Students

Everything You Want to Know About a Medical Withdrawal

Before You Pursue a Medical Withdrawal…
Because a medical withdrawal can affect so many aspects of your academic progress, you are encouraged to first consider other options that might enable you to stay in school, e.g., talk to your college or academic program advisor to explore academic adjustments such as a reduced course load, or taking incompletes, to prevent having to withdraw from school.

If your medical condition is a disability, physical or psychological, a very valuable resource is the Disabled Students Program (DSP). DSP is authorized to offer a range of academic accommodations appropriate to your needs as an undergraduate or graduate student. For more information about the Disabled Students Program, go to dsp.berkeley.edu

University Health Services (UHS) can provide appropriate medical documentation to accompany your request for an academic adjustment or accommodation; however UHS does not make decisions about your academic status. This applies to graduate as well as undergraduate students.

Students who withdraw from the university do not have to re-apply, but they do need to be re-admitted by their academic department and this is not guaranteed. For this reason, students considering withdrawal should first consult with their department to be fully informed. Other areas that may be impacted by withdrawing from school include financial aid, housing, registration fees, immigration status, Telebears, and Student Health Insurance coverage. Explore all of these ramifications carefully before you initiate the medical withdrawal process. Late withdrawals in any semester frequently result in an undergraduate's inability to enroll in the subsequent semester due to college deadlines.

If you are an international student (on an F-1 or J-1 visa), you should talk to an advisor at the Berkeley International Office, 2299 Piedmont Avenue, 642-2818. If you have a student loan, you are required to go to the Loans and Receivables Office, 192 University Hall, 642-3910 to arrange for an exit interview.1

Who Grants a Request for a Medical Withdrawal?
Initial review of a medical withdrawal request is done by the Coordinator of Medical Withdrawals at UHS. Many withdrawal recommendations are made by the Coordinator; however repeat requests, appeals, complicated withdrawals and most requests for medical clearance are reviewed by a committee consisting of staff from UHS, the College of Letters & Sciences, and the Office of Campus Life and Leadership. Once a conclusion is reached by the Coordinator or the committee, a recommendation is made to your college or academic program as to whether or not the medical documentation supports withdrawal from school. The medical information that you give us is confidential and we only report to your college/program our recommendation to accept or not accept the withdrawal as "medical" and if medical clearance will be required for readmission. The final decision for granting a medical withdrawal (and the decision of whether or not to readmit) lies with the college/program.

All students have the option of requesting a personal withdrawal from their college/program. Consult with your academic advisor about initiating a personal withdrawal while a medical withdrawal request is under review. This will lock in a refund date for non-financial aid students in the event a medical withdrawal is not supported.

Starting the Medical Withdrawal Process…
Visit the Social Services office, Room 2280 at University Health Services (UHS), Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way to complete paperwork. You may also call 642-6074 to make arrangements to receive paperwork via mail or fax. Our office is open Monday - Friday, 8a.m.-11:45a.m. and 1p.m.-4:45p.m. Our confidential fax # is 510-643-0211. There's a $20.00 processing fee per withdrawal request.

Information Required…
Medical withdrawals are considered for the current or previous semester. To evaluate your withdrawal request, detailed medical record information, including diagnosis and treatment, will be needed. Your UHS medical record may be reviewed with a Release of Information Form signed at the Social Services office. If you were treated in the community or at UHS' Counseling & Psychological Services, request that a Health Evaluation Form(*) be completed by your provider. This should be sent to Social Services, along with a copy of the Release form you sign, so your provider can communicate with us. You are also encouraged to submit a brief explanation (up to one page) of the reasons you are requesting a medical withdrawal. Please include all information you would like the UCB Medical Withdrawal Committee to consider in evaluating your request.

The above information is reviewed to determine if the medical condition warrants a medical withdrawal. The withdrawal determination is based on the severity and onset of your condition and its impact on your ability to attend classes over a period of time. In addition to determining whether the medical documentation supports a medical withdrawal, the documentation is also reviewed to determine what, if any, medical documentation will be necessary to support a future request for re-admission at a time you seek to return to school. In some cases, continued treatment for a period of time may be required as a condition of readmission.

Requiring a review of additional medical documentation at the time a student seeks to pursue readmission in the future is designed to determine sufficient stability and readiness to return to academic studies. In taking a medical withdrawal a student is agreeing to the terms and conditions for determining readmission eligibility set out by the UCB Medical Withdrawal Committee, including any requirement for additional medical documentation at the time of the request for medical clearance. For graduate students, only your academic program with agreement from the Graduate Division can readmit you. The UCB Withdrawal Committee only reviews whether or not you are medically eligible for readmission.

More on Readmission Eligibility…
When additional medical documentation is required for readmission you will not be able to re-register at UCB (except for Summer Sessions) until the "medical block" is removed by the Withdrawal Committee.

Once your health has stabilized and you are ready to return to school please take the following steps:

  1. Submit a Request for Readmission Form* along with a statement (up to one page) reviewing what led to your medical withdrawal, a summary of the treatment you have undergone, and why you believe you are now ready to return to academic work. If you have attended another academic institution or have been employed while you were on leave, please let us know; as this can be further evidence of your readiness to return.
  2. Pay the administrative fee of $30 made out to the UC Regents.
  3. Ask the medical care providers in charge of your treatment to provide information and documentation of your health status. You will need to sign a Release of Information Form for your provider(s) to be submitted with a Health Evaluation Form for Medical Clearance* or copies of your complete medical records.
  4. Contact your School or College to make sure you are clear on all deadlines and required paperwork.

The UCB Withdrawal Committee will review all available information and documentation to determine if you have achieved sufficient stability to be ready to return to academic work. Readmission eligibility will be considered only upon a student's fulfilling conditions indicated at the time the medical withdrawal was approved. Please do not seek medical clearance until your health is stable. Subsequent requests for medical withdrawals for the same condition are reviewed with stricter standards and greater scrutiny.

What about insurance coverage and ongoing care?
If you purchased the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) and have withdrawn from school on the first day of instruction or thereafter, your insurance coverage remains active through that semester and you can use the Tang Center for your medical care. If you have waived SHIP, you will be referred to community providers for care under your primary insurance plan. For information on insurance options while you are not enrolled at Berkeley, please visit the Student Health Insurance Office, room 3200 Tang.

Fee Adjustments for Withdrawals1
All fee adjustments for withdrawals are applied to students' CARS accounts and may be applied to any outstanding debts. Late fees are not refundable. Students who withdraw and who are participating in the Deferred Payment Plan are likely to have a remaining financial obligation to the University.

Please visit www.uga.berkeley.edu/fao/withdrawal.htm or contact the Financial Aid Office, second floor, Sproul Hall, 510-642-6442 (undergraduates) or 510-642-6442 (graduate students, Law and Optometry) for information on how financial aid is handled.

Note: If you are in student housing, make sure you contact Housing and Dining regarding your withdrawal. Charges will apply until you move out of campus housing and make proper notification.


Notes

1. Taken from the Office of the Registrar's web site.

* Medical Withdrawal Forms are available from the UHS website at www.uhs.berkeley.edu or the Social Services office, room 2280 Tang Center.

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