Pictured | Erica Morris | Dental Hygiene | North Liberty, Indiana (hometown)

Withdrawal

See Academic Regulations and Policies for all campuses in the IU South Bend Bulletin for policies regarding:

• Withdrawal from a class
• Withdrawal from the university

A grade lower than a C is not a valid reason for withdrawal from a course.

Withdrawal from the Dental Hygiene Program

Students who withdraw from the Dental Hygiene degree program can apply for reinstatement. Students who withdraw a second time are not readmitted or eligible for reinstatement. Students who are administratively withdrawn from the program are not eligible for reinstatement.

Leave of Absence

Students must submit, in writing, using the Programs in Dental Education Change in Academic Standing form, a request for a leave of absence to the director of dental education. Requests for leave of absence are evaluated and approved on the basis of academic standing and potential for progress toward the degree.

Students granted a leave of absence, delaying the clinical course sequence, changes their status within the program to out-of-sequence. Therefore, the policies and procedures for reinstatement apply to them. Reinstatement is granted depending upon the availability of clinical spaces and satisfactory completion of any condition and/or faculty recommendations existing at the time of leave. Reinstatement to the programs in dental education is not guaranteed.

Reinstatement Policy and Procedures

All out-of-sequence students must apply for reinstatement. Dental Hygiene students who are out-of-sequence include students who:

• Fail a clinical course
• Withdraw from a clinical course
• Take a leave of absence

Reinstatement Procedures

• Step 1: Written Request

Students who wish to be reinstated must submit a written request to the director of dental education by:

Date  |  Semester

March 1  |  summer semester reinstatement
June 1  |  fall semester reinstatement
October 1  |  spring semester reinstatement

The request requires

• A list of the specific course(s) in which the student wishes to enroll
• An explanation of the extenuating circumstance that may have hindered academic performance
• A brief outline of the student’s action plan

All requests for reinstatement are evaluated on the basis of successful completion of any requirements or faculty recommendations and available clinical slots.

Students who are reinstated must adhere to the academic policies in effect at the time of reinstatement.

• Step 2: Validation of Theory and Clinical Competencies

Following approval of a request for reinstatement, students must validate the dental hygiene theory and clinical competencies needed to reenter the clinical practice. All theory and skill competencies must be met (validated) before a student can reenroll and begin clinical coursework.

Skill validations required for each clinical sequence are as follows:

Validation for DHYG-H 219 Clinical Practice I:

Retake and pass with grade of C or better DHYG-H 218 Fundamentals of Dental Hygiene.

Validation for DHYG-H 300 Clinical Practice A-S II-Summer:

Retake and pass with a grade of C or better DHYG-H 219 Clinical Practice I and H305 Radiology Lab I.

Validation for DHYG-H 301 Clinical Practice II: 

Retake and pass with grade of C or better DHYG-H 300 Clinical Practice A-S.

Validation for DHYG-H 302 Clinical Practice III:

Retake and pass with grade of C or better DHYG-H 301 Clinical Practice II and DHYG-H 306 Radiology II.

Students must maintain radiology clinical competency when retaking a clinical practice course. To do this, students are required to meet, at a passing level, the radiography requirements for the clinical semester.

Validation Policies

In the event that the student fails the validation clinical course, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Upon successful demonstration of academic and clinical competencies within the designated time, the student will be reinstated into the Dental Hygiene Program. The student may re-enroll in the sequential course when it is offered in the curriculum.

Transfer Credit Hours

Transfers between Indiana University Campuses

Dental Hygiene students in good academic standing at another Indiana University campus may seek intercampus transfer. Students seeking intercampus transfer must meet the academic policies of the IU South Bend program. Intercampus transfer requests are evaluated individually on the basis of clinical space available and a review of student records.

Transfers from Non-Indiana University Dental Hygiene Degree Programs

Dental Hygiene students in good academic standing at another university who wish to transfer should contact the director of the IU South Bend Dental Hygiene degree program. The director of dental hygiene evaluates Dental Hygiene courses completed at another university for transfer equivalency and student placement. All other transfer policies must be followed.

Five-Year Limit

Required science courses must be completed within five years prior to the beginning of Dental Hygiene coursework.

Photo credit | Teresa Sheppard