DROPPING VS. WITHDRAWAL
What it means to Withdraw: Students may find themselves in a situation that
requires them to withdraw from all of their courses at some point throughout the
semester. In these situations, depending on what time of the semester a student
chooses to withdraw, complications may arise with financial aid eligibility, tuition and
fees, and academic standing. In an effort to educate students, the Office of Financial
Aid & Scholarships and Office of the Registrar have combined efforts to provide a
comprehensive overview of the withdrawal process and the implications it may have
with each office.
Dropping Classes: Students have the ability to drop any of their courses within the
first two weeks of the fall and spring semesters without receiving a grade. As long
as the student maintains a full-time enrollment status (12 credit hours or above for
undergraduates, 9 for graduates) their tuition & fees and financial aid will not be
adjusted. Students who drop below full time will receive a tuition credit (See catalog
for summer information.)
What is a “W”: Students dropping courses after the first two weeks of the fall or
spring semesters will receive a “W” for their grade. A “W” (which stands for withdrawal)
has no impact on a student’s GPA, but will be recorded on the student’s transcript,
indicating that the student was enrolled in the course but withdrew during the
withdrawal time period. The “W” time period extends from the second to tenth week
of classes. After the tenth week of class, students who withdraw from any of their
courses will receive an “F” as their final grade, unless they have been approved (due to
extenuating circumstances) for a withdrawl from all of their classes for that semester
by the Provost’s office through the student request process. Please refer to the “Dates
to Observe” webpage on the Office of the Registrar website for specific date and
times regarding withdrawal: uni.edu/registrar/
Partial Withdrawal: Students planning to withdraw from an individual course/s and
wish to remain enrolled in their other courses would only be performing a partial
withdrawal. To withdraw from an individual course during the semester, a student
needs to fill out an Add/Drop form through the Office of the Registrar.
Total Withdrawal: Students who are looking to withdraw from all of their courses
during the semester would be performing a total withdrawal. A student looking
to perform a total withdraw from the university needs to fill out a withdrawal form
through the Office of the Registrar. This form can also be found on the Registrar’s
Website and submitted electronically through the students UNI email: uni.edu/
registrar/
Re-Enrollment: Students who have previously withdrawn from the university and
would like to re-enroll in a future semester must contact the Office of the Registrar to
be term-activated. Students may then continue to pursue their academics as normal
unless their academic standing reflects that of a suspension. Students will also want
to contact the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships to ensure their financial aid
award is available for the semester they are planning to return.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS WHEN
WITHDRAWING FROM THE UNIVERSITY
Department of Residence
010 Redeker Center
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0252
Phone: 319-273-2333
Email: residence@uni.edu
Office of Business Operations
103 Gilchrist Hall
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0008
Phone: 319-273-2162
Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships
105 Gilchrist Hall
Cedar Falls, IA 50614
Phone: 319-273-2700
Email: fin-aid@uni.edu
Office of the Registrar
115 Gilchrist Hall
Cedar Falls, IA 50614
Phone: 319-273-2241
Email: registrar@uni.edu
WITHDRAWING
FROM THE UNIVERSITY
AND THE IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AID, TUITION
AND FEES, AND ACADEMIC STANDING
IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AID AWARD
Dropping Classes: Students who drop courses during the first two weeks of class
and drop below full-time enrollment (but are still enrolled) will have their grants
prorated accordingly as well as having to return all scholarship money they may
have received.
Withdrawal from Classes: Students who withdraw from ALL of their courses
before 60 percent of the semester has passed are required to return unearned
federal student aid in a proportion equal to the time not in attendance. For
example, if a student completes 30 percent of the semester, then 30 percent
of the federal aid received may be retained and the other 70 percent of federal
aid must be returned in the following order: federal loans, federal grants, state
programs, UNI grants and scholarships, outside agencies.
