Withdrawal Policy

Initial Credit Withdrawal Policy

VirtualSC prides itself on student success. Therefore, our faculty and staff aim to design rigorous and engaging courses, provide quality instruction, and ensure that all students who start a course have the academic support they need to succeed. We recognize, however, that there are circumstances that may require a student to be removed from a course.

Student Responsibilities

Students should spend the first fourteen (14) calendar days of a course making sure that they are comfortable with the technology of online learning and that they are capable of successfully mastering the content in an online format. Please note that when taking an online class, students are responsible for maintaining consistent and reliable computer access. Our courses are accessible from any computer with high-speed internet access; therefore, computer/internet problems will not be accepted as reasons for delays in meeting course deadlines. Students should develop contingency plans to deal with potential situations that would prevent them from accessing their courses (e.g., identifying alternate locations with internet access, using backup computers, etc.).  

Only through continuous communication and consistent work can students be successful in an online course. Within each course, the instructor outlines the weekly minimum work requirements in the pacing guide. It is essential that students maintain regular contact with their instructors and submit assignments on time. If circumstances arise that prevent students from submitting assignments, they should immediately contact their VirtualSC teachers.

Initial Credit Course Withdrawal Policy

Students may request withdrawal from their virtual courses for any reason within the first 14 calendar days of their start date.  Drops performed within the first 14 calendar days of the start of the course will show as “Dropped_Grace” in the VirtualSC Dashboard and will be recorded as Withdrawn Passing (WP) by the student’s sponsoring school in accordance with the Uniform Grading Policy.

• During the first 14 calendar days, students must request withdrawals through their sponsoring school counselor* or through the VirtualSC Dashboard (Genius).    The sponsoring school counselor must approve the student-submitted request or make the request on behalf of the student through the VirtualSC Dashboard. Notification of the withdrawal will be sent via email to the student and will also be logged within the VirtualSC Dashboard.  The withdrawal will be shown in the dashboard as “Dropped_Grace” on the student’s official grade report.
  • * Note:  Home schooled students must request withdrawals via the VirtualSC dashboard (Genius). Upon receipt of the request, VirtualSC will contact parents for approval prior to processing the withdrawal.
• Students requesting transfer from an AP or Honors level course to the same course at the College Preparatory level must receive approval of the transfer from their sponsoring School Counselor. Counselor approval of the course level transfer must be emailed to virtualsc@ed.sc.gov within the first 14 days of the course. Course level transfer requests will not be considered after the first 14 calendar days of the course
  • Course level transfers with Counselor approval will be honored if seats are available in the CP level of the course. If the CP course is full, the transfer request will not be considered.

Students may only request withdrawal beyond the first 14 calendar days of their start date for extenuating circumstances[1].

• A student who has a documented medical illness or other extenuating circumstance[1] should immediately contact his or her sponsoring school counselor, who will notify VirtualSC of the need for a withdrawal due to extenuating circumstance via email to virtualsc@ed.sc.gov. Withdrawals for students withdrawing from a course after the first fourteen calendar days with extenuating circumstances[1] will be recorded by their sponsoring school as Withdrawn Passing (WP) in accordance with the Uniform Grading Policy (VirtualSC administrative approval due to an extenuating circumstance).

Withdrawals Due to Transfers

School Transfers: In-State

A student transferring from one school to another school within South Carolina while taking a VirtualSC course may continue taking the course provided the receiving school is willing to serve as the student’s sponsor. If the receiving school is unwilling to sponsor the student, the student will be issued a Withdrawn Passing or a Withdrawn Failing in accordance with the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy:

• Withdrawn Passing (WP)
  • The student will receive a “Withdrawn Passing” (WP) if he or she was passing the course at the time of the transfer.  The grade of WP will carry no Carnegie units and no quality points to be factored into the student’s GPA.
• Withdrawn Failing (WF)
  • The student will receive a “Withdrawn Failing” (WF) if he or she was failing the course at the time of the transfer.  The grade of WF will be factored into the student’s GPA in accordance with the Uniform Grading Policy (UGP).

School Transfers: Out-of-State

A student must be enrolled in a South Carolina public, private or homeschool in order to receive credit for a VirtualSC course. A student transferring from a school in South Carolina to another school outside of South Carolina while taking a VirtualSC course will be issued a “Withdrawn Passing” or a “Withdrawn Failing” in accordance with the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy:

• Withdrawn Passing (WP)
  • The student will receive a “Withdrawn Passing” (WP) if he or she was passing the course at the time of the transfer.  The WP grade will carry no Carnegie units and no quality points to be factored into the student’s GPA.
• Withdrawn Failing (WF)
  • The student will receive a “Withdrawn Failing” (WF) if he or she was failing the course at the time of the transfer. The grade of WF will be factored into the student’s GPA in accordance with the Uniform Grading Policy (UGP).

VirtualSC will record all withdrawals due to transfers as ‘Dropped’ in the VirtualSC student dashboard and will indicate the drop reason as ‘Student transferred schools’.

[1] Extenuating Circumstance includes life-changing events for the student involved that occurred during the course term. These may include but are not limited to: an unpredicted serious medical issue, death of immediate family members, or significant changes in living arrangements (loss of or removal from home) that occurred during the term and could not have been foreseen. All extenuating circumstance requests are subject to verification and documentation may be required.

Credit Recovery Course Withdrawal Policy

Students may request withdrawal from their VirtualSC credit recovery courses through their sponsoring school counselors* or through the VirtualSC Dashboard (Genius), for any reason at any time.  

Drops during the first 14 calendar days after a student starts a credit recovery course will appear in the VirtualSC Dashboard as “Dropped_Grace”.  Drops occurring after the first 14 calendar days will appear in the VirtualSC Dashboard as “Dropped”. Drops from a credit recovery course should be handled according to the district’s board approved policy for Credit Recovery per the Uniform Grading Policy.  Students should check with their sponsoring school to determine if any withdrawal penalties apply prior to submitting their withdrawal request.

The sponsoring school counselor must approve the student-submitted request or make the request on behalf of the student through the VirtualSC Dashboard (Genius). 

* Note: Homeschooled students must request withdrawals via the VirtualSC Dashboard (Genius). Upon receipt of the request, VirtualSC will contact parents for approval prior to processing the withdrawal.

Administrative Withdrawal Policy

Students may be administratively withdrawn from a course by VirtualSC administration for any of the following reasons:

1. Students who do not submit assignments for a period of 14 calendar days will be withdrawn for non-attendance in accordance with the VirtualSC Attendance Policy.
2. Students who violate the VirtualSC Academic Integrity Policy.
3. Students who violate the VirtualSC Code of Conduct.
4. Students whose enrollment requires a documentation upload (permission forms, transcripts and/or accommodations documents) that has not been completed within 14 days of the course placement.

Students who are withdrawn from a VirtualSC course due to any of these reasons after the allowed period for withdrawal will be assigned grades in accordance with the policies as outlined in the Uniform Grading Policy.