Withdrawal Petition

Students who experience extenuating circumstances after the withdrawal deadline(s) may be still eligible to petition for a withdrawal.  Guiding students through this process is one of the more frequent services we provide in the Student Advocacy Center.

The basic formula for a withdrawal petition is as follows:

1. The student writes a personal statement which describes the circumstances occurring after the drop deadline(s) that affected their performance, how their academic pursuits were affected, and what has been done to manage or rectify the problem. Extenuating circumstances may include sudden physical or mental health issues, illness or death of family or friend, being the victim of a crime or traumatic event, or other personal crises.
2. Documentation of the circumstances is provided in support of the personal statement. This may include medical records, letters from a doctor or counselor, court records, obituaries, letters of support, or other forms of documentation.
3. Attendance information from instructors is included in order to determine the appropriate date for withdrawal.
4. If applicable, departmental forms are submitted to the student's academic advising office.

Petitions for a withdrawal after the semester has ended are quite rare and approved only when specific criteria have been met.  We encourage you to read closely the information provided by on the Advising webpage.  

Some of the criteria:

• Students cannot withdraw from a course when the final is taken and documentation of last date of attendance is required
• Students can petition to address E, EN, U, UEN or NP grades only. (Grades of D or higher and courses where an incomplete was assigned are not eligible for consideration)
• Documentation must demonstrate extenuating circumstances that negatively impacted academic performance and prevented them from dropping or withdrawing within university deadlines.
• Requests after graduation (or certificate completion) will be denied.
• Retroactive financial adjustments to the statement of account are considered ONLY for the current term and one term prior (excluding summers).
  
  

The Student Advocacy Center offers students assistance in developing personal statements, compiling attendance data, and identifying the appropriate forms of documentation needed for submission. When all these elements are complete, materials should be sent to the student's academic advisor or college dean for review. Sometimes, the student will need to make an appointment with their advisor to fill out departmental forms.

Timing of the withdrawal may have implications on a student's finances. The Student Advocacy Center can help students make an informed decision when considering a withdrawal petition.