No-W Withdrawal Request and Review Process

  • Instructions for adding and dropping courses appear in the Schedule of Classes. Within the following regulations, students may revise their course schedules on days and at hours specified by the Office of the Registrar. Though classes may be scheduled on weekends,
these are not factored into the following regulations.

  • Students should consult with their academic advisor prior to adding or dropping courses.
If a particular course requires consent, a student must obtain that consent before adding 
that course.
Students may add semester courses during the first ten days of classes without special permissions. In exceptional circumstances only, a student may add courses after the tenth day of classes with the consent of the student’s advisor, the course instructor, and the head of the department or program offering the course. After the fourth week of the
semester, the permission of the student’s academic dean or his/her designee is also required for adding classes. Students may Drop courses before the end of the tenth day of classes without transcript
notations. After the tenth day of classes and through the eleventh week of the semester, a student may Withdraw from one course (for any reason) with permission from the student’s
 advisor. Students seeking to Withdraw from a course after the eleventh week of the
 semester must get approval from the student’s advisor and from the dean or designee of
 the school or college in which the student is enrolled. Approvals are given only for extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control; poor academic performance is 
not an extenuating circumstance. Any course Withdrawn from after the first ten days of
classes will receive a ‘W’ on the transcript. Exceptions to transcript notations can be made only by the Provost or designee. For courses taught outside of the fall and spring
semesters, these deadlines will be adjusted in a pro-rated fashion by the Registrar.
 During the first ten days of classes of the semester, a student may change course sections
 without advisor consultation. After the tenth day of classes, course section changes require the same authorizations as other add/drop transactions.
 A student who is enrolled in but does not attend any classes or laboratory meetings during the first ten days of classes may be denied a place in the course (see II.E.11, Class
Attendance). Such non-attendance, or non-attendance later in the semester, does not 
constitute withdrawal; the student must officially drop the course by regular procedures or 
risk being assigned a failing grade. In considering a schedule with fewer than 12 credits, a student should consult with an advisor and dean or designee of the school or college in which the student is enrolled. A
 student considering fewer than 12 credits should note the regulations concerning part-time
students, scholastic probation and dismissal (see II.B.3, Improper Registration or Failure to 
Register, II.B.4, Credits Permitted in a Semester and II.E.12, Suspension or Expulsion), and financial aid.

  • A student who withdraws from a full-year course at the close of the first semester shall
receive credit for the work of the first semester if the student has passed the course, unless it is announced in the catalog that the course must be taken in its entirety, in which case
the credit shall be withheld until the course is completed.
 Students at the University’s regional campuses are subject to all regulations governing adding and dropping courses except that course instructors act for the 
department heads and the regional campus director or designee acts for the dean. 
For courses of fewer than 14 weeks duration, the add/drop periods will be adjusted
and set by the Registrar.

Pro forma approvals for no-W withdrawal

  • Policy: Pro forma approvals are permitted in the following cases:
    • Section changes (excluding changes from W (writing-intensive) section to non-W sections)
    • When documentation in Student Admin provides clear evidence that the student attempted to drop the course before Day 11 of the semester.
  • Procedure: Dean sends schedule revision information to OneStop (onestop@uconn.edu), cc’ing the Office of Undergraduate Advising (advising@uconn.edu), indicating that they are approving the change as a section change.

Criteria for considering and/or approving other no-W withdrawal requests

Registration Errors
Examples:

  • University registered student for classes, which were later deemed to be unnecessary/inappropriate
  • Documentable OneStop or Registrar error (incorrect data entry)

University Circumstances
Examples:

  • Timing issues: class(es) begin late due to weather events
  • Documentable instructor issues where instructor is not following university policies
  • Documentable advising issues, such as misalignment of catalog updates and advising (e.g. repeat rule changes)

Student Circumstances
Examples:

  • Veteran circumstances (verified by Office of Veterans and Military Programs)
  • Documentable evidence that student was physically unable to make schedule changes before Day 10
    • If there is medical or other sensitive documentation included in the student request, it should be sent directly to CSD for initial review

Students with documented disabilities

  • These requests will be reviewed by the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD), and they will determine if a modification or adjustment is warranted.

Process for reviewing no-W withdrawal requests

  • Student makes the request to their school/college dean’s office
    • Student must provide written explanation of circumstances, including full rationale and any supporting documentation for their request
    • Any sensitive documentation (e.g., medical, disability) should be forwarded to the CSD for review

Note: The student should withdraw from the relevant course(s) prior to requesting a no-W withdrawal

  • Dean’s office or designee reviews request to ensure explanation is complete and all relevant information is included
    • Student with a documented disability: the no-W withdrawal request will first be forwarded to the CSD for review and a determination will be made if a modification or adjustment is warranted
    • Once the CSD makes a recommendation on the student’s case, they will send approved requests to One Stop, copying the Office of Undergraduate Advising
    • If request is not supported by CSD due to a documented disability, it will be forwarded to the No-W Withdrawal Committee for review
  • Dean’s office or designee forwards request to the No-W Withdrawal Committee by emailing advising@uconn.edu for consideration. It should not be forwarded without the following documentation:
    • Full written explanation of the circumstances (from the student)
    • Documentation of circumstances
  • No-W Withdrawal Committee will make a recommendation to Provost or Provost’s designee (Office of Undergraduate Advising)
  • Provost or Provost’s designee will make final decision and submit to One Stop Student Services. The Office of Undergraduate Advising will inform students of the outcome of the committee decision via Nexus message. The Office of Undergraduate Advising will also inform the originating Dean’s office representative and One Stop of the outcome of the request.

No-W Withdrawal Committee membership (membership determined each academic year)

  • At least three professional advising staff
  • OneStop representative (ex-officio member and resource to provide additional information and potential implications of decisions)
  • Office of Undergraduate Advising representative serves as chair of committee (evaluates incoming requests, monitors progress, makes final decision, and communicates decisions to appropriate parties)