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Administrative Withdrawal
An Administrative Withdrawal (AW) is for unforeseen or extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control that have prevented the student from withdrawing from a specific course and/or and entire semester before the withdrawal deadline (i.e., death in immediate family, extended hospitalization, unforeseen work-related relocation, divorce, homelessness, or incarceration).
Students may only request an administrative withdrawal from the Office of the Registrar only AFTER the withdrawal deadline posted in the Academic Calendar.
Before the withdrawal deadline, students are expected to drop or withdraw from courses themselves. Deadlines differ proportionally for courses offered during part of a semester, including late-start and weekend courses. Students should refer to the part-of-term dates published by the Office of the Registrar to review drop and withdrawal deadlines for individual courses.
The AW committee will review the AW request, including the explanation, and official supporting documentation to determine if it meets policy guidelines. If approved, an AW will be recorded on the student’s official academic record and calculated in their attempted hours. No academic credit will be awarded. The Office of the Registrar will not refund tuition through this process. The Tuition and Fees Appeal is a separate process handled through the Office of the Bursar.
All AW submissions must include:
- Detailed explanation (requested in the online form) stating what the extenuating circumstance was, when it occurred, and how it affected your ability to complete/withdraw from the course(s)
- Official documentation supporting the reason for your request. Documentation must align with the timeline requesting the administrative withdrawal. All documentation must be official (on official letterhead, dated, and signed.)
An AW will be automatically denied for the following reasons:
- Student did not provide official supporting documentation with initial AW submission
- Student has successfully withdrawn from the course(s)
- Student is still able to withdraw from the course(s)
- Students must withdraw themselves before the withdrawal deadline. Refer to the Student Detail Schedule in your Student Hub for specific withdrawal dates.
- Student missed the drop/withdrawal deadline.
- Unable to withdraw due to registration hold (Note: students must contact the department responsible for the hold to drop or withdraw by the deadlines)
- Students must work with Office of the Bursar, 303-615-0070.
- Student missed payment or stopped attending/never attended the course.
- Students are required to drop or withdraw themselves by the published deadline if they stop attending or are unable to pay.
- Disputing course material, grade, or instructor.
- Students must work with the department of the course they are disputing.
Students who meet the above guidelines for administrative withdrawal and can provide official documentation should complete the Administrative Withdrawal Request form. See below for acceptable reasons for requesting the AW and examples of required documentation.
Photographs are NOT accepted documentation and will NOT be considered.
All documentation must be official, signed, and dated.
| Reason for Request | Acceptable Documentation |
| Death in immediate family: includes spouses, children, parents, siblings, and grandparents.
|
Obituary or death certificate
|
| Death (not in the immediate family) | Letter from a counselor or psychologist stating the date of individual’s passing and how it affected the student’s ability to complete or withdraw from courses
|
| Divorce: must involve student and spouse or parents/official guardians (same household) and must occur within the same semester from which the student is requesting to be withdrawn
|
Divorce decree |
| Homelessness: unexpected loss of housing/inability to maintain secure housing
|
Eviction notice; Letter from a shelter, counselor, or psychologist
|
| Incarceration
|
Incarceration paperwork
|
| Medical – a severe medical illness or severe injury that involves either the student or an immediate family member
|
Letter from a physician that specifies the date(s) medical condition began and/or worsened and whether, in the doctor’s profession opinion, it warrants a withdrawal from classes
|
| Mental Health – a mental health issue/diagnosis that involves either the student or an immediate family member
|
Letter from a mental health professional that specifies the diagnosis, the date(s) it began and/or worsened, and whether, in their professional opinion, it warrants a withdrawal from classes
|
| Victim of Crime or Incident (Vehicle accident, identity theft, etc.)
|
Official police report, insurance claim, court documents
|
| Work/Employment – employment changes beyond a student’s control (increased work hours, relocation, promotion/new position with increased work hours)
|
Letter from the employer that states the dates and times of the employment changes explicitly
|
For any further questions, please contact the Academic Records Team within the Office of the Registrar.
- Phone Number: 303-615-0006
- Location: Tivoli, Room 651
- Phone Number: 303-615-9988
- Location: Plaza Building, Room 122
- Phone Number: 303-615-0200
- Email Address: accesscenter@msudenver.edu