Students Called to Active Duty
Texas Education Code 54.006 (f) indicates, “Beginning with the summer semester of 1990, if a student withdraws from an institution of higher education because the student is called to active military service, the institution, at the student’s option, shall:
- refund the tuition and fees paid by the student for the semester in which the student withdraws;
- grant a student, who is eligible under the institution’s guidelines, an incomplete grade in all courses; or
- as determined by the instructor, assign an appropriate final grade or credit to a student who has satisfactorily completed a substantial amount of course work and who has demonstrated sufficient mastery of the course material.”
A student called to active duty has the following three options:
- withdrawal with a full refund of eligible tuition and fees;
- incomplete grades with a deadline for completion of one year after the end of the active duty assignment; and/or
- a final grade if the material was sufficiently mastered, as determined by the instructor.
Students should meet with their instructor to decide if an Incomplete or final grade is warranted.
Eligible students under this provision must produce a copy of his or her military orders.
Absence for military service
In accordance with section 51.9111 of the Texas Education Code, a student is excused from attending classes or engaging in other required activities, including exams, if they are called to required military service of a reasonably brief duration. The maximum time for which the student may be excused has been defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) as “no more than 25 percent of the total number of class meetings or the contact hour equivalent (not including the final examination period) for the specific course or courses in which the student is currently enrolled at the beginning of the period" of required military service. The student will be allowed a reasonable time after the absence to complete assignments and take exams.”
