Extensions for Military Deployment and Other Special Circumstances

If you currently have orders for military deployment for more than 30 days where you will have limited or no access to the internet, have a medical event that requires hospitalization or other long incapacity, have taken a direct hit from a natural disaster, have had a death in your immediate family during your course, or have an approved disability accommodation for these extensions, you can request a Special Circumstance Extension by submitting the Course Extension (Special) Request Form found under the OTHER FORMS menu. Unless you have an approved DSA award letter that includes waiver of documentation for extensions, you will need to submit supporting documentation of your special circumstance. All documentation should be submitted by uploading them with your submitted extension request form, including any approved DSA award letter if extension waivers are included in your letter. If you have any trouble uploading your supporting documentation with your Special Circumstance Extension Request Form, please email them to [email protected].

Your extension request and your supporting documentation must be received by the Registrar’s office PRIOR to the end of your course or within 3 business days, whichever is first. Any delay in submitting your documentation will cut into your potential extension time.

Specific Special Course Extension Information

Students who have experienced an extenuating circumstance that will result in a significant course absence, but who have made sufficient course progress, may be eligible for a Special Circumstance Extension for up to 90 days from the original course end date.

• No extensions are given for more than 90 days, and most approved extensions may be shorter depending upon the nature of your special circumstance.
• Documentation of your circumstances is required to be considered for a Special Circumstance Extension.
• All course extensions are based on days from the original course end date and not when the extension is approved.
• If your completion plan or circumstance does not support more than a 30- or 60-day extension, you will only be approved for that timeframe and no further extensions can be considered.
• Due to federal regulations, you may not be eligible for a special circumstance extension if you are using federal student aid and it overlaps an academic semester.
• If you have more than one incident of special course extensions on your record, you may be restricted to part-time status to reduce your course load.
• If you are approved for two or more concurrent extensions and have future registrations that start prior to the end of your extensions, your future registrations may be dropped to reduce your course load.
• The potential consequences and the extension policies of taking a special circumstance extension are the same as for standard extensions, so please make sure you have read the section on extensions above.

How to Request a Special Circumstance Extension

• To request a Special Circumstance Extension, select Course Extension (Special) Request Form, which can be found in your ecampus under the Academic Plan & Forms menu, under the All Forms link. If you don’t currently have access to the Internet and need to request an extension, please contact [email protected] or call the university’s toll-free number and ask for help submitting the online form.
• You’ll need to submit a separate form for each course.
• You must request an extension BEFORE your course or your current extension ends.
•  You must be in week 5 of an 8-week course or week 9 of a 16-week course to submit your course extension request. Correspondence is emailed to your email address on record, so you must remember to verify on the extension form that your email address is current before you submit the form.
• You are required to send the Registrar’s office a copy of official documentation which outlines your special circumstance (deployment orders, hospitalization record etc.). The form includes an upload section to attach your documentation; you should not submit this form without it.

If you have not received a decision on your extension request within two (2) business days, please contact [email protected] for a status update.

How to use the Special Course Extension Form

When you submit the online form, including a brief reason for your request, you will be asked to complete the process by uploading your two supporting documents:

• An uploaded copy of your official documentation: a medical, military or legal document dated within the timeframe of missed coursework time, on official letterhead and signed by a professional.
• An uploaded copy of your CCP (course completion plan) which consists of a typed document listing missing assignments and new submission dates. Documentation and CCP must align with the time you are requesting.

All documentation needs to be submitted at the same time to prevent any system errors or delays in processing your request. If you receive a system error when you submit your form and are not sure it went through, please contact us at [email protected] for verification within one business day.

If you have any questions once your form is submitted, please contact [email protected] directly to ensure the quickest response.

If follow up documentations are requested, all updated supporting documentation and your Course Completion Plan (CCP) must be sent as attachments to [email protected] .

Reminder

• Special Course Extensions are requested using the Course Extension (Special) Request Form and route directly to the Registrar’s office for review.
• The standard course extensions using the Course Extension (30 Day) Request Form are routed directly to your professor for review.

Eligibility for Special Circumstance Extensions

• You must have successfully completed at least 50% of the total coursework, including at least one assignment after the mid-point of the course.
• Be in week 5 of an 8-week course or week 9 of a 16-week course.
• Your special circumstance must involve an unexpected military commitment, critical illness of yourself of a dependent, the results of a natural disaster, or some other exceptional one-time situation, unless is it based on an approved disability accommodation.
• No extension will be considered if the request is submitted more than 30 days after the original course end date and no student will be allowed more than one instance of having an extension request considered after the last day of the course unless this is allowed as part of a student’s documented disability accommodations.

Military Circumstances

• Any circumstance that is based on ‘higher operational tempo” or ‘expanded role at work’ is not sufficient for a special course extension. You should apply for a 30-day extension for any heightened workload issues.
• If your circumstance is for military deployment, training or transfer, the FIRST notification to you regarding this must be dated after the last day of the free drop period. If you were notified of this deployment, training or transfer prior to the end of the first week of the course, it is expected that you would drop the course.

Other Circumstances

• If your circumstance is an accident, major illness, legal proceeding or death in the family, the dates of this uncontrollable circumstance must be after the end of the free course drop period. If this circumstance occurred prior to the end of the first week of the course, it is expected that you would drop the course or would not have been able to submit your required first week assignment.
• No extension will be approved for a circumstance that occurred or for notification that is dated after the original course end date unless you are already on an approved course extension, which will be impacted by the circumstance.

Reminders

• Contact with the instructor does not constitute a formal request for a course extension. Course extensions can only be acquired using the appropriate online form, or with contact to the Registrar’s office if you have trouble doing so.
• If you are using federal student aid, a special circumstance extension could impact your financial aid award as you might be overlapping an academic semester. Please contact our FSA Help Desk at [email protected] to discuss the impact of an extension first.