Withdrawal

There are a few paths available at Southern if you need to step away from some or all of your studies.

Students may elect to "drop" a course, and remove it from their list of registered courses, during the first 7 days of the semester (see Drop Deadlines for shorter terms). Please review this information below before taking any action:

  • IMPORTANT: If no longer planning to attend the semester, full-time students must drop all courses prior to the first day of the semester to receive a 100% refund.
  • Advising: First-year students (freshmen) in their first semester are required to connect with an advisor to drop a course.
  • Grades: Dropped courses do not appear on the student transcript nor hold any academic penalty.
  • Financial Aid: Adjustments are based on the student's revised registration. If remaining enrolled at least half-time, student loans will not be reduced or cancelled. Half-time is 6 credits undergraduate or 4.5 credits graduate. If remaining enrolled in at least full-time, grants or scholarships will not be reduced or cancelled. Full-time is 12 credits undergraduate or 9 credits graduate.
  • Tuition and Fees: If remaining enrolled at least full-time, the charges will not change. If the dropped course results in part-time enrollment, the student will be billed on a part-time per credit rate.

How to Drop a Course
Go to MySCSU>Banner Student>>Records and Registration>>Registration and Schedule Planner. View your Current Schedule and click Edit Schedule to drop the course. (How to Video - 0m33s)
Note: If you have a hold blocking registration changes, please email Registrar@SouthernCT.edu with your student ID and the subject and course number that you would like to drop from your schedule. 

Missed the Deadline?
Students may be eligible to appeal if they have experienced Extraordinary Circumstances (see below) that impacted their ability to drop a class by the deadline. If eligible, a Drop Appeal may be submitted within 1-week of the original deadline to the College or School Dean where the course is offered.

Students may elect to "withdraw" from a course, and no longer participate in the course, during the first 12 weeks of the semester (see Withdrawal Deadlines for shorter terms). Please review this information before taking any action:

  • IMPORTANT: If withdrawing from all courses in a semester, STOP HERE, please go to Option 3 (Leave of Absence) or Option 4 (University Withdrawal) instead.
  • Advising: If withdrawing before the end of the semester, students should confer with their instructor to understand their class standing and options for successful completion of the semester prior to making this decision. First-year students (freshmen) in their first semester are required to connect with an advisor to withdraw from a course.
  • Grades: Withdrawn courses do appear on the student transcript with a 'W' grade, but do not impact a student's grade point average.
  • Financial Aid: Student aid is not adjusted if withdrawing after Freeze Date, this assumes that the student still remains enrolled in other courses that term. If withdrawing before this date, aid is adjusted based on the student's revised registration. If remaining enrolled at least half-time, student loans will not be reduced or cancelled. Half-time is 6 credits undergraduate or 4.5 credits graduate. If remaining enrolled in at least full-time, grants or scholarships will not be reduced or cancelled. Full-time is 12 credits undergraduate or 9 credits graduate.
  • Tuition & Fees: Full-time students will not have charges adjusted for individual course withdrawals. Part-time students will have charges adjusted based on the Refund Policy during the first 4 weeks of the semester only (see Refund Deadlines for shorter terms). 

How to Withdraw from a Course
Go to MySCSU>Banner Student>>Records and Registration>>Registration and Schedule Planner. View your Current Schedule and click Edit Schedule to drop the course. (How to Video - 0m33s)
Note: If you have a hold blocking registration changes, please email Registrar@SouthernCT.edu with your student ID and the subject and course number that you would like to withdraw from.

Missed the Deadline?
Students may be eligible to appeal if they have experienced Extraordinary Circumstances (see below) that impacted their ability to withdraw from a class by the deadline. If eligible, a Course Withdrawal Appeal may be submitted to your instructor no later than the last day of classes (i.e. the day prior to final exam week in fall/spring or the last day of the term in summer/winter).

