UC's week-2 clinical site deadline: what counts as secured, and what happens if you miss it

The rule in UC's documents

The requirement appears in each track's clinical requirements PDF: a clinical site must be secured by the end of the second week of the term. UC's AGPC clinical guide from July 2026 states the consequence directly. A student who can't secure a site by then should withdraw by the drop date to receive a 100% refund.

The FNP and AGPC requirement documents also give the other side. Staying enrolled without a site puts you at risk of administrative withdrawal or failing the course. The rule doesn't care why the site is missing, whether a preceptor pulled out in week 1 or the search never landed.

Most students are secured well before week 2, because the packet deadline sits about three months ahead of the term. The cutoff matters when something slips late, such as a preceptor withdrawing, an agreement stalling or a site's onboarding running long.

What counts as secured

UC defines the word most clearly for AGPCNP: secured means all paperwork processed and clearance granted by your Clinical Site Coordinator. Other tracks' public documents apply the same deadline without spelling out the definition.

The pieces UC requires before any clinical activity line up with that meaning: an approved preceptor, shown by the welcome email and eMedley listing; an Educational Affiliation Agreement in effect; the site's onboarding finished; and your Critical Requirements current. A preceptor who has agreed while paperwork is still open doesn't meet it.

If you're on another track and unsure where your file stands, write to your CSC early in week 1 and ask two things: "Am I secured for this course, and if not, what is still open?" A written answer protects you if the picture changes.

The drop date and the refund

UC's track documents tie the full refund to withdrawing by the drop date, but they don't print the date. It comes from UC's academic calendar and depends on your session, and half-semester sessions run each term alongside the full one, so check the session your clinical course sits in. Catalyst, where you register and see your financial status, is where the change shows up.

For orientation, UC's 2026–27 calendar runs spring 2027 from January 11 to May 1 and summer 2027 from May 10 to August 7. Week 2 of a spring term that starts on Monday, January 11 runs January 18 to 24 by the calendar; ask your CSC which day UC treats as its end.

Before you withdraw, talk to your Student Success Coordinator about your plan of study, since UC's major maps place practicums in a set semester order. The delayed graduation page covers what a pushed-back clinical tends to cost in time.

If you miss both: administrative withdrawal or a failing grade

UC's documents name two outcomes for a student who neither secures a site nor withdraws: administrative withdrawal or failing the course. Administrative withdrawal means UC takes you out of the course instead of you choosing to leave, and the documents don't offer the full refund in that case.

A failing grade is the heavier result. UC's public documents don't set out what either outcome means for your progression, so if you're anywhere near this point, ask your program director or Student Success Coordinator what each would do to your plan before the drop date passes.

Compliance can bring a similar result from another direction. The handbook says students out of compliance with Critical Requirements at any time are restricted from course enrollment, and those still non-compliant at the end of their second term may face an administrative drop and a registration hold.

Why the window is so tight

Clinical hours count only within semester dates. UC ties that to malpractice coverage, which the handbook says applies only between each semester's start and end dates, so you can't bank hours before the term or finish them after it. Students carrying an SP or incomplete grade are the stated exception.

Every week without a site is a week of hours you won't get back. Take ANNP8074, the final FNP practicum: 280 hours under UC's 40-hour weekly cap needs at least seven full weeks at the maximum. At the one to two days a week UC's preceptor FAQ asks of preceptors, a late start can leave those hours out of reach without a second preceptor.

If you're already partway into a term and short, the behind on clinical hours page covers the options UC's rules allow.

Weeks 0 to 2: a triage plan

UC publishes the rule, not a playbook. This is the order we'd work in, and need a preceptor fast goes further.

1. Before the term starts. Ask your CSC whether you're secured, and get the answer in writing.
2. Week 1: close the gaps. Follow up on the agreement, the site's onboarding and any missing Critical Requirements every day.
3. Week 1: line up a backup. If a preceptor has fallen through, send your CSC a replacement's details at once. A site that already holds an active UC agreement is the quickest to clear.
4. Week 2: decide before the drop date. If secured looks out of reach, talk to your CSC and Student Success Coordinator about withdrawing for the refund.
5. Afterward: plan the next term. Start the next packet at once, since its deadline may already be near.

This is the moment students call us. We start the replacement search the day you reach out, look first at sites that already hold an active UC agreement, and send your CSC a complete set of preceptor details so vetting can begin at once. UC decides when you're secured, and our side of the file keeps pace with the calendar. Tell us where things stand.