Late and Retroactive Withdrawals
Late withdrawals and retroactive withdrawals are requests to drop a course or courses after the final date to drop classes has passed. These withdrawals are approved in the cases of serious and unforeseen circumstances that make it impossible for the student to complete classes that semester.
There are three criteria used in deciding what will count as such “extreme circumstances.” The reason for withdrawing must be:
- Beyond the student’s control,
- Unforeseeable, and
- Severe
Late Drop/Late Withdrawal Process
A late withdrawal from a course (or courses) occurs after the official last day to withdraw through the end of the next major term (fall or spring). Students must seek approval from the college of their major for late drops and late withdrawals. The college of the student’s major will approve or deny based on circumstances and documentation provided. Documentation should indicate extreme conditions beyond the student's control that prevented the student from withdrawing before the official last day to withdraw during the term.
If the college approves, students should put in a ticket at http://www.memphis.edu/tigerhelp and complete the Course Withdrawal/Late Drops ticket. The ticket will require the college approval to be uploaded (such as an email sent to the student, an image of the approval, or the schedule adjustment form that the college will provide, etc.). Students may also use the withdrawal petition packet and provide in the Tiger Help ticket.
Any request for a late drop or late withdrawal that does not have approval from the college will not be processed by the Registrar’s Office.
Example: You want to request a late drop from class(es) for Fall 2021 and it is now Spring 2022. This request must go to the college of your major for approval. Provide the college approval and information in the late drop Tiger Help ticket at http://www.memphis.edu/tigerhelp.
If you want to apply for a financial appeal, please visit the USBS Student Financial Appeals page for more information.
Retroactive Withdrawal Process
Retroactive withdrawals occur more than one major term (fall or spring) after the term for which the withdrawal is requested. Retroactive withdrawal petitions are only reviewed for terms held within the last three years per academic policy.
Petitions to withdraw from courses that ended more than one regular (fall or spring) semester after the semester for which the withdrawal is requested must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Students must complete the withdrawal petition and send to Dr. Darla Keel, Assistant Vice Provost of Enrollment Systems and University Registrar, at darkeel@memphis.edu.
Students should provide as much information or documentation as possible. Documentation should indicate extreme conditions beyond the student's control that prevented the student from withdrawing before the official last day to withdraw during the term. Upon committee review, the student will be contacted with the outcome.
Example: You are requesting a retroactive withdrawal from Summer 2022 or earlier and it is now Spring 2023. This is a retroactive withdrawal petition since Fall 2022 is a major term and that term is over. Your request must be sent to the Registrar’s Office for review. Send the petition packet in an email to darkeel@memphis.edu.
Visit the late and retroactive withdrawals guidelines page for more information.