Several UW policies affect when and how you can drop classes. Each quarter, you may add and drop classes with no restrictions until the end of the second week of the quarter, which is the Unrestricted Drop period. After that, you may drop one class between the 3rd and the last date of instruction for the quarter, which is the Late Course Drop period, using Register.UW. To drop more than one class during the Late Course Drop period, you may use the Advisor-Assisted Drop Process. Review the tuition forfeiture policy when considering dropping — you may not get all your tuition back.

CQD Dates

Summer 2024
  Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Summer 2024 Full-term Jun 24 - Jun 30 Jul 1 - Aug 9
Summer 2024 A-Term N/A Jun 24 - Jul 10
Summer 2024 B-Term N/A Jul 25 - Aug 9
Autumn 2024
Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Oct 2 - Oct 8 Oct 9 - Dec 6
Winter 2025
Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Jan 13 - Jan 19 Jan 20 - Mar 14
Spring 2025
Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Apr 7 - Apr 13 Apr 14 - Jun 6

How to drop a class by period

Autumn, Winter, Spring Quarters

Unrestricted Drop Period

(Weeks 1 & 2)

Late Course Drop Period

(Week 3 through the last day of instruction)

After the Last Day of Instruction

(Finals week & beyond)

Add and drop classes via Register.UW with no restrictions until the end of Week 2.

Tuition forfeiture period begins the start of Week 2.

 Use your Quarterly Drop for one class per quarter, or the Advisor-Assisted Drop form for two or more classes, including withdrawal from all classes. Use the Former Quarter Drop process instead.
Summer Quarter

Unrestricted Drop Period

Summer Full-Term: Weeks 1 & 2

Does not apply to Summer A-Term or B-Term

Late Course Drop Period

Summer Full-Term: Weeks 3 - 8

Summer A-Term or B-Term: begins 7 days after the first day of the term and continues until 7 days before the last day of instruction.

 Last week of instruction & beyond

Add and drop classes via Register.UW with no restrictions until the end of Week 2.

Tuition forfeiture period begins the start of Week 2.

 Use your Quarterly Drop for one class per quarter, or the Advisor-Assisted Drop form for two or more classes, including withdrawal from all classes. Use the Former Quarter Drop process instead.

Unrestricted Drop Period (Weeks 1 & 2)

Through the second week of the quarter, you can add and drop freely from Register.UW. These drops will not show up on your transcript. You will be charged a $20 Change of Registration Fee for all registration changes made on a single day during this period. This fee is in addition to any tuition decrease or forfeiture as a result of the change.

Note: Summer Quarter A-term and B-term do not have Unrestricted Drop Periods.

 

Late Course Drop Period (Week 3 - Last Day of Instruction)

Between Week 3 and the last day of instruction, you have two options for dropping classes:

Option 1: Use your Quarterly Drop to drop one class.

You may drop one course per quarter using your self-serve Quarterly Drop via Register.UW. You may not be able to use this option if:

  • You have already used your self-serve Quarterly Drop for this quarter; or
  • Your enrollment is dependent on maintaining full-time status, including F-1 and J-1 international students; or
  • You want to fully withdraw by dropping all of your classes.

Review the Advisor-Assisted Drop Request process (Option 2) for these scenarios.

 

Option 2: Use the CQD Advisor-Assisted Drop Request Process.

If you have already used your self-serve Quarterly Drop, or if you know you want to drop more than one course, you will use the CQD Advisor-Assisted Drop process. You will submit a form that sends an email to your advisor(s), as well as a copy for you. Next, you will connect with your advisor(s) to discuss what you want to do, and the advisor(s) will then communicate with the Office of the Registrar to drop the classes.

Please remember:

  • Submitting the form does not automatically drop your courses. You must connect and communicate with your advisor(s).
  • You must submit the CQD Advisor-Assisted Drop Request to begin the process before the last date of instruction each quarter. Advisors will have until the last day of the quarter to forward your request to the Office of the Registrar.

Before you start the CQD Advisor-Assisted Drop Request Process:

  • Review the tuition forfeiture policy when considering dropping. You may not get all your tuition back.
  • Decide which classes you want to drop, and get their SLNs (5-digit code) from the Registration page.
  • For international students on an F-1 or J-1 visa, your Advisor-Assisted Drop Request will be sent to an advisor in International Student and Scholar Services. You will work with them to get advice on the impact of your drop request on your F-1 or J-1 status.
  • You have the option to notify your instructors of course(s) dropped through the CQD Advisor-Assisted Process by providing your instructor's name and email. They will receive a courtesy copy of your drop notice when the course has been dropped.

Not sure who your academic advisor is?

Guide to Academic Advising

CQD Conditions and Provisions

 If you intend to drop courses, you must read, understand, and acknowledge the following provisions of the Current Quarter Drop policy.

Agency Students take full responsibility for any ramifications from choosing to drop classes.
Funding Status Dropping more than one (1) class can have a negative impact on funding status depending on the student’s personal circumstances.
Timeline The Current Quarter Drop (self-serve Quarterly Drop via Register.UW and Advisor-Assisted Drop Request) may be used during Week 3 to the last date of instruction for the current quarter.
CQD Step 1 The student may use the self-serve Quarterly Drop for (1) one class for the current quarter via Register.UW prior to submitting a request for additional drops.
Deadline The student must submit the request form by the established deadline in order to be considered and processed by the campus registration team by the last date of instruction of the given quarter.
Advising Discussion When contacted, students are responsible for discussing with their academic, program, degree advisor(s) and/or advising team to proceed with the drop process.
Advising The advisor reviewing the drop request does not decide on the ability to drop the class(es). Rather, they advise the student on academic history and make sure the student has evaluated the risks and consequences associated with dropping classes during the current quarter.
Approval to Drop When advising steps are completed and the advisor(s) forward the request to the registration team, the student is authorizing the respective campus registration team to drop the identified classes.
Drops are Final Classes dropped from a student’s schedule may not be reversed.
Change of Registration Fee The $20 fee will be assessed for any drop (or add) changes in a given day.
Tuition Refunds The timing of when classes are dropped will determine whether different tuition refund policies will be applicable. The student is responsible for reviewing all of Student Fiscal Services’ deadlines and policies, and following the separate procedures related to the tuition refund processes.
Transcript Notation Dropped classes will carry an annotation of RD for Registrar Drop on the academic transcript. The credits and GPA points associated with the RD dropped class(es) will not appear on the academic transcript, but the class abbreviation, class number, and the annotation RD will appear. The RD annotation cannot be removed.

The student is responsible for any consequences from class(es) being dropped including any impact on financial aid status/eligibility, international visa status/eligibility, intercollegiate status/eligibility, degree progress, paying any remaining tuition forfeiture balances, employment status, and any other status impacted by enrollment levels.