Withdrawals and Readmission
A. Voluntary Withdrawal
To withdraw from the Language Schools a student must complete and sign an official Withdrawal Form at the Language Schools office. For more information, refer to the Withdrawals and Refunds Policy. Students who withdrawal are subject to the readmission requirements below.
B. Mandatory Withdrawal
i. The Language Schools provides a range of support services to address the medical needs of students, including mental health needs, within the context of the campus community. On occasion, students may experience health needs requiring a level of care that exceeds what Middlebury can appropriately provide. In such circumstances, students may withdraw from their Language School program (see “Voluntary Withdraw,” above). In situations where a student is unable or unwilling to carry out substantial self-care obligations, where their behavior is unduly disruptive to the community, where current medical knowledge and/or the best available objective evidence indicates that a student poses a significant risk to the health or safety of others, or where a student poses an actual risk to their own safety not based on mere speculation, stereotypes, or generalizations about individuals with disabilities, and the student does not want to withdraw voluntarily, the dean of the Language Schools or designee (hereinafter referred to as the “dean”) has the authority to withdraw the student.
ii. Before placing any student on a mandatory withdraw, Middlebury will do an individualized assessment to determine if there are reasonable accommodations that would permit the student to continue to participate in the campus community without withdrawing from the program. A medical evaluation by a competent specialist may be required. To enable careful, individualized consideration, the student may need to sign a release authorizing disclosure of relevant information by and between treatment providers working with the student and the appropriate Middlebury official(s).
iii. The student will be notified of the withdrawal decision in writing. Student(s) will be given notice and an opportunity to speak with the dean prior to or within five business days following the start of the mandatory withdrawal. The decision may be appealed, following the procedures set forth in Section iv., below.
iv. An appeal of a mandatory withdrawal decision may be made in writing (including email) to the provost or designee (hereinafter referred to as the “provost”) within five business days of receipt of the decision. The appeal must state the grounds for the appeal and include any supporting evidence. Absent extenuating circumstances, the provost will ordinarily notify the student of the appeal decision within five business days of receipt of the appeal.
v. Students withdrawn under this section may also be subject to the normal disciplinary processes if their conduct has violated any Middlebury policy. If disciplinary action is appropriate, the matter must be resolved either before or immediately upon the student’s return.
C. Readmission
i. A student who seeks readmission to the Language Schools after withdrawal should contact the dean of the Language Schools. Students eligible for readmission can expect to receive instructions for completing applicable readmission forms from the appropriate Language School official. They must confirm their plan to return to their Language School program by the deadline set by the official. Students may be subject to certain readmission requirements. See below.
ii. Students who are withdrawn from their Language School program are eligible for readmission to the Middlebury undergraduate program (as applicable to current Middlebury undergraduate students) for a three-year period. Students seeking readmission to any other Middlebury program should consult with that program’s director, dean or other responsible Middlebury official regarding the eligibility period.
iii. Many students who withdraw will have no requirements attached to their readmission to the Language Schools or any other Middlebury program. In some cases, a dean, program director, the VPSA, Provost, or other appropriate Middlebury official or designee may impose specific requirements for readmission to the Language Schools, the Middlebury undergraduate program, or any other Middlebury program, as applicable, if the circumstances of the student’s departure warrant it. The goal of such conditions is to prepare the student for a successful return to Middlebury; for example, a student may be asked to complete pre-approved coursework at another institution in order to demonstrate readiness to return to rigorous academic work or to provide clinical information to staff of the Parton Center for Health & Wellness to facilitate a successful return. For example, a student may need to complete the Medical Return Form and respond to any follow-up requests for information from Parton staff. If the withdrawal is health-related, any conditions or requirements for reinstatement will be based on an individualized assessment of each student including consideration of current medical knowledge and/or the best available objective evidence. Careful consideration will be given to the opinions and recommendations of the student’s treating physician or mental health professional, if available.
iv. As appropriate to the individual circumstances of a student’s departure, a dean, program director, VPSA or other Middlebury official or appropriate designee may also require that the student provide information to their program director, commons dean, or other appropriate Middlebury official when they seek readmission. Typically, this includes a letter about the student's understanding of the problem that led to the withdrawal, evidence of the student’s work to resolve the issue and/or progress made in managing the issue and other information that may assist Middlebury in evaluating whether the student can safely and effectively participate in the Language School’s academic programs, the undergraduate college or any other Middlebury program to which the student seeks readmission, as applicable.
v. Students eligible for readmission to a Middlebury program other than the Language Schools (e.g., the undergraduate college) should notify their Commons dean, program director or other appropriate program official, as applicable, to obtain instructions for completing applicable readmission forms. They must confirm their plan to return with their Commons dean, program director or appropriate program official by the deadlines set by the official. For the undergraduate college please note the deadlines and requirements set forth in the Student Status policy. Undergraduate students who fail to confirm their plans to return by these deadlines will be placed on a waiting list for readmission. Normally, readmission to the undergraduate college is for fall or spring semester only. Students will be readmitted for winter term or summer study only with special permission from the Vice President for Student Affairs.
vi. Students on probation for disciplinary or academic reasons will resume their probationary status upon their return for the duration of the assigned probationary period.
vii. In the rare circumstance that a student’s request for readmission is denied on grounds of health or safety, the decision may be appealed in writing to the Vice President for Student Affairs or designee (undergraduate program), or as appropriate, to the Provost or designee (all other Middlebury programs). The appeal must state the grounds for the appeal and include any supporting evidence. Absent extenuating circumstances, the appellate official will ordinarily notify the student of the appeal decision within five business days of receipt of the appeal.
D. Notice to the Student’s Home Institution
Middlebury reserves the right to notify all institutions or programs in which the student is (or will be) enrolled of any medical or non-medical withdrawal of the student from a Middlebury School of the Environment.