Withdrawal from the University

Students who wish to withdraw from the University after registering for classes, either for a term or permanently,  must file a term withdrawal request online, which will be routed automatically to the appropriate school for approval and sent to the Office of the Registrar.

If the request is submitted before the term begins (i.e. the first day of classes), registration is cancelled and removed from the student's record entirely. Cancellation of registration also cancels all applicable tuition and fees for that quarter.

If the request is submitted after the term begins but before the deadline to drop classes, that quarter’s registered courses are removed from the transcript and a withdrawal notation added. Tuition is adjusted based on the schedule published on the Student Financial Services website.

After the drop deadline has passed, a withdrawal petition period begins during which students may request complete withdrawal from the term or from individual courses. Approved petitions will result in W grades posting on the official and unofficial transcripts.

Withdrawals may no longer be requested after the final exam or the final assessment due date, or after 5 p.m. two Fridays before exams begin, whichever is sooner. When Thanksgiving or other university holidays conflict with this deadline, withdrawal petitions must be submitted by the last class/business day of that same week. Detailed procedures can be found at www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/registration/withdrawal.html.

See also Withdrawal Refunds.