Undergraduate Late Drop and Semester Withdrawal

Go to: Late Drop/Withdrawals | Retroactive Drop/Withdrawals | FAQs | Calendar | Types of Withdrawals

Students are advised to speak with an academic advisor before submitting any petition. Please gather all required documentation before submitting any petition to avoid denial of request.

1) Read the Petition Instructions carefully to avoid delays in processing your petition.

2) Attach personal statement addressing: 1) the extenuating circumstance (timeline of events include dates, names (if applicable)). 2) How it affected your ability to succeed academically. 3) Why was the drop not done before the drop deadline, 4) Why are you only dropping a single course or set of course and not withdrawing from the semester (if applicable); and 5) How will dropping one or all your courses help you to succeed?

3) Attach supporting documentation related to your extenuating circumstances. The documents must include the student's name (or the name of a family member) and relevant dates. Note: requests related to the non-receipt of financial aid during the summer will be denied. Please see FAQ's #1.

• All documentation is subject to verification. 

4) Complete the correct petition form. Forms will be available 8:00 am, Sep. 19, 2024 to 5:00 pm, Nov. 18, 2024.

1. Single Late Course Drop Form
2. Semester Withdrawal Form, drop ALL courses

• Note to Students

** IMPORTANT NOTE: **

Undergraduate Education will prioritize processing ‘late course drops and withdrawals’ that have been submitted by students by the semester withdrawal deadline. 

1. Advisors please verify that the student has evidence/support documentation before sending recommendation to avoid denial of request.
2. Advisors please verify that the student is aware of potential impacts to financial aid funds, veteran benefits, living on-campus, visa status, enrollment, and/or athletic status.
3. Students please note dropping a second attempt grade forgiveness courses, grades for first attempts are restored and recalculated in the GPA.
4. Retroactive Forms are initiated in DocuSign.
5. Two emails are sent to the student; the first email is to inform the student that a retroactive form was initiated on their behalf. The second is an email with a link to complete the petition and attach their personal statement and supporting documentation.
6. Forms expire in 120 days. It is the student's responsibility to contact Undergraduate Education to extend the deadline should the form be close to expiring or it has expired. 
7. It takes 1-3 weeks to process a retroactive petition.

• How to request and initiate a retroactive course drop/withdrawal for a previous semester AND Summer 2024.

  • To initiate a retroactive course drop or withdrawal petition, students must first consult with an academic advisor to review their extenuating circumstances and determine if a retroactive drop or withdrawal from a previous semester is warranted. If deemed appropriate, the advisor must submit a recommendation to Undergraduate Education using the Google Form provided by Undergraduate Education.

    Advisors can check with their directors or email undergraduate-education@sjsu.edu to obtain the Google Form. The Google Form is for advisor use only and should be used to recommend retroactive course drops and withdrawals.

Please see the Registrar's website for additional deadlines. SJSU Online Program, please see Dates and Deadlines website.

*date subject to change

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