Unofficial Withdrawals
At the end of each semester, the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships reviews the
status of students who received all “F” grades. If a student stops attending all classes
during a semester, but fails to officially withdraw, the student will be considered
“unofficially withdrawn” and is at risk of having their financial aid returned.
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements
“W “ grades do not affect a student’s GPA but are considered in the calculation of
their student academic progress (SAP) which students must maintain in order to
be eligible for financial aid. A student’s financial aid standing is measured in three
components:
• Minimum GPA: Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum
2.0 cumulative GPA. Graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0
cumulative GPA.
• Pace of Progression: Students must complete 67% of all coursework attempted
at UNI. Only grades of A, B, C, D, X, Cr, or P are counted as meeting the required
hours. Failed, withdrawn, and incomplete grades do not count as completed
credit hours and will negatively affect the SAP calculation.
• Maximum Time to Complete a Degree: Students who have completed all
course and hour requirements to earn a degree will no longer qualify for
financial aid.
Financial Aid Suspension and Probation
• Financial Aid suspension is placed upon any student who fails to meet the
SAP requirements listed above. Students must appeal in order to have their
financial aid reinstated.
• Financial Aid probation is available for students who have successfully
appealed to have their aid reinstated. Students must continue to adhere to the
SAP requirements and any other conditions listed on their appeal contract to
avoid being place back on suspension.
For more information regarding suspension and probation of financial aid, please visit
the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships website: uni.edu/finaid/academic-progress
IMPACT ON TUITION AND FEES
Tuition and Fees: Students who completely withdraw from the institution may be
entitled to a refund depending on the date of withdrawal. Please see the following
chart below indicating tuition refund percentages.
Fall & Spring Tuition Refund Chart
Class Dates
Refund %
Before Classes Begin
100
During 1st Week
90
During 2nd Week
75
During 3rd Week
50
During 4th Week
25
After 4th Week
0
ACADEMIC ALERT
• Any first-semester student who has a 1.00 – 1.99 semester GPA will receive a
first semester academic alert.
Summer-Sessions:
Summer courses follow a different withdrawal schedule as they are shorter and
vary in length. Please see the following chart below indicating tuition refund
percentages during the summer sessions.
Four-Week Sessions
Class days
Six-Week Sessions
Refund %
Class days
Refund %
Before Classes Begin
100
Before Classes Begin
100
Days 1-2
90
Days 1-2
90
Day 3
75
Days 3-4
75
Day 4
50
Days 5-6
50
Day 5
25
Days 7-8
25
6th Day and Beyond
0
9th Day and Beyond
0
Eight-Week Sessions
Class days
Refund %
Before Classes Begin
100
Days 1-3
90
Days 4-6
75
Days 7-8
50
Days 9-10
25
11th Day and Beyond
0
Impact on Academic Standing: Students withdrawing from courses after
the 10th week of class run the risk of jeopardizing their academic standing
with the institution. Withdrawing from courses after the 10th week will result
in receiving a “F” as a final grade, which can negatively impact a student’s
academic standing at the University (please note that spring break does not
count as an academic week). Students must maintain a UNI GPA of 2.0 in
order to be considered in good academic standing. Please see the following
information below regarding academic standing.
ACADEMIC PROBATION
• Any first-semester student who has a semester GPA below 1.0 will be placed
on academic probation.
• Any continuing students will be placed on academic probation when their
UNI GPA is below a 2.0.
ACADEMIC SUSPENSION
• A student on academic probation who fails to earn a semester GPA of 2.0
will be academically suspended. Academic suspension is for a minimum
period of one calendar year.
For more information on academic standing, please visit the Office of the
Registrar’s website for a detailed listing of the requirements: uni.edu/registrar
Withdrawals May Also Impact:
Department of Residence
Students living in a residence hall/housing withdrawing from the university
must also cancel their housing contract through the Department of Residence.
Office of Business Operations
If a student has an unpaid U-bill they will want to contact the Business
Operations Office in order to take care of that charge or set up a payment plan.
*Please see back panel for contact information.