Temporary Policies
Program Modality and Transcript Disclosure
Program Modality
Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the University has moved most of the on-ground courses into a distance education modality. However, as soon as the COVID-19 circumstanceschange, students will be expected to return on campus to complete their program on- site in the regular learning modality as approved by WSCUC and outlined in the university catalog. As thesituation evolves, the University will continue to communicate to students the expected return date to their campus to complete their program on-site.
Temporary Modification to the Add/Drop Policy
The Add/Drop period begins at the start of a term and ends on the second Tuesday. During this period, students may add or drop classes. Courses dropped during this period will not appear on students’ transcripts nor be included in evaluating Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students dropping all classes will be treated as a withdrawal from the University.
Please note, the University will automatically withdraw a student from any course(s) in which he or she is registered and for which attendance has not occurred by the end of the Add/Drop period. Programs and courses may have specific attendance requirements that supersede this policy. Students dropping a course(s) within the MSOT or DPT programs will be withdrawn from the University. Please refer to the programmatic section of the catalog and to your programmatic handbook for more information.
New students may be admitted during this period provided they attend at least one scheduled class during the Add/Drop period. Students will not be admitted after the Add/Drop period without approval from the campus Executive Director and the applicable program Dean/Chair.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and limited availability of clinical sites, students may transfer between sections of the same course within the term after the add/drop period ends. Student may not transfer to a different course nor add a new course to their existing schedule.
Note: For information regarding adjustments to institutional charges, please see the Refunds for Dropped Courses policy in the "Financial Aid > Withdrawal and Refund Policies" section of this catalog.
Withdraw COVID-19 Grade Policy
The "WC" grade is a special withdrawal designation used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students who are unwilling or unable to complete a course as scheduled due to the COVID-19 virus may be issued a "WC" grade. "WC" grades are not calculated into a student's Grade Point Average (GPA) or completion rate. Additional information regarding this special designation can be obtained from the Registrar's Office.
Accommodating Students Whose Enrollment is Disrupted by Coronavirus
WCU will make every reasonable effort to accommodate students and help them continue their education despite interruptions caused by COVID-19. Due to campus and clinical site closures, all academic programs were transitioned to online delivery effective March 17, 2020, and clinical partners displaced clinical rotations. However, as soon as the COVID-19 circumstances change, students will be expected to return to campus to complete their didactic courses on- site in the regular learning modality and to resume scheduled clinical rotations as approved by WSCUC and outlined in the university catalog. Under guidance posted by the Department of Education on 3/5/20, WCU may make exceptions to offer courses to students on a schedule that would otherwise be considered a non-standard term, if doing so enables those students to complete the term. The Department of Consumer Affairs and the CA Board of Registered Nursing have approved waivers to permit students to complete required clinical practice hours through a combination of direct care hours (telenursing, volunteer service) and non-direct care hours (simulation, skills, and other virtual experiences). However, the campuses have been challenged to meet the clinical hours, even with the waivers.
West Coast University – Ontario students have been displaced from direct care hours earlier in the term. However, WCU was contacted by its health care partners to ask for assistance by allowing WCU-Ontario students to vaccinate frontline workers during the holiday break originally scheduled for the Fall II 2020 term,(December 21-January 3) and also the week prior to the Spring I 2021 term (January 18-24, 2021) for NURS498L-ext. This permits the students to make up missed hours, stay on track to graduate, and serve the Inland Empire. As a result, we have modified our normal academic calendar for the Fall II 2020 term and Spring 1 2021 term so that the clinical hours worked during this time frame can be appropriately included.