Withdrawals and Selective Withdrawals
Students are responsible for registering and paying all tuition and fees by the deadline. Students may not receive written confirmation of schedule changes and/or financial (tuition) obligations; therefore, it is the student’s responsibility to verify the accuracy of their schedules – including all course and section numbers – before the end of the add and drop periods for each of their classes. Students are responsible, both academically and financially, for all courses in which they remain officially enrolled after the drop period has ended. Take note tuition insurance is offered, and therefore there will be no tuition refunds after the established University deadlines. Instructors do not have the authority to drop or withdraw students from classes.
Please also see the full academic calendars on the registrar’s website. These calendars list all of the important dates and deadlines throughout the semester, such as the last day to add and drop courses, the last day for withdrawal and the last day for selective withdrawal.
Withdrawals
Withdrawals are used after the official drop period of a course. Beginning on the day after the drop deadline, students may withdraw on their own using Patriot Web. The course will stay on the student’s transcript with a grade of “W”. This unrestricted-withdrawal period extends through the 5th week of the term, or the beginning of the selective withdrawal period. Each withdrawn course regardless of the effective date will have a “W” grade posted on the transcript.
Students found in violation of the honor code, or who have a current honor code case pending, are not eligible to withdraw from the course in which the violation occurred.
Selective Withdrawals
Selective withdrawals are different and separate from withdrawing during the self-withdrawal period and requesting a non-academic withdrawal from an academic dean’s office. Please read below for additional information.
Undergraduates enrolled in degree programs are eligible to selectively withdraw from a limited number of classes without the dean’s approval and at the student’s discretion. Students may process a maximum of three such selective withdrawals during their entire undergraduate career at Mason. The three classes may have any number of credits. The academic calendar for each semester will include a selective withdrawal period beginning the day following the last day to normally withdraw from a class and extending through the ninth week. For classes shorter than a semester (14 weeks), the period will be set in proportion to the length of the class. Students should think very carefully about all available options (such as an incomplete or a non-academic withdrawal with appropriate documentation – please see below) before choosing a selective withdrawal.
Selective withdrawals are processed by the Registrar’s Office.
Some strict policies and procedures apply to selective withdrawals:
- Selective withdrawals can only be processed within the official selective withdrawal period for courses being taken during the current semester.
- Selective withdrawals, once requested by the student and processed by the Registrar’s Office, are final and will not be removed at a later time.
- Once a student has taken a selective withdrawal, that adjustment cannot be converted later to a non-academic withdrawal. Students may wish to consult with their academic advisor prior to choosing a selective withdrawal to see if a non-academic withdrawal is appropriate or allowable.
- Students found in violation of the honor code or who have a current honor code case pending, are not eligible to withdraw from the course in which the violation occurred.
- More details and the form for selective withdrawals can be found on the Registrar’s website.