Withdrawing from the course means you are no longer in the course, you don't get a grade, and you don't earn the credits. One withdrawal per term by the deadline will be approved by your Advisor after submitting the electronic form on the Registrar's website.
Withdraw considerations:
-
Students may withdraw from one course per term with Advisor approval between weeks 3 and 11 of each fall and spring semester
-
Visit the UConn Summer and UConn Winter webpages for add/drop and withdrawal deadlines for summer and winter
-
Per the policy in the catalog: "No student is permitted to drop a course after the eleventh week of classes or to drop more than one course after the first ten days of classes unless on the recommendation of the advisor, an exception is made by the dean or designee of the school or college in which the student is enrolled. Exceptions are made only for extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. Poor academic performance is not considered a sufficient reason for dropping a course after the eleventh week." Please consult with a Professional Staff Advisor with any questions
-
-
When a student withdraws from a course after the second week, the Registrar marks the course on the student’s record with a "W" (for withdrawal) instead of a grade, and the student does not earn credit for the course
-
If a student is enrolled in at least 12 credits through the 10th day of the term, that student will be considered "full-time" even if a course is dropped with a "W" mark
-
When a student withdraws from a course, it does not count as an attempt in the context of the University's repeat forgiveness rules, however the attempt could count against the "Satisfactory Academic Progress" (or SAP) ratios if getting financial aid
-
Once a student's request to withdraw from a course is approved, they no longer need to attend nor participate in the course for the remainder of the term
A course placed on pass/fail no longer satisfies any requirements, but you stay in the class, continue as you normally would, and at the end of the term your transcript shows a grade of either P@ (if you earn a D- or higher), or F@ (if you fail the course). Neither P@ nor F@ impact your GPA. You only earn the credits with a P@.
Pass/fail considerations:
-
The deadline to place a course on and/or remove a course from pass/fail can be found on the Academic Calendar each term - students can place a course on pass/fail and then return it back to graded by the deadline (but cannot then again place it back on pass/fail)
-
Students may place a maximum of three courses on pass/fail grading throughout their undergraduate career, and are limited to no more than one course in a term
-
Courses on pass/fail grading cannot satisfy any general education, major, or minor requirements
-
When a student places a course on pass/fail, it does count as an attempt in the context of the University's repeat forgiveness rules
-
Business students are not permitted to place any Business courses (ACCT, BADM, BLAW, BUSN, FNCE, HCMI, MENT/MGMT, MEM, MKTG, OPIM) on pass/fail
-
Students seeking admission to a Business major may place Business courses on pass/fail, but if/when the student is admitted to a School of Business major, the course will revert to graded (Course Instructors input a course grade in Student Admin even when students place courses on pass/fail); this grade is also evaluated in the context of the application to the School of Business
-
During the semester, the student completes the course and is graded in the usual way by the instructor, and the instructor submits a letter grade which is translated into either a “P@” (for a “D-” or above) or an “F@” on the transcript, neither of which impact GPA; note that a grade below "C" makes the student ineligible for Dean's List
See the drop-down menus and FAQs below for more information regarding pass/fail and withdrawal, and how they apply to specific courses. Students should keep in mind that these decisions may have impacts on financial aid, progress to degree/their academic requirements report, ability to participate in athletics (consult with your SASP Advisor), and visa status (consult with International Student and Scholar Services/ISSS Advisor).
Use the Student Enrollment Request form to request to:
Withdraw from a course
Place a Course on Pass/Fail
Remove a Course from Pass/Fail
Deadline to submit in a Fall or Spring term is available on the Academic Calendar.
When considering a course withdrawal, ask yourself:
- How are your grades in the course so far? Look at the syllabus to find out how the final grade is calculated. Use the Nexus GPA calculator to see how this will impact your overall term and cumulative GPAs.
- How much time/energy is this course taking away from your other classes? If you didn’t have this course anymore, could you do better in your other classes?
- Is this course a pre-requisite for any classes you need to take next term? Is it a required course for your major? If yes, is it offered next term? Will this put you behind or can you rearrange to make it work with your graduation timeline?
- As a School of Business major, what Scholastic Standing Requirements do you need to meet this semester to maintain your standing? Will withdrawing from a course better enable you to meet your requirements?
When considering whether to put a course on pass/fail, ask yourself:
- Can this course be considered an elective? Courses placed on pass/fail (and passed) can only count as elective credit.
- Is it a Business course? Business students are not permitted to place any Business courses on pass/fail, even if it is an elective, and even if it is approved by your Advisor. Business course will be reverted back to graded in any scenario.
- Is it a better idea to withdraw? How much time/energy is this course taking away from your other classes? If you didn’t have this course anymore, could you do better in your other classes?
- Is it a required course that you have to take again anyways? If so, withdrawing tends to make more sense.
Withdrawing from Critical Courses
School of Business Critical Courses
Current Business Students
- All business students must complete their business critical courses by the end of their 4th term, or be subject to dismissal from the School of Business
- If you drop a critical course, you will need to create a plan to complete the course by the end of your 4th term
- The business critical courses must be complete or in progress at the time of application to be eligible to apply to the School of Business, there are no exceptions made
- Students who withdraw from a critical course in the semester they are applying to the School of Business will no longer be eligible to apply
- Students who have been admitted to the School of Business through our internal admissions process and subsequently withdraw from a critical course will have their School of Business Admission rescinded
Withdrawing from General Education Courses
School of Business General Education Requirements
Current Business Students
- Business students have until graduation to complete their general education requirements
- If you withdraw from a gen-ed course, you will need to take a class (either the same course, or another course from the requirement's list of options) to satisfy that General Education requirement in a subsequent term
- Students who have been admitted to the School of Business through our internal admissions process must successfully complete their term (as defined in their Admissions letter). Students should consult with the Undergraduate Programs Office to determine if dropping a general education course in their semester of admission will affect their admissions decision.
