Medical Academic Interventions

Campus Health understands that your mental and physical health have an effect on your ability to be a good student. There are many options Campus Health and CAPS offer to support your academic needs.

Medical Excuses

Students should work directly with their instructors to navigate school-related absences due to illness; personal health information should not be requested by instructors nor disclosed by students.

Relative to COVID-19 (and other illnesses), faculty may not ask students to report status, provide a negative test, or ask for copies of medical records.

University-approved absences are not administered by Campus Health, and are not given to students experiencing typical illness or injury. Per the Class Attendance Policy, “Instructors may work with students to meet attendance needs that do not fall within University approved absences. For situations when an absence is not University approved, instructors determine their own approach to missed classes and make-up assessments and assignments.” 

Students and instructors who experience challenges negotiating a solution to class absences are encouraged to follow up with the chair of the department or the chair’s designee.

Medical Course Drop, Retroactive Course Drop, and Retroactive Withdrawal Process

  1. Consult with your academic advisor or your program’s student service manager/coordinator to see if a Medical Withdrawal is appropriate.
  2. Email Campus Health Medical Interventions at [email protected] to formally request a Medical Course Drop/Retroactive Course Drop/Retroactive Withdrawal.
    • The request should be addressed to “Whom It May Concern” and include:
      • An acknowledgment that you have met with an academic advisor or coordinator
      • How the medical condition has affected your coursework
  3. Fill out the “Campus Health Evaluation and Release” form.
    • The student will be required to fill out the top portion of the form including the courses and/or semester you are looking to drop and submit content for the bottom portion of the form.
    • If seen by a non-Campus Health Provider, this provider will need to fill out the bottom portion of the form. Completed forms should be emailed or faxed (919-966-6575).
      • If you are unable to have a non-Campus Health Provider fill out the bottom portion, please provide appropriate documentation to Campus Health Medical Interventions to have the Medical Director review.
    • If seen by a Campus Health provider, the bottom portion of the form will be transmitted to that provider.
  4. Once all paperwork has been received (both the email and “Campus Health Evaluation and Release” form), it will be submitted to our Medical Director.
  5. Upon completion of review from the Medical Director, the form will be faxed to Academic Advising.
  6. Students will receive an email once the form has been sent. At that time, the student is advised to complete their Online Appeal with Academic Advising.
    • Academic Advising will consider an Online Appeal complete once they have received both the “Campus Health Evaluation and Release” form and Online Appeal.

Medical Underload

*Please keep in mind that Medical Underloads can only be accepted within two weeks of the first day of class. Any requests for a Medical Underload outside that time frame would be considered a Medical Course Drop Request.

Medical Underload Process

  1. Consult with your academic advisor or your program’s student service manager/coordinator to see if a Medical Underload is appropriate.
  2. Email Campus Health Medical Interventions at [email protected] to formally request a Medical Underload.
    • The request should include the following:
      • Address your request to “Whom It May Concern”
      • Acknowledge that you have met with your advisor
      • How the medical condition has affected your coursework
      • How many credit hours you are looking to take with the underload
  3. In addition to the email, please have appropriate documentation from your treating health care provider about the medical condition affecting your academic progress. This documentation should…
    • Contain information about your diagnosis, prognosis, and length of illness.
    • Be submitted either by fax to Campus Health at 919-966-6575 or by email.

*If you were seen by a Campus Health provider, you will not need to submit this documentation since we have access to your health records at Campus Health.

  1. Once all paperwork has been received (email and documentation from the treating provider), it will be submitted to our Medical Director.
  2. If the paperwork is approved by our Medical Director, it will be sent to Academic Advising or your program.

Medical Withdrawal

A medical withdrawal is when you, as an enrolled student, decide you must leave the university in a given term once the term begins and you have attended at least one class. A medical withdrawal is when this is due to medical reasons. There are impacts to undergoing this process, and we understand there are still good reasons why students may need to withdraw.

Medical Withdrawal Process

  1. Consult with your academic advisor or your program’s student service manager/coordinator to see if a Medical Withdrawal is appropriate.
  2. Email Campus Health Medical Interventions at [email protected] to formally request a Medical Withdrawal for the current semester.
    • The request should include the following:
      • Address your request to “Whom It May Concern”
      • Acknowledge that you have met with your advisor
      • How the medical condition has affected your coursework
  3. In addition to the email, please send appropriate documentation from your treating healthcare provider about the medical condition affecting your academic progress. The documentation should…
    • Contain information about your diagnosis, prognosis, and length of illness
    • Either be faxed to Campus Health at 919-966-6575 or emailed.

*If your treating healthcare provider is a Campus Health provider, you will not need to submit this documentation since it will be in your medical records at Campus Health.

