A student who terminates their enrollment during the term is required to officially withdraw. The student is responsible for initiating the withdrawal; they should contact the College Registrar. Any refund of fees is handled in accordance with University regulations as described in the section on Fees and Expenses.
Retroactive Withdrawal
A retroactive withdrawal is defined as a request made to withdraw from a course or term after the last day of classes. Any changes to the student’s enrollment record after the last day of classes are retroactive and should be considered an exception to University and Rackham policy. The University has a fiduciary responsibility to maintain and report an actual accounting of class and student enrollment totals to state, federal and other agencies. As such, at no point after the term has ended will a class be removed from the student record. It will remain on the record with a grade of “W,” if the exception is approved. Any request to retroactively withdraw from the term must be reviewed by the Dean of the Graduate School and must meet the following conditions to be considered:
- Changes will be considered only within twelve months from the end of the term.
- There must be a compelling case with sufficient documentation to support the appropriateness of the exception, which includes a justification for why the student did not seek an incomplete or withdrawal during the term.
- The retroactive withdrawal must apply to all classes in the term unless a physical health problem prevented the student from finishing a particular class.