Withdrawing from Business Courses
Current Business Students
- Business students may withdraw from business courses
- If you withdraw from a business course, you may need to retake that course (or a different business course, if available) to satisfy your major requirements
- You should consider if the business course you'd like to withdraw from is a prerequisite to other business courses you need to take as part of your major requirements, or if it is not offered every term - if either are the case, withdrawing may delay your progression through requirements or require you to alter future schedule plans
- Students who have been admitted to the School of Business through our internal admissions process must successfully complete their term (as defined in their Admissions letter). Students should consult with the Undergraduate Programs Office to determine if dropping a business course in their semester of admission will affect their admissions decision.
Withdrawing from a Course FAQ and Additional Notes
Will withdrawing from a course make me a part time student?
As long as you were considered full-time after add/drop ended (by the 10th day of the semester), then you will still be considered a full-time student even if you withdraw from a course.
For some students, it may impact things like visa status (work with your ISSS Advisor to explore options) or athletic eligibility (work with your SASP Advisor to explore options).
Does withdrawing impact my financial aid?
Students receiving financial aid should consider satisfactory academic progress (SAP) impacts and consult with the Financial Aid Office if there are any questions. In most cases, withdrawing from one course will not have any impact, but confirm with Financial Aid to be sure. Some scholarships and/or other aid arrangements may be impacted by this decision. Be sure that you consider the impact and reach out to your scholarship/aid providers if you have any questions before submitting the request.
What if I am an international student?
Be sure to check with your ISSS Advisor first, as withdrawing could impact your visa status. You can email ISSS at international@uconn.edu.
Business Critical Courses and Pass/Fail
School of Business Critical Courses
Current Business Students
- If you place a critical course on pass/fail it will no longer satisfy your critical course requirement
- If you place a critical course on pass/fail, you will need to retake that class (or take a different class satisfying the same requirement) by the end of your fourth term
- For these reasons, it usually makes more sense to withdraw from a critical course than to place it on pass/fail
- Critical courses completed with pass/fail grading or currently placed on pass/fail grading cannot be used to satisfy the minimum eligibility requirements
- If a critical course is completed with pass/fail grading after a student has been admitted to the School of Business, even if that course is "passed," their admission will be rescinded
General Education Courses and Pass/Fail
School of Business General Education Requirements
Current Business Students
- If you place a general education course on pass/fail it will no longer satisfy your gen-ed requirement.
- Placing a gen-ed course on pass/fail means you will need to retake that class (or take a different class satisfying the same requirement) in a future term.
- General education courses completed with pass/fail grading or currently placed on pass/fail grading cannot be used to satisfy School of Business general education requirements.
- Students who have been admitted to the School of Business through our internal admissions process must successfully complete their term (as defined in their Admissions letter). Students should consult with the Undergraduate Programs Office to determine if placing a gen-ed course on pass/fail in their semester of admission will affect their admissions decision.
Business Courses and Pass/Fail
Current Business Students
- Business students are not permitted to place Business courses (ACCT, BADM, BLAW, BUSN, FNCE, HCMI, MENT/MGMT, MEM, MKTG, OPIM) on pass/fail, no exceptions are made
- Future Business students may place Business courses on pass/fail, but if/when the student is admitted to a School of Business major, the course will revert to graded (Course Instructors input a course grade in StudentAdmin even when students place courses on pass/fail); this grade is also evaluated in the context of the application to the School of Business
Pass/Fail FAQ and Additional Notes
What if I am an international student?
All of the above mentioned policies and guidelines apply to international students thinking about placing a course on pass/fail. Please consult with your ISSS Advisor with any specific questions regarding visa status.
How does pass/fail impact repeat forgiveness?
A student may repeat a course previously taken one time without seeking permission. When a student repeats a course, credit shall be allowed only once. The grade/credits for the most recent taking of the course is included in the GPA calculation and the grade/credits for the prior taking of the course is removed from the GPA calculation (but remains on the transcript). Since courses on pass/fail do not impact GPA, this means that the original grade is removed from the GPA calculation and is not replaced. However, it is important to note that if a course is failed, it counts as an attempt, and under no circumstances can a course be attempted more than three times. More information on repeating courses.
If I place a course on pass/fail can I change my mind?
The deadline to place a course on pass/fail and remove a course from pass/fail is the same. Students who convert to a pass/fail and then revert the course back to a graded basis cannot again convert the course back to a Pass/Fail.
Also note: The Registrar does not place a student on the Dean’s List if the instructor’s grade for a Pass/Fail course is less than “C”. Note that at least 12 credits must contribute to the semester grade point average placing a student on the Dean’s List. As the Pass/Fail marks have no grade points, the instructor’s grade does not contribute to the grade point averages. Note also that at least 54 credits must contribute to the grade point average for students to graduate cum laude or higher.
Seeking Academic Resources?
Academic G.A.T.E.W.A.Y. is intentionally crafted to assist students in fostering the skills needed to succeed academically. Whether you have want to develop new skills or hone the skills you already have, the information provided on the page linked above can be a helpful guide as you navigate your semester.