member will be readmitted with the same academic status they had when last attending Drake University or accepted for admission to Drake University.

II. Definitions

• Military service (or service in the uniformed services) - Voluntary or involuntary service in the armed forces, including service by a member of the National Guard or Reserve on active duty, active duty for training, or full-time National Guard duty under federal authority, for a period of more than 30 consecutive days under a call or order to active duty of more than 30 consecutive days. This does not include National Guard service under state authority.
• Service member - someone who is a member of, applies to be a member of, performs, has performed, applies to perform, or has an obligation to perform, service in the uniformed services.
• Foreign service member - someone employed in one of several federal agencies: the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Foreign Commercial Service of the Department of Commerce, the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture, or the U.S. Agency for Global Media. These members possess, and must present, a U.S. government Official Form 126 “Foreign Service Residence and Dependency Report” issued by their agency as confirmation of the status.
• Appropriate officer - A warrant, commissioned, or non-commissioned officer authorized to give such notice by the military service concerned.
• Armed Forces - the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.
• Active duty - full-time duty in the active military service of the United States. Active duty includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, and attendance, while in the active military service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary of the military department concerned. Active duty does not include full-time National Guard duty.

III. Notification of military service

A student must provide orders, or an appropriate officer of the armed forces or official of the Department of Defense must give oral or written notice of such service to the Office of the Registrar as far in advance as possible under the circumstances.

• If military necessity, such as service in operations that are classified or would be compromised by such notice, this notification need not be given.
• An indication of when the student is expected to return to Drake University is not required.

IV. Notification of intent to return

Students must provide notification of Intent to Return within the specified time periods outlined below. A student who fails to apply for readmission within these periods does not automatically forfeit eligibility for readmission but will be subject to Drake University’s established leave of absence policy and general practices.

• Students must notify the Office of the Registrar orally or in writing of Intent to Return and provide supporting official military obligation documentation within three years of the completion of the service absence.
• Students must notify the Office of the Registrar or program registrar’s office orally or in writing of Intent to Return and provide supporting official military obligation documentation within two years after the end of the period needed to recover from an illness or injury if the student was hospitalized or convalescing due to an illness incurred or aggravated during the performance of service.

V. Tuition and fees

If the student is readmitted to the same program, for the first academic year in which they return, the school must assess the tuition and fee charges that they were or would have been assessed for the academic year during which they left the university. However, if the student’s veterans education benefits or other service member education benefits will pay the higher tuition and fee charges that other students in the program are paying for the year, the school may assess those charges to the student as well.

If the student is admitted to a different program, and for subsequent academic years for a student admitted to the same program, the school must assess no more than the tuition and fee charges that other students in the program are assessed for that academic year.

VI. Readmission requirements

A returning student will be permitted to enroll into the next class or classes in the program beginning after they provide notice of intent of readmission, unless the student requests a later date or unusual circumstances require the school to admit them at a later date.

A returning student will be readmitted into the same academic program the student was enrolled in prior to the military service obligation. If the exact program no longer exists, the student must be admitted to the program that is most similar, unless the student requests or agrees to admission to a different program.

Returning students will be readmitted with the same enrollment status, number of completed credit hours, and academic standing as the last academic year of attendance.

If Drake University determines that a returning student is not prepared to be readmitted in the same academic program with the same academic status or is unable to complete the program, the school must make reasonable efforts to enable the student to resume or complete the program at no additional cost to the student. If such efforts are unsuccessful or place an undue hardship on the school, the school is not required to readmit the student.

In accordance with federal regulations, returning students who receive a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge from the Armed Forces (including the National Guard and Reserves) are not eligible for readmission under this policy. However, service members who receive dishonorable or bad conduct discharge may remain eligible for readmission even though they will not be entitled to the benefits outlined in this policy.