Dropping, withdrawing and taking an incomplete in NSU nursing
Every change to an NSU nursing schedule goes through your program director. Drops happen only during drop/add, withdrawals only while you are passing, and the whole program allows two withdrawals. An incomplete needs passing status, at least half the coursework done and, in a clinical course, met attendance expectations, and it must be finished within one semester.
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Tell us your NSU program and your home ZIP area. A placement advisor replies with preceptor and site options near you that fit your NSU course.
Drops: only during drop/add, only with approval
The handbook is brief on this. “No classes will be added or dropped unless approved by the program director,” and “Students may only drop any nursing course during the drop/add period, with approval of the program director.” Once drop/add closes, the drop option is gone and the only way out of a course is a withdrawal.
Graduate nursing programs set their own drop/add dates, and the registrar tells graduate students to consult their program for registration and drop/withdraw policies. BSN students can use the registrar's undergraduate calendar, which puts fall 2026 drop/add in the week beginning August 17 and the final withdrawal date for full-semester classes on November 15, 2026. The semesters page lists the full 2026-27 calendar.
MSN APRN students also carry a continuous-enrollment rule, at least one graduate course each term. Before you drop everything in a semester, ask your program director whether a leave of absence or an administrative break is the better tool.
Withdrawing while passing, and the two-withdrawal limit
A withdrawal needs three things: a conversation with your adviser, your program director's approval, and a passing standing in the course. The handbook allows it “with consultation of the student's adviser and approval of the program director, provided that the student is passing the course(s).” A student below passing cannot use a withdrawal to step around the grade; the failed clinical course page explains what follows instead.
The limit is firm: “Students will be allowed only two withdrawals during their program of study.” Treat each one as a resource you may need later, especially in a long plan such as the nine-semester PMHNP flex track or the BSN to DNP.
Stopping attendance does not count as leaving. The handbook states that “not attending classes does not constitute an official withdrawal,” so any exit from a course has to go through your adviser and program director.
Withdrawing from a clinical course
Clinical courses carry an extra condition: “Students on clinical rotation or practicum require prior approval from the program director for withdrawal.” Approval comes first. Stopping at your site and asking afterward is not the process.
The handbook also spells out the cost in time. Withdrawal from a clinical rotation or practicum “may significantly extend the length of the program of study,” and the student “may not be eligible to return to the program before the next academic year.” Returning is not automatic either. Reenrollment in clinical courses is on a space-available basis, and the second enrollment after a withdrawal “is the last time for students to successfully accomplish course objectives.”
For your preceptor, a withdrawal ends the arrangement for that term. Once you know your return term, the two-semester notice for that course starts over, so the two-semester deadline page is the next thing to read.
A clinical withdrawal can cost a full academic year. Get your program director's approval first, then ask in writing when the course next runs.
Refunds when you drop or withdraw
NSU publishes short refund steps tied to timing. The percentages below apply to tuition; the Office of the University Bursar can confirm what applies to your own account.
| When | What NSU refunds | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate drop during the first week of the semester | 75 percent | Nursing Student Handbook 2025-2026 |
| Graduate drop after the first week | No refund | Nursing Student Handbook 2025-2026 |
| Withdrawal from a course | No financial refund | Nursing Student Handbook 2025-2026 |
| Undergraduate full-semester classes, weeks 1, 2 and 3 | 100, 75 and 50 percent | NSU registrar undergraduate calendars, 2026-27 |
The practical reading: a graduate drop in week one recovers most of the tuition, a withdrawal recovers none of it, and a repeated course is charged again. The handbook and the registrar's undergraduate calendars describe different steps, so BSN students should ask the bursar which schedule governs their nursing courses.
Who qualifies for an incomplete
An incomplete (I) is reserved for “rare, emergent, and extenuating circumstances,” and the handbook sets these conditions:
- You must be in passing status.
- At least 50 percent of the coursework must be finished.
- In a clinical course, you must have met attendance expectations.
- Missing the final examination without prior approval makes you ineligible.
- The faculty member or program director decides. A refusal can be appealed to the program director, whose decision is final.
NSU uses the I grade in one other situation that BSN students meet at the end of the program: a student who does not reach the benchmark on the exit exam in NUR 4180 receives an incomplete for the course until the benchmark is reached.
