Course Start Dates
A term officially begins on the published term start date. This occurs on the first day of each month. In order to avoid delays and minimize the chance of violating the continuous enrollment policy, it is recommended that learners review the next term's courses by the 15th of the month prior to the previous course end date.
Add/Drop Period
CalSouthern allows learners the option to register in a course up to 10 days after the course start date. The learner is responsible for making up assignments to accommodate the time missed; all work will still be due no later than the course end date and all other policies governing coursework and assignment submission apply and will be enforced.
Learners may drop a course up to and including the 10th day after the course start date with no academic or financial penalty. Additional information is provided in the Cancellation and Refund Policies section of this catalog.
For more information, please contact your assigned academic advisor.
Continuous Enrollment
Learners must maintain continuous enrollment by remaining enrolled in at least one course unless on an approved Leave of Absence. Learners are allowed a maximum of three months of leave absence per calendar year. A learner will be deemed not to be continuously enrolled if a learner takes more than three months leave of absence in a calendar year or has not been enrolled in a course for more than 30 days. It is recommended that learners follow the schedule outlined by their degree course plans to help them remain continuously enrolled.
- Example 1: Course end date March 23. Learner must begin their next course on April 1.
- Example 2: Course end date March 23 with a two-month Leave of Absence. Learner requests and is approved to take a Leave of Absence for two consecutive months. Learner must be enrolled in their next course starting the term immediately following the expiration of the Leave of Absence, which in this case would be June 1.
Learners not continuously enrolled will be placed on Non-Continuous Enrollment Probation and given 30 days to start a course. If the learner does not start a course within 30 days and is not on an approved leave of absence, the learner will be subject to administrative withdrawal from the University. (See Non-Continuous Enrollment Probation section.)
Course Extensions and Incomplete Periods
Learners requesting a 30-day course extension are required to submit and pay for the extension request by the last day of the course (see Learner Fees section of this catalog). Extension requests submitted after this date will be denied. Course extensions may only granted once for each registered course. Learners that do not complete the course requirements by the end of the 30-day extension may face the possible consequences of needing to repeat courses to meet the University’s expected academic grade performance requirements. Learners may choose to cancel their request for a 30-day course extension. In order to receive a refund of the extension fee, the cancellation request must be made before the first day of the 30-day extension period. All other cancel requests made on or after the first day of the extension period will not be approved for a refund.
Learners may request a 7-day course incomplete period at no cost as an alternative to a full 30-day extension. Learners are required to request the 7-day incomplete by the last day of the course. The learner must also remain continuously enrolled by remaining registered in their next course for the term immediately following their current course’s term end date. A learner may only take one 7-day incomplete per course. Learners that do not complete the course requirements by the end of the 7-day incomplete period may face the possible consequences of needing to repeat courses to meet the University’s expected academic grade performance requirements.
Both the 30-day extension and the 7-day incomplete are measured in calendar days starting with the day after the course term end date. Learners are not allowed to utilize a 30-day course extension and a 7-day incomplete for the same course and cannot change the 7-day incomplete to a 30-day extension.
Leave of Absence
The Leave of Absence policy is applicable to all officially admitted and enrolled learners at CalSouthern. A learner can obtain up to 3-month leaves of absence per calendar year upon approval by Learner Support Services. The request must be submitted in writing to Learner Support Services and must be taken between course enrollments and may not interrupt an ongoing course. In the case of a need to interrupt an ongoing semester, the learner should contact Learner Support Services for further assistance.
An extended leave of absence for up to one year may be granted for grave hardship. The same procedure for requesting a standard leave of absence must be followed for this leave and additional documentation or verification may be required.
While on a leave of absence, all tuition commitments remain in force.
Leaves of absence will not be approved for learners that are subject to disqualifications or dismissal due to academic deficiencies or disciplinary action.
Learners who decide not to return to the University must formally withdraw their registration. To do so, learners should contact Learner Support Services at least one week prior to the expiration of the leave of absence and complete a withdrawal form. At the time of withdrawal, learners are advised of the conditions under which they might resume their studies should their circumstances change and decide to return at a future date.
Military Deployment
CalSouthern understands and acts upon the needs of its military learners. Learners need to notify CalSouthern when military deployment prohibits satisfactory academic progress. With sufficient documentation of military duty that prohibits academic progress, a learner will be placed in inactive status and be subsequently reinstated in their program of study upon returning from military duty.
Withdrawal Policy
The learner is responsible for notifying CalSouthern of withdrawal from the University in writing. Learners who wish to withdraw from their program of study should send their request via email to their Academic Advisor or to the Learner Support Services department at learnersupport@calsouthern.edu. It is the learner's responsibility to understand any academic and financial implications of their request before deciding to withdraw.
The withdrawal is effective when the Withdrawal request is sent. Please refer to the Cancellation and Refund Policies section of this catalog for information regarding refunds and payment due.
Learners may be subject to administrative withdrawal if in accordance with University policies, such as Non-Continuous Enrollment and/or Conditional Admission.
Learners who wish to re-enter the University are subject to current policies and tuition and fees in effect at the time of their return to the University. Please refer to the Reinstatement section of this catalog for more information.
Change of Academic Program Policy
Learners who wish to change their academic program of study must fill out and submit the Change of Academic Program form to Learner Support Services. Learners can change their academic program of study one time at no charge. After a learner has changed their academic program of study once, the learner will be charged a Change of Academic Program fee.