Handling Student Drop Requests (#STOP_THE_DROP)

Assigned To: Dan Tietz, Karen Morgan, Sarah Dungan, Jessica Myers, Regina Pruett, Manuel Gorostiaga, Lois Dimari

Category: Student Life Cycle

Department: Academic Advisor, Finance, Student Support

SOP Rule: Trigger

Status: Approved and Implemented

Purpose

Defines the standardized process for handling student drop requests while prioritizing retention, compliance, and accurate financial processing.

Scope

Applies to all student drop requests (pre-class and in-class) across Academic Advisors, Program Managers, Support, and Finance teams.

Key Principles

• Always attempt retention before confirming a drop
• Do not promise or estimate refunds
• Ensure all actions are documented in HubSpot
• Follow compliance and financial policies strictly

Trigger

• Student submits a drop request via email, SMS, phone, or ticket

Process Overview

1. Intake and Ticket Creation

• Create or triage ticket to "Drop Request" in HubSpot
• Ensure contact is associated
• Automated email sends meeting link and drop form

2. Student Engagement Requirement

• Student must book and attend meeting with Academic Advisor
• If no response within 2 days, attempt outreach
• If no response after 3 days, proceed with drop via Program Manager

3. Retention Efforts

• Review student situation and attempt to retain
• Use retention scripts and guidance
• Document all actions in HubSpot

4. Decision Handling

If Saved:

• Update retention status
• Document outcome and next steps

If Drop Confirmed:

• Update HubSpot retention fields
• Turn off payment plans
• Conclude Canvas access
• Revoke NHA access (if applicable)
• Trigger Program Manager review

5. Program Manager Processing

• Validate eligibility (pre-class vs in-class)
• Confirm final drop decision with student
• Update deal stage and complete drop form
• Create and manage drop ticket

6. Academic and System Updates

• Record last attendance date (Canvas)
• Update HubSpot enrollment and drop reason
• Ensure all required fields are completed

7. Finance Review

• Review enrollment agreement and attendance
• Determine refund eligibility
• Calculate earned tuition and refund amount

8. Refund Processing

• Update Paycove invoice
• Process refund if applicable
• Upload proof to drop ticket
• Update tracking sheets

9. Finalization

• Move ticket to appropriate stage
• Ensure all systems reflect drop status
• Notify stakeholders

Completion Criteria

• Retention attempt completed and documented
• Drop status confirmed and processed
• All systems updated (HubSpot, Paycove, Canvas)
• Refund processed if applicable

Tools and Systems

• HubSpot (Tickets, Contacts, Deals)
• Paycove (Billing and refunds)
• Canvas (Attendance tracking)
• Google Sheets (Refund tracking)

Revision History

• Version 1: 05/09/2025
• Version 2: 05/28/2025
• Version 3: 06/02/2025
• Version 4: 06/12/2025