What’s the Difference Between a Financial and an Academic Penalty? [3 min read]

Are you a CBU student realizing that one or more of your courses might not be the right fit for you? Then this blog is for you. CBU allows students to drop courses at any point throughout the semester ; however, there are penalties for doing so after specific deadlines. If you have missed these deadlines you can still drop a course, but you will be subject to a Financial Penalty and/or an Academic Penalty depending on which deadline(s) you have missed. In this blog, we will  break down the two types of penalties at CBU so you are fully informed before deciding to drop a course after a deadline. 

The Financial Penalty deadline for the Fall 2024 Term is September 13. This means any Fall course dropped after September 13 will result in a monetary penalty, but will not impact your academic standing or grade average. The Academic Penalty Deadline for the Fall 2024 Term is October 25. Any course dropped after this date will result in both a financial and academic penalty. 

In order to drop a course properly, students must log in to their Compass Student Account and withdraw or visit the Registrar’s Office on campus to submit their withdrawal in writing. These are the only two ways to drop a course properly, receive your rebate if eligible and avoid penalties. Telling your instructor or simply not coming to class is not an official withdrawal process; you must drop a course properly.

Financial Penalty

A Financial Penalty means a student will not receive a full rebate for the course they have dropped. 

• If you drop a course prior to the Financial Penalty Deadline (September 13), you will receive a full rebate (excluding any fees listed as non-refundable)
• If you drop a course between September 14-20, you will receive a 75% rebate.
• If you drop a course between September 21 and October 13, you will receive a 50% rebate. 
• If you drop a course on or after October 14, you will not receive a rebate.

Tuition and fees for the Students’ Union, IT, Campus Renewal and Labs, among others, will be rebated in accordance with the schedule found on the Payment Deadlines, Policies and Regulations webpage. 

Academic Penalty

The deadline for the Academic Penalty for the Fall 2024 Term is October 25, 2024. Students who drop a course before this date are still subject to any Financial Penalty that may apply but will not be impacted academically. If a student drops a course after October 25, they will be subjected to both the Financial Penalty and the Academic Penalty.

The Academic Penalty means the student will receive an automatic Withdrawal Failure (WF) grade for that course(s). A WF grade is equivalent to a zero and will be factored in when a student’s grade averages are calculated. The WF grade will also appear on the student’s official transcript and remain on their permanent record even if they repeat the course and receive a passing grade. Dropping a course once the Academic Penalty deadline has passed will also count toward CBU’s repeat policy. 

It is important to know the difference between these two types of penalties at CBU, but it is even more important to remember the deadlines attached to them. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with all important dates and deadlines by visiting cbu.ca/important-dates regularly. 

The best way to avoid financial and academic penalties is to ensure you keep track of relevant deadlines and make registration changes early.