Finishing an incomplete, especially in a clinical course
The remaining work is completed on a timeline you and the faculty member agree, “not exceeding one semester beyond the final date of the course.” Registering again does not clear it: “A student cannot remove an incomplete grade by registering in a subsequent term to repeat the course.”
In a clinical course, the unfinished part is often hours, and hours need a preceptor. Before you agree to an incomplete contract, confirm that your preceptor can keep precepting into the next term, weekly and at the pace the contract sets. If they cannot, tell your clinical coordinator right away, since any replacement preceptor and site must be approved before those hours can count.
DNP students should read one more handbook rule alongside these. A DNP student who cannot complete a course's objectives, including the practicum or capstone, must re-register for that course the following semester and pay all fees. Since the general rule says re-registering does not remove an incomplete, ask your program director which rule governs a project course such as NSG 7444 before you agree to anything.
Lockstep students who stop mid-course under an administrative break in enrollment face a related split: missing less than half of a course leads to an incomplete contract, and half or more leads to a W and a full repeat. The leave of absence page linked above covers that break.
Keeping your clinical plan intact when the schedule changes
A withdrawal or an incomplete moves the dates by which each later preceptor must be named, and it can leave a preceptor who agreed to one term unsure about the next. NSU students choose us to handle that re-planning. We confirm a preceptor for the term you return, or one who can cover the hours an incomplete contract leaves, near home and in the setting the course needs. We prepare the credential and site details your coordinator reviews so the approval step moves quickly, and NSU's clinical coordinator makes the final call.
As soon as you know a change is coming, send us the course number and the term you expect to be back in. We work backward from NSU's two-semester notice so the new preceptor is ready to name on time, not scrambled together in the final weeks. See how it works.
Questions NSU students ask
Can I withdraw from an NSU nursing course I am failing?
No. The handbook allows a withdrawal only “provided that the student is passing the course(s),” with your adviser consulted and your program director's approval. A failed course means probation and a CSP referral, so talk to your program director as soon as a course starts to slip, while a withdrawal is still an option.
Do drops count toward NSU's two-withdrawal limit?
The handbook treats them as separate steps: drops happen only during drop/add with program director approval, and the two-withdrawal limit applies to withdrawals over the program of study. It does not say whether a drop counts toward the two. Ask your program director and keep the answer in SharkMail, where it stays on record.
What is the deadline to finish an incomplete at NSU?
No more than one semester beyond the course's final date, on a timeline you and the faculty member agree. Re-registering for the course does not remove the I. In a clinical course, build the remaining hours into a weekly schedule with your preceptor straight away so the deadline does not arrive before the hours are done.
Can I get an incomplete in a clinical course?
Yes, if you meet the handbook's conditions: passing status, at least 50 percent of the coursework finished, and met attendance expectations for the clinical. The faculty member or program director decides. You will also need a preceptor available to supervise the remaining hours inside the one-semester window.
Do I get money back if I withdraw from a course?
Not for a withdrawal. The handbook says there is no financial refund when a student withdraws from a course. Graduate students who drop during the first week of the semester receive 75 percent, and drops after the first week receive no refund. Check the timing with your program director before you decide.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against NSU's own handbook, catalog and program pages. The graduate clinical guide, your course in Canvas, your clinical coordinator and your program director have the final word.
- NSU Nursing Student Handbook 2025-2026: incompletes (flipbook p. 111)
- NSU Nursing Student Handbook 2025-2026: drops, withdrawals and refunds (flipbook pp. 112 to 114)
- NSU Nursing Student Handbook 2025-2026: D.N.P. practicum rules (flipbook p. 147)
- NSU Office of the University Registrar: Fall 2026 academic calendar
NSU lets you name your own preceptor. We make sure you have one, close to home and in time.
Tell us your NSU program, your home ZIP area and when your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors who fit the course and have everything ready for your clinical coordinator well before the two-semester notice.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP, acute care for AGACNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP, a practice site for DNP project hours
- Named early enough for NSU's two-semester notice, with license, credentials and site details ready for the coordinator
- Close to your home ZIP code, with clinic days we plan around your work schedule
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