  1. Once all of the paperwork has been received (both the email and documentation from the provider), it will be submitted to our Medical Director.
  2. If approved by our Medical Director, this information will be sent to Academic Advising/your program, Housing, Registrar, Dean of Students Office, and Financial Aid.
    • A certified letter will be sent to the student’s most appropriate address in ConnectCarolina.

When will withdrawals be dated?

Campus Health medical withdrawals will be dated when the Campus Health process is complete, including the receipt of the required documentation. The withdrawal might be dated earlier in rare and extenuating circumstances. Examples of this would include prolonged hospitalization or incapacitation.

How long can I receive care at Campus Health and CAPS after withdrawal?

If your medical or psychological withdrawal is granted, you have 30 days of eligibility to be seen at Campus Health, including CAPS.

When I'm ready, how do I return to campus after withdrawal?

Clearance will be required for all Medical/Psychological Withdrawals from the University 6-10 weeks prior to the start of the semester that you wish to return. To be cleared, a provider must fill out the clearance form and return it to Campus Health or CAPS.

University Approved Absences

Students are obligated to attend class regularly. Students are encouraged to communicate with their instructors early about potential absences, and instructors may work with students to meet attendance needs. Many reasons for missing classes exist that do not fall within University Approved Absences.

When can an absence be University approved?

Under the Class Attendance Policy, an absence may be University approved only if it falls within the criteria below:

  • Authorized University activities
  • Disability/religious observance/pregnancy, as required by law and approved by Accessibility Resources and Service and/or Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC)
  • Significant health condition and/or personal/family emergency as approved by the Office of the Dean of Students, Gender Violence Service Coordinators, and/or Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC)

Proof of attending a doctor’s appointment is not evidence of a significant health condition and does not meet the threshold for a University Approved Absence. Examples of a significant health condition may include (but are not limited to): emergency surgery, hospitalization, communicable diseases (i.e. tuberculosis, measles, mumps, and varicella), and severe injuries/conditions that immediately affect mobility and/or cognition, or acute exacerbation of a chronic mental health issue necessitating immediate stabilization. 

Process for University Approved Absences for Significant Health Conditions

If your treatment provider determines your illness or injury meets the criteria for a University Approved Absence(s) per the Class Attendance Policy, they will communicate this information directly to the Office of the Dean of Students who will copy you on a notification sent to your faculty.

The University Approved Absence Office reviews requests as promptly as possible.  While it usually does not take more than 3 business days to review requests, please allow up to 10 business days for review of requests and consultation with other departments as appropriate.  So long as students get their absence request submitted to the UAAO in a timely fashion (within 5 business days after a student’s return and to have documentation delivered within 10 days if not attached to the request), if a request is approved, faculty will be required to work with the student as noted under the Class Attendance Policy.

Where can I get more information about attendance and absence policies?

For more information about the Class Attendance Policy and/or the University Approved Absence Office, including the link to make a request for a University Approved Absence, FAQs, resources, and expectations, please visit attendance.unc.edu General questions can be emailed to [email protected].

Illness during Final Exams

We know that medical or mental health illnesses may arise during finals. Students who have a medical or mental health illness during the final exam period that significantly impairs one's ability to prepare for or take a final exam may participate in the process outlined below for assistance. 

Process for Navigating Illness during Final Exams

Student tasks for the process are in bold.

  1. Consult with a provider on the day of or prior to your exam - this process cannot be done retroactively. 
  2. A Campus Health or CAPS provider will authorize the "Official Permit" if it is determined that the student's ability to prepare for or take the final exam was significantly impaired by a medical or mental health illness. If you visit provider outside of Campus Health or CAPS, you must transmit documentation of the medical/mental health visit to Health Information at [email protected] or by fax 919-966-0616. Include specific dates and times of requested excused exams. This will go to a Campus Health provider for review and authorization and will be documented in our system.
  3. Your name, PID, date of exam, time of exam, and name of authorizing Campus Health or CAPS provider is placed on the "Excused Examination List" which is shared daily with the University Registrar and Academic Advising office. The student (or their designee) should receive an email from the Registrar to their UNC email account with an attached "Permit to Take a Final Examination" within 24 hours. If that email is not received, contact [email protected]
  4. After a student receives the electronic permit, the student must:
    • Email instructor(s) about the final exam excused absence, include the electronic permit, and determine alternative final exam options.

For more information about Final Examination Excuses, go to advising.unc.edu/policies-and-procedures/final-exam-excuse

Psychological Reasons for Academic Interventions

If you are seeking a withdrawal, underload, or final exam excuse due to psychological reasons, you will need to stop by Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) during walk-in hours (Monday through Friday from 9-12PM and from 1-4PM). CAPS processes are similar to Campus Health, and are detailed on the CAPS website: academic withdrawalsunderloads, or final exam excuses due to psychological needs. 

Academic Intervention Contact

Email: [email protected]

Fax: 919-966-6575

Campus Health

320 Emergency Room Drive, CB# 7470

James A Taylor Building, University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7470

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