No-W Drop Request and Review Process

University Senate By-Law:
II.B.10 Academic Advising and Registration. Adding, Dropping or Withdrawing from a Course
Students may Drop courses before the end of the tenth day of classes without transcript notations. After the tenth day of classes and through the eleventh week of the semester, a student may Withdraw from one course (for any reason) with permission from the student’s advisor. Students interested in Withdrawing from more than one course after the tenth day of classes or interested in Withdrawing from a course after the eleventh week of the semester require approval by the student’s advisor and by the Dean or designee of the school or college in which the student is enrolled. Approvals are given only for extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control; poor academic performance is not an extenuating circumstance. Any course Withdrawn from after the first ten days of classes will
receive a ‘W’ on the transcript. Exceptions to transcript notations can be made only by the Provost or designee. For courses taught outside of the fall and spring semesters, these deadlines will be adjusted in a pro-rated fashion by the Registrar.

 

Pro forma approvals for no-W drops

  • Policy: Pro forma approvals are permitted only for section changes
    1. This does not include changes from W (writing-intensive) section to non-W sections
  • Procedure: Dean sends schedule revision information to Registrar (registrar@uconn.edu), cc’ing the Office of Undergraduate Advising (advising@uconn.edu), indicating that they are approving the change as a section change

Criteria for considering and/or approving other no-W drop requests

  1. Registration errors
    Examples:

    1. Records show a non-attempt to withdraw up to midnight on Day 10
  2. University circumstances
    Examples:

    1. University registered student for classes, which were later deemed to be unnecessary/ inappropriate
    2. Timing issues: class(es) begin late due to weather events
    3. Documentable Registrar error
    4. Documentable instructor issues where instructor is not following university policies
    5. Documentable advising issues, such as misalignment of catalog updates and advising, (e.g. repeat rule changes)
  3. Student circumstances
    Examples:

    1. Veteran circumstances (verified by Veterans office)
    2. Documentable evidence that student was physically unable to make schedule changes before Day 10
    3. Note: If there is medical or other sensitive documentation included in the student request, it should be sent directly to CSD for initial review
  4. Students with documented disabilities
    1. These will be reviewed by the CSD; they will determine if a modification or adjustment is warranted


Process for reviewing no-W drop requests

  1. Student makes request to their school/college dean’s office
    1. Student must provide written explanation of circumstances, including full rationale and any supporting documentation for their request
    2. Any sensitive documentation (e.g., medical, disability) should be forwarded to the CSD for review
  2. Dean’s office or designee reviews request to ensure explanation is complete and all relevant information is included
    1. Student with a documented disability: the no-W drop request will first be forwarded to the CSD for review and a determination will be made if a modification or adjustment is warranted
    2. Once the CSD makes a recommendation on the student’s case, they will notify Undergraduate Advising of their recommendation
    3. If request is not supported by CSD due to a documented disability, it will be forwarded to the No-W Committee for review
  3. Dean’s office or designee forwards request to “No-W” committee for consideration. It should not be forwarded without the following documentation:
    1. Full written explanation of the circumstances (from the student)
    2. Documentation of circumstances
  4. No-W committee will make recommendation to Provost or Provost’s designee (Director of Undergraduate Advising)
  5. Provost or Provost’s designee will make final decision and submit to Registrar. The Office of Undergraduate Advising will inform student of outcome (via Nexus message). The Office of Undergraduate Advising will also inform originating Dean’s office representative and Registrar of outcome of request.

 

No-W Committee membership (membership determined each academic year)

  • At least 3 professional advising staff in leadership roles
  • Registrar’s representative, solely as a non-voting member and resource to provide additional information and potential implications
  • Assistant Director for Engagement, Learning, and Development, Office of Undergraduate Advising, to serve as chair of committee (non-voting member and resource to evaluate incoming requests, monitor progress, and communicate decisions and course registration actions to appropriate parties)