No Show Withdrawal

Policy AP 704: No Show

The No Show policy applies to undergraduate-level courses. The No Show policy does not apply to course levels such as Basic Education, Continuing Education, and Non-Credit.

Students are responsible for officially dropping from classes they do not intend to begin. A student who has registered for a course but has not attended a class session or completed at least one academic activity before the 7th calendar day from the start date of the course will be administratively dropped from the course as a no show. The student will receive a grade of WN (withdrawal non-attendance). Students who are reported as “no shows” will be processed as first day withdrawals according to WTCS guidelines. The College will adhere to all financial aid and Direct Loan guidelines as outlined in the Federal Student Aid Handbook and 34 CFR § 668.21. The College will also follow any applicable guidelines from the Department of Veterans Affairs (38 CFR 21.4203) and Wisconsin TCS 10.08.

The Department of Education requires accurate and timely reporting of students who have either never attended (no show) or the last date of attendance for those students who stop attending courses. This is a reporting requirement outlined in the regulations for awarding and disbursing federal financial aid and veteran’s benefits. This process provides for accurate and timely reporting of the required information.

Procedure PR 704.01: No Show

Students who register for a course but do not attend a class or complete at least one (1) academic activity prior to the seventh (7th) calendar day from the class start date, will be administratively withdrawn from the course as a first-day withdrawal.  

The College will adhere to all financial aid and Direct Loan guidelines as outlined in the Federal Student Aid Handbook and 34 CFR § 668.21. The College will also follow any applicable guidelines from the Department of Veterans Affairs (38 CFR 21.4203) and Wisconsin TCS 10.08.

Determining Attendance and Academic Activity

The determination of academic activity must be made by the institution in accordance with any state and/or accrediting agency requirements. A student’s self-certification alone is not sufficient documentation of academic engagement; it must be supported by institutional documentation of the student’s attendance in the activity.

Attendance and/or academic activity includes but is not limited to:

  • Physically attending a class in -person or virtually where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students.  
  • Submitting an academic assignment.
  • Taking an exam, quiz, interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction. 
  • Participating in an online discussion board about academic matters and/or self-introduction to the class. 
  • Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.  

The definitions of academic attendance and academic activity do not include activities where a student may be present but is not academically engaged, such as:    

  • Completing a syllabus quiz or acknowledging a program handbook. 
  • Participating in a student-organized study group.
  • Logging into an online class without active participation.
  • Participating in academic counseling or advising. 

Importance to submit no shows timely:  

  • The Department of Education requires accurate and timely reporting of students who have either never attended (no show) or the last date of attendance for those students who stop attending courses.
  • This reporting is a requirement outlined in the regulations for awarding and disbursing federal financial aid and veteran’s benefits.
  • This reporting prevents students from receiving financial aid who never started in the courses.

​The following steps take place when an individual student does not attend or complete an academic activity as defined above. Not following the procedures below potentially impacts the student’s financial aid eligibility and financial well-being.

  1. Prior to the seventh (7th) calendar day from the start date of the class:
    1. The instructor will make at least one attempt to contact the student, informing them that they will be marked as a No Show if they do not complete at least one academic activity prior to the 7th calendar day.
  2. On the seventh (7th) calendar day, the instructor must complete the No Show Reporting Form.
  3. Student Records will process the withdrawal upon receipt of the No Show Reporting Form.
  4. Student Records will notify the Learning Management System (LMS) team of the No Show withdrawal.
  5. The student’s enrollment status for class(es) that the student was a No Show will be changed to Inactive in the Learning Management System (LMS) by the LMS team.
  6. The student will be notified in writing via their MPTC student email account that the No Show withdrawal has been processed. 

Student Impacts

  • Students reported as a No Show will be processed as first day withdrawals according to WTCS guidelines.
  • A student reported as a No Show will be administratively withdrawn from the course receiving a grade of WN (withdrawal non-attendance) with a registration status of EN (No Show).
  • All courses reported as a No Show will be removed from the student’s schedule.
  • The grade of WN (withdrawal non-attendance) does not count in a student’s grade point average (GPA) calculation.
  • The student who is processed as a No Show for a course section will not be permitted to re-register for the same section. 
  • The student may still owe a portion of tuition and fees depending on their overall enrollment status.
  • Financial Aid will not be paid for any class in which a student is reported as No Show.