Students who need to take time off from their studies with the intention of returning within 12 months may elect to take a "leave of absence". Please review this information before taking any action:

  • Advising: If taking a leave before the end of the semester, students should confer with their instructor and academic adviser to understand their class standing and options for successful completion of the semester prior to making this decision.
  • Grades: Students will be withdrawn from all in-progress courses if the leave of absence form is received during the first 12 weeks of the semester (see Withdrawal Deadlines for shorter terms). Withdrawn courses do appear on the student transcript with a 'W' grade, but do not impact a student's grade point average. Students who file a leave of absence after the withdrawal deadline will be issued a final grade by their instructors.
  • Financial Aid: If a student stops attending all courses in a semester, a financial aid recalculation will be performed based on the number of days a student attended in the semester. Students are responsible for payment of any balance on their accounts due to a reduction in their financial aid award.
  • Tuition & Fees: Students will have charges adjusted based on the Refund Policy if withdrawing during the first 4 weeks of the semester only (see Refund Deadlines for shorter terms). 
  • Housing: Students who live on campus must completely move out of the residence hall within 48 hours of submitting their Leave of Absence form.
  • Readmission: Students may register for their next semester of classes on or after their priority registration date and do not need to reapply for admission upon return. Students who do not return within 12 months will be withdrawn from the University and must Apply for Readmission
  • Transfer Credit: Students who attend another institution while on leave must submit a Transfer Credit Approval request in advance to transfer credit back to Southern. 
  • Graduate Students Only: Graduate students must complete all degree requirements within a six-year time frame (seven-years for doctoral students) and a leave of absence is counted as part of that time. 

How to submit a Leave of Absence
Complete the Leave of Absence Form and submit to Registrar@SouthernCT.edu.

Missed the Deadline?
Students may be eligible to submit an appeal to request an adjustment to their withdrawal date and/or billed charges. Here are the eligibility criteria:

  • The student has filed a leave of absence for the semester they wish to appeal. If not, please submit the Leave of Absence Form before completing the appeal.
  • The student has experienced Extraordinary Circumstances (see below) that necessitated their leave of absence after the allowable drop period.

If eligible, complete the Appeal Form and submit to Registrar@SouthernCT.edu no later than 30 days following the end of the semester under appeal. 

Students who need to step away from their studies without the intention of returning within 12 months may "withdraw" from the university. Please review this information before taking any action:

  • Advising: If withdrawing before the end of the semester, students should confer with their instructor and academic adviser to understand their class standing and options for successful completion of the semester prior to making this decision.
  • Grades: Students will be withdrawn from all in-progress courses if the withdrawal form is received during the first 12 weeks of the semester (see Withdrawal Deadlines for shorter terms). Withdrawn courses do appear on the student transcript with a 'W' grade, but do not impact a student's grade point average. Students who submit the form after the withdrawal deadline will be issued a final grade by their instructors.
  • Financial Aid: If a student stops attending all courses in a semester, a financial aid recalculation will be performed based on the number of days a student attended in the semester. Students are responsible for payment of any balance on their accounts due to a reduction in their financial aid award.
  • Tuition & Fees: Students will have charges adjusted based on the Refund Policy if withdrawing during the first 4 weeks of the semester only (see Refund Deadlines for shorter terms). 
  • Housing: Students who live on campus must completely move out of the residence hall within 48 hours of submitting their Withdrawal form.
  • Readmission: Students who withdraw may later Apply for Readmission to return to the university.

How to submit a University Withdrawal
Complete the University Withdrawal Form and submit to Registrar@SouthernCT.edu.

Missed the Deadline?
Students may be eligible to submit an appeal to request an adjustment to their withdrawal date and/or billed charges. Here are the eligibility criteria:

  • The student has filed a university withdrawal for the semester they wish to appeal. If not, please submit University Withdrawal Form before completing the appeal.
  • The student has experienced Extraordinary Circumstances (see below) that necessitated their withdrawing from the university after the allowable drop period.

If eligible, complete the Appeal Form and submit to Registrar@SouthernCT.edu no later than 30 days following the end of the semester under appeal. 

Each option above offers an appeal process for students who may have missed the original deadline to drop, withdraw, or take of leave of absence.

Appeals may be considered for the following extraordinary circumstances: 

  • Severe illness or medical emergency (doctor's note required)
  • Military transfer or activation of military orders for more than 30 consecutive days (copy of transfer/orders required)
  • Administrative error (documentation required to support the request)
  • Change in employment situation (documentation from employer required)
  • Childcare issues (documentation from childcare provider required)
  • Death in immediate family (copy of death certificate or obituary required)

Appeals will NOT be considered for the following circumstances: 

  • Misunderstanding of class meeting schedule
  • Misunderstanding of drop or withdrawal deadlines or process
  • Inability to transfer a course to another institution
  • Normal illness or conditions of chronic illness or other health condition that remain unchanged and were known to the student at the time of registration
  • Transportation issues
  • Change of mind by student regarding course selection
  • Dissatisfaction with course content, instructor, or grade
  • Change of major