Withdrawal Policies

A student may drop any or all courses without academic penalty through the end of the first week of the fall or spring semester. The second day of classes is the deadline for summer sessions.

For regular semesters, students can withdraw from the university or individual courses after the first week up through the withdrawal passing deadline for that term (click on View Calendar for Add/Drop and Withdrawal Dates link for the current deadline dates).

• They'll receive a grade of "W" for each course withdrawal as long as they have not exceeded the 16-hour withdrawal limit.
• A grade of "W" will not affect the student's GPA.
• Be aware that the withdrawal passing period in summer is very brief.
• A student may withdraw passing from an individual class via SeaNet or by reporting to the Office of the Registrar before or on the last day for withdrawal, as indicated in the university calendar.

Students are limited to a maximum of 16 hours of full course withdrawals during their time at the university.

• Approved Withdrawals for Extenuating Circumstances or complete term withdrawals will not count towards the 16 hours.
• After the 16-hour limit is reached, any other withdrawal will be a withdrawal failing (WF) and will count in the GPA. 

Before withdrawing, students should discuss any potential withdrawal with their faculty, academic advisor, and financial aid counselor to consider possible alternatives and resources. 

After the withdrawal passing deadline, a grade of “WF” will be assigned for each course withdrawal.

• Be aware that withdrawing from a course with a failing grade can impact your academic career in many ways. Please talk to your academic advisor regarding this action.
• A WF grade is a failing grade that appears on your transcript and counts in your grade point average. 
• You may replace the WF grade by retaking the course if you still have retakes available. The new grade will replace the old grade in your GPA and hours totals, but the WF will still appear on your transcript.

Earning a WF may affect you in other ways. We recommend researching any impact of this action on other parts of your academic career, such as financial aid and scholarship eligibility. 

A student may withdraw failing from a course until 5 p.m. on the last day of classes. To withdraw failing, please email the Office of the Registrar from your UNCW email account with the subject "Withdraw Failing." In your email, you must include the following information:

• Name
• Student ID number
• Course subject, number, section, title, and CRN
• Semester
• Include this statement: "I have researched the possible impacts of a WF on my record and assume responsibility for all outcomes resulting from this request."

If your request does not include this information or it is not sent from your UNCW email, your email will be returned for completion.

The Complete Term Withdrawal request for undergraduate students is available for the fall and spring terms and opens after the drop/add period ends. Full-term withdrawals will not count towards a student’s 16-hour course withdrawal threshold.

The Complete Term Withdrawal request is located in My Seaport in the Students tab under Academics. It must be submitted by the deadline indicated in the university calendar. 

Sometimes, after the withdraw passing period has ended, a student may need to withdraw from all courses due to an extenuating circumstance. If this is the case, a student can submit an appeal to the associate dean for their college or the University College director, as appropriate. The associate dean or director may approve or deny this request. 

Documented extenuating circumstances may include:

• Death of an immediate family member.
• Traumatic and unforeseen circumstances that are considered beyond a student’s control.
• Serious emotional instability, physical injury, or illness that has resulted in the student’s inability to complete academic responsibilities in a given term.

Poor standing in a course does not constitute an extenuating circumstance in and of itself. Withdrawals due to extenuating circumstances are still subject to all financial aid and SAP rules and calculations.

For CHSSA Majors

Students will submit the CHSSA Request to Withdraw for Extenuating Circumstances. Students should ask their medical provider to fill out the CHSSA Medical Provider Documentation if appropriate.

The written request with supporting documentation must be made as soon as possible. The last day of classes for the following regular semester is the latest a request can be considered.