Withdrawing from UW-Madison
This section contains information for L&S undergraduate students about withdrawing from the university.
What does it mean if I withdraw from the semester/term?
If a Letters & Science undergraduate student wishes to drop all of his/her classes for a particular semester or term after the first day of classes, a student needs to formally withdraw from the term. In other words, withdrawal indicates that a student intends to stop attending classes for the current term/semester. This is done by the official withdrawal deadline in the fall/spring term or the summer term/session (see Dates & Deadlines under Enrollment Information on the Registrar's homepage or go directly to Dates & Deadlines).
Students who wish to withdraw must submit a withdrawal request in their MyUW Student Center between the first and last day of the term. The electronic withdrawal process will not require submission of a signed paper form. Once L&S undergraduate students submit their withdrawal request via their MyUW Student Center, the requests are then routed electronically to L&S Academic Deans' Services in 110 Ingraham Hall for review. Approval from L&S Academic Deans' Services, as well as from the Office of International Student Services for students on J1 and F1 visas, is required before an L&S undergraduate student is formally withdrawn from the semester/term. See below for more information about withdrawing via the Student Center. You can also find additional information about the withdrawal process by referring to Term Withdrawal FAQ.
- A student may withdraw from the University at any time up to the end of the twelfth week of classes during the fall or spring term. Students should refer to the Session Dates summer classes if they are enrolled in a summer term and wish to withdraw. Additional information about withdrawing from the summer term can be found below under Summer Withdrawal Information .
- Every student who withdraws must complete the official withdrawal process through his/her Student Center after the first day of classes.
- Students withdrawing due to medical reasons should refer to medical withdrawal for more guidance.
- Students who are being called to active duty should contact Veteran Services & Military Assistance Center (VSMAC) for assistance as well as talk with their academic advisor. UW-Madison has a special policy for enrolled students called to active U.S. military service. See Being called to active duty for more assistance.
Withdrawing from a semester/term before the term/session begins
It's important to remember that students who are receiving financial aid should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid as soon as possible if they are planning to withdraw or drop below six (6) credits during the fall or spring semester. Information can be found at Withdrawals: Refunds and Repayments.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison does not use the term "to withdraw" to signify dropping one or more classes if a student intends to remain enrolled in at least one course for the semester/term. See dropping a course at UW-Madison for more information about dropping a class.
Withdrawing after the term begins
- Students will no longer be able to drop all of their classes without notifying their academic deans' unit. Thus, students will no longer be able to drop their last class via their Student Center. Students will be redirected to the "Term Withdrawal" tab on the Course Enrollment page in Student Center to submit a withdrawal request.
- The L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans' Services in 101 Ingraham Hall will review an L&S undergraduate student's withdrawal request submitted to the Worklist in ISIS to either approve or deny the student's withdrawal request.
- Academic deans will be able to submit a withdrawal request in the event that a student is unable to successfully submit a withdrawal request through his/her Student Center.
More important information about the withdrawal process on the UW-Madison campus can be found at Cancelling Your Enrollment - Withdrawals.
A student will still be able to drop their last class(es) via his/her Student Center if:
- The student is attempting to withdraw from a future term.
- The student is attempting to withdraw from the current term and it is before their earliest session begin date.
- The student is attempting to withdraw from the current term and at least one of their classes has been graded and it is before the drop deadline for their remaining classes.
Students will not be able to submit a withdrawal request via their Student Center and will be directed to withdraw through their academic dean's office (101 Ingraham Hall for L&S undergraduate students) if:
- A student attempts to withdraw from a previous term.
- A student attempts to withdraw from the current term and it is after the withdrawal deadline for the fall or spring term/semester.
- A student attempts to withdraw from the current term and at least one of their classes has been graded but it is after the drop deadline for their remaining classes.
- A student attempts to withdraw from the current term and s/he has a hold on his/her record preventing enrollment activity.
Summer Withdrawal Information
The withdrawal deadline for the College of Letters & Science undergraduate students enrolled during the summer term is the end of the three-quarters of the session, extended to the following Friday. The following rules apply to L&S undergraduate students enrolled in a summer session on the UW-Madison campus:
- For a student enrolled in a summer term less then two weeks, the withdrawal deadline is the same as the drop deadline (the end of the 1st week on Friday).
- For a student enrolled in a two-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the same as the drop deadline (the end of the 2nd week on Friday).
- For a student enrolled in a three-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the same as the drop deadline (the end of the 2nd week on Friday).
- For a student enrolled in a four-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the same as the drop deadline (the end of the 3rd week on Friday).
- For a student enrolled in a five-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the end of the 4th week on Friday.
- For a student enrolled in a six-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the end of the 5th week on Friday.
- For a student enrolled in a seven-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the end of the 6th week on Friday.
- For a student enrolled in an eight-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the end of the 6th week on Friday.
- For a student enrolled in a nine-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the end of the 7th week on Friday.
- For a student enrolled in a ten-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the end of the 8th week on Friday.
- For a student enrolled in an eleven-week summer term, the withdrawal deadline is the end of the 9th week on Friday.
- For a student enrolled in a summer term of more than eleven weeks, the withdrawal deadline is the end of the 9th week on Friday.
Specific deadlines for the summer term are located at Session Dates.
Students who wish to withdraw from the summer session must submit their request to withdraw through their Student Center. The summer withdrawal process differs slightly from the fall/spring terms in that:
- Students in the summer term will be allowed to drop their last enrolled class in the Student Center.
- At the point of dropping his/her last summer class in the Student Center, a student will be asked to indicate whether s/he intends to enroll in future classes for the current Summer term. If the student answers "No," the s/he will be asked to submit a withdrawal request on the Term Withdrawal tab. If the student answers "Yes" or "Uncertain," the student's intent is simply noted and the student will not be asked to submit a withdrawal request.
In short, the summer withdrawal process will mean:
- Students will be able to drop their last class via the Student Center (unlike fall/spring). Once all classes are dropped, the student will be asked to indicate his/her intent to enroll for future classes in the current summer term. If the student answers "No," they can submit a term withdrawal request.
- L&S Undergraduate Academic Dean's Services (101 Ingraham Hall) will still need to review all withdrawal requests submitted by L&S undergraduate students.
- The paper withdrawal request form will not be available for summer withdrawals.
- Students who complete a course in an early session of the summer term will not be asked to submit a Term Withdrawal request, as this action is not an option.
Information regarding withdrawing can be found at Cancelling Your Enrollment - Withdrawals on the Registrar's website. For more general information about the withdrawal process for L&S undergraduate students, please call (608) 262-0617 for more assistance.