Withdrawal Policy
A partial withdrawal refers to a student dropping one or more courses but remaining enrolled in at least one Auburn University credit-bearing course. A full withdrawal (sometimes referred to as a resignation) refers to a student dropping all courses and no longer being enrolled in any courses or credit hours at Auburn University.
Before withdrawing from any course(s), students are encouraged to contact their advisors or other relevant offices such as Auburn Cares, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Veterans Resource Center, International Programs, and Athletics due to possible impacts on tuition, graduation timing, financial aid, veteran’s benefits, international student standing, eligibility for varsity athletics, etc.
Withdrawing by the Withdrawal Deadline
A student may withdraw from one or more courses anytime on or before the withdrawal deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Withdrawing on or before the census date (also published in the Academic Calendar) results in no course grade and no record of attempting the course on the transcript. Withdrawing after the census date but on or before the withdrawal deadline results in a course grade of W. Grades of W are not used in calculating the Auburn University term or cumulative GPA.
Students withdrawing before the deadline due to a documented serious physical and/or psychological condition or the death or serious illness of an immediate family member should consult with the Auburn Cares office before withdrawing.
Withdrawing After the Withdrawal Deadline
A student may request to withdraw after the withdrawal deadline only under specific conditions or circumstances. Because the conditions necessary for approval of withdrawals after the deadline usually impact all courses, these are normally approved only as full withdrawals. All withdrawals after the deadline require permission through the appropriate approval process. Most commonly, medical or family medical withdrawals begin with the Auburn Cares office and personal or military withdrawals begin with the student’s Advising Office.
Medical or family medical withdrawal: A medical withdrawal may be requested when, by recommendation of a licensed health care provider, a student cannot continue enrollment because of a serious physical and/or psychological condition. A family medical withdrawal may be requested when a student cannot continue enrollment due to the death or serious illness of an immediate family member. These withdrawals are reviewed and approved by the Auburn Cares office.
Personal withdrawal: A personal withdrawal may be requested when a student cannot continue enrollment due to documentable, extraordinary personal circumstances. These withdrawals are reviewed and approved by the student’s Associate Dean for Academics.
Military withdrawal: A military withdrawal may be requested when a student is called to active military duty prior to the end of the term. These withdrawals are reviewed and approved by the Office of the Registrar.
When a withdrawal after the deadline is approved, grades of W and WF are assigned to courses the student is passing and failing, respectively, as of the withdrawal date. Grades of W are not used in calculating the Auburn University term or cumulative GPA. Grades of WF are used and have the same impact as a grade of F. In situations where it can be clearly demonstrated that a failing grade was directly related to the medical or personal situation leading to a withdrawal, the withdrawal approver may also approve a course grade of W.
Retroactive Dating of Withdrawals
Retroactive dating refers to establishing an effective withdrawal date prior to the actual date of withdrawal. Retroactive dating is most frequently initiated when a student has documentation from a health professional verifying a medical condition that prevented the student from withdrawing on the effective date.
Requests for retroactive dating of withdrawals due to medical or immediate family medical reasons are reviewed and approved by Auburn Cares and should be initiated within one calendar year (for family medical withdrawals) or two calendar year (for medical withdrawals) from the end of the term in question. Retroactive dating of withdrawals due to extraordinary personal circumstances are reviewed and approved by the Associate Dean of the student’s college and the Provost Office designee. Resignations/withdrawals should be initiated no later than the student’s next term enrolled at the university. Requests initiated beyond these deadlines must also be approved by the Provost Office designee.