Bridgewater College supports students called to active duty in the armed services by providing for tuition relief and refunds, and for reinstatement of students whose documented service in the uniformed services has required their sudden withdrawal or prolonged absence from their enrollment at the institution.
Deferral of Enrollment
If a student has been admitted to Bridgewater College and is called to active duty before enrolling, the student may request a deferral of admission. Students needing to defer admission should email the Office of Admissions to explain the reasons for the request.
To defer your enrollment, you must first enroll at BC and submit the $300 enrollment deposit by the deadline stated in your admission letter. You must then email the Office of Admissions at admissions@bridewater.edu to make a formal request to defer your enrollment. All requests to defer enrollment must be received before the start of the semester.
Withdrawal from the College Due to Military Service
To withdraw from Bridgewater College at any time during a semester, a student must first confer with the assistant dean for academic affairs who will provide a form requiring the signatures of appropriate College personnel. A student called to active military service is responsible for providing the appropriate military orders. A student who fails to withdraw properly may forfeit his or her dormitory and room key deposit, will receive failing grades in all currently enrolled courses and may be ineligible for refunds listed below.
A student called to active military service will, in general, be allowed a reasonable amount of time to complete course requirements missed during short-term absences. For absences extending through the end of the semester, grades of Incomplete may be assigned. When it is not possible for students to complete course assignments, students leaving during the designated drop/add period will have no course entries listed on the transcript. Following the drop/add period, the transcript will show an entry of withdrawn and W grades will be assigned.
Refunds
In the event of an approved withdrawal due to active military service, a refund of tuition, technology fee, student service fee and residential fee is provided according to the following schedule:
- During the first two weeks of the semester – 80%
- During the third or fourth weeks – 50%
- During the fifth or sixth weeks – 20%
- After the sixth week – No Refund
In the event of an approved withdrawal due to active military service, a student who has received VA Benefits for that semester will be refunded all tuition fees, technology fee, student service fee and residential fee for that academic term.
A student called to active military service is responsible for providing the appropriate military orders. In most cases, the supporting documentation must be received within two weeks after the withdrawal date.
Reinstatement
Any student who has withdrawn from Bridgewater College due to military service and is applying for readmission to the College will be automatically reinstated if they return to Bridgewater after a cumulative absence of not more than five years, as long as the student provides notice of the intent to return to the institution not later than three years after the completion of the period of service. The student should email the Registrar’s Office at registrar@bridgewater.edu to initiate the process, outlining their plans for returning to the College.
The service member may be reinstated in their same program of study, working with an advisor to plan and review all program requirements. Division heads and program directors will work with the student to address any curricular changes and issues for meeting program requirements.
