Dropping Courses

Dropping a course is also referred to as a course withdrawal. Every term, there is a deadline by which you can drop courses without any academic penalty. Please refer to academic dates and deadlines to find out the drop deadlines for the current term. It’s up to you to be aware of this date!

Before the course drop deadline, you can drop courses yourself on ACORN. You don’t need permission from Student Services to do so. Detailed instructions about how to drop courses on ACORN. 

After the course drop deadline, you’ll need to request permission to withdraw from a course. This will involve submitting a petition and justifying the reason for the late withdrawal. The type of withdrawal you’ll need to request depends on the date. Please see the information below.

Note: Students who drop all courses in which they are enrolled must also withdraw or take a Leave of Absence from their program.

Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty

Late Withdrawal (LWD)

Before the last day of classes, undergraduate students in the Faculty of Information may request to withdraw from a course without needing to submit a petition. Students who have fallen behind with assignments or are not at all prepared to write exams in one or more courses will be expected to make use of this procedure.

A course withdrawn under this procedure will be noted on your academic record with the notation LWD (Late Withdrawal). This course status will have no effect on your GPA.

It is important that students in this situation meet with your academic advisor to review all available options, as a first step.

To request to withdraw from a course under this LWD procedure, complete the Late Withdrawal Form and submit it to Student Services.

Note:

  • The option for Late Withdrawal is not available if an allegation of academic misconduct is under investigation. If a case of academic misconduct is opened after an LWD has already been granted, the LWD will be revoked and the percentage grade will stand as the course grade until the case is resolved.
  • A total of 1.5 credits can be withdrawn under this procedure throughout your degree
  • Non-degree students may also request LWD, provided you do not exceed the 1.5 credits maximum throughout your combined degree and non-degree studies.

Retroactive Withdrawal (WDR)

After the last day of classes, students wishing to drop a course must petition to the Committee on Standing for a late withdrawal.

A course withdrawn under this procedure will be noted on the academic record with the notation WDR (retroactive withdrawal). This course status will have no effect on the GPA.

It is important that students in this situation meet with their academic advisor as a first step.

The Committee on Standing convenes at the following time periods to consider each term’s petitions:

  • Fall Term Petitions: Beginning of January
  • Winter Term Petitions: Late May
  • Summer Term Petitions: Beginning of September

Required documents for a WDR petition

  • Complete the Petition Form
    • Provide a statement regarding the extenuating circumstances that were beyond your control, that negatively impacted your ability to complete the course, and what prevented you from dropping the course by the course drop deadline.
    • Provide any supporting documents:
      • If you were negatively impacted by a medical situation, you must provide documentation: Verification of Illness (PDF).
      • If you are registered with Accessibility Services, provide a letter from your accessibility advisor.

Please note that the Committee may or may not support the request based on the reasons submitted. Generally, the Committee will only consider documented, extraordinary, unexpected circumstances as valid reasons for dropping a course after the official drop deadline. This could be a personal or medical situation, but the situation must be one that was unforeseeable and that was sufficiently serious that it prevented you from completing the course.

Petition results

The Committee on Standing will communicate with students who have requested a retroactive withdrawal from a course. There are only two possible outcomes: Approved or Denied.

  • Approved petitions carry no academic penalty. The course will still appear on your transcript, but a WDR (retroactive withdrawal) will be entered instead of a numeric grade. This notation does not affect your GPA.
  • Denied petitions will result in a final numeric grade being assigned, calculated with a zero on any incomplete work.