Academic expectations
During the semester, you have two opportunities to drop a course from your transcript before you have to petition it. They are outlined below:
1) Drop a course without academic penalty by the deadline.
This means that you are able to drop the course on ACORN, and have it removed from your transcript. It is expected that your instructors return a minimum of 20% of your total grade by the drop date deadline; oftentimes, instructors provide more than the minimum. You are expected to make an informed decision, and take action accordingly. There are a variety of reasons for wanting to drop a course that are acceptable before the drop deadlines, such as:
- You will not pass the course
- You no longer need the course
- You are concerned about fees you paid for the course
- You do not expect to get the mark you need to get into professional or graduate school
2) Request a late withdrawal on eService during the declaration period. There is no need to submit a petition. See instructions here; your request will be approved within 2 business days.
Petition for withdrawal from a course (WDR) after the late withdrawal deadline has passed
The reasons above, among others, are sufficient reasons for you to seriously consider your enrolment in the course. However, they are not sufficient grounds for submitting a petition to withdraw from a course after the deadlines. Consider making an appointment with an Academic & Learning Strategist at the Academic Advising & Career Centre to help you assess your academic situation. If you are registered with AccessAbility Services, contact your Consultant if your disability is impacting your work.
If you have justifiable and compelling reasons for requesting to drop a course after the late withdrawal deadline, or if you have extenuating circumstances outside of your control that is preventing you from completing the course, you may submit a petition. Rarely is this type of petition granted. However, if your petition is granted:
- The course will appear on your transcript, but with a 'WDR' notation that will take the place of a numeric grade. This is a neutral designation that will not impact your GPA.
- You will not receive a refund for the course, nor may you petition to request a refund. By accepting your request to withdraw from a course via petition, you are being granted an academic exception. Tuition refunds are determined by the refund schedule only; your fees are a financial responsibility that you accepted when you enrolled in the course.
