Withdrawal

A student may withdraw from or drop an individual course until the end of the tenth week of a fall or spring semester, the second week of Interim session, the third week of a five-week summer session, or the fourth week of a 10-week session. After this period, students are expected to maintain their course loads.

A student contemplating withdrawal from a course is strongly encouraged to contact his or her academic advisor before changing the schedule, as changes can result in delayed graduation. Also, dropping below full-time status may impact insurance (health and auto), financial aid, and scholarships. (Full-time status is 12 credit hours for undergraduate students, 9 credit hours for graduate students, and 10 credit hours for law students.)

A student may not withdraw from or drop individual courses in which penalty grades were assigned as a result of academic misconduct.

No permanent notation is made of a course that is dropped during the change-of-schedule period. A course dropped from the end of the change-of-schedule period to the end of the 10th week of a fall or spring semester, the end of the second week of Interim session, the end of the third week of a five-week summer session, or the end of the fourth week of a 10-week summer session is indicated on the student’s permanent academic transcript with a grade of "W."

Important Note #1: Dropping an Interim session course does not result in a withdrawal from the University if the student is enrolled in a course or courses in any other session within the same term.

Important Note #2: After the Last Day to Drop with a W, a student must petition the college office for approval to withdraw or drop "for reasons beyond the student's control.” The presumption is that the student CANNOT withdraw without "extenuating circumstances," which must be documented. Specifically, the student cannot drop because he or she isn't doing well in the class. Depending upon the term, the student had up to 10 weeks to make this judgment call. This note also applies to any retroactive withdrawal or drop.

Withdrawal When Called to Active Military Duty

For purposes of this section, active military duty means service, whether voluntary or involuntary, in the Armed Forces, including service by a member of the National Guard or Reserve, on active duty, active duty for training, or full-time National Guard duty under Federal authority, for a period of more than 30 consecutive days under a call or order to active duty of more than 30 consecutive days. A student who has been admitted to or who has been enrolled at The University of Alabama may request a withdrawal to fulfill a U.S. military obligation. The student should notify the Office of the University Registrar and provide documentation of his or her call to service, and submit notification whether or not the student intends to return to the University. Graduate students should also provide documentation to the Graduate School dean. Withdrawal is not contingent on the student’s notification of intent to return to the University. The intent to return is used as information for future communication with the student.

A student returning from active military duty may be readmitted per the readmission provisions in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (Section 484C of the HEA) and implementing regulations in 34 CFR Section 668.18. A student can be promptly readmitted, providing he or she withdrew to fulfill a U.S. military obligation, was not dishonorably discharged from the uniformed services, and the cumulative length of absence and of all previous absences from undergraduate studies due to military service did not exceed five years.

When a student is called to active military duty during an academic term, he or she may choose one of the following three options:

1. The student may request retroactive withdrawal to the beginning of the semester, with a full refund of tuition and fees. 
2. If at least 75 percent of the term has been completed, the student may request that the faculty member assign a grade for the course based on the work completed. The final decision about grading is left to the faculty member.
3. If the faculty member assigns a grade of "I", the student will have a minimum of two weeks after returning to campus to complete the course requirement. Additional time may be granted if alternative arrangements are made with the faculty member, and provided the alternative arrangement is in compliance with Alabama Code S3 31-12-3. This requires individuals be restored to the educational status he or she had prior to military duty, without the loss of academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition and other fees paid prior to the commencement of military duty.

Spouses of service members called to active duty

A student who is the spouse of a service member called to active duty qualifies for the same withdrawal options that apply to service members. The student should notify the Office of the University Registrar and provide documentation of the call to service, and submit notification whether or not he or she intends to return to the University. Graduate students should also provide documentation to the Graduate School dean. Withdrawal is not contingent on the student’s notification of intent to return to the University. The intent to return is used as information for future communication with the student.