Withdrawing from classes may have serious consequences on your financial aid award. Before considering dropping classes or withdrawing from the university, students should consider the following implications:
- What is the impact on financial aid for the current semester?
- What is the impact for future semesters?
- What are university policies for refunding tuition, housing, meal plan, or other charges?
There are differences between dropping a single class and dropping all of your classes. Before dropping any course, we encourage you to review the:
Registrar’s Add/Drop Calendar
Fees/Tuition Assessed for Drops or Withdrawal
Thinking About Leaving UWM?
If you drop some classes
The Office of Student Accounts will determine whether the amount you were charged for tuition should be adjusted, based on the drop date.
Student Financial Services will determine if any aid disbursed to you has to be adjusted. Some financial aid programs are adjusted based on enrollment on the Census Date (10th day of the semester). While we generally don’t have to adjust aid if you drop a course(s) after the Census Date, your attempted credits for Satisfactory Academic Progress are based on your enrollment on the Census Date. If you are receiving financial aid, you are strongly encouraged not to drop below half-time enrollment.
The Registrar’s Office will determine whether the course shows up on your transcript with a ‘W’ or not at all.
If you withdraw or drop all of your classes
The Office of Student Accounts will determine whether the amount you were charged for tuition should be adjusted, based on the date of withdrawal. When a student drops all classes, there is a high probability that they may incur a tuition balance; especially if they drop after the point in the semester where they are responsible for 100% of the tuition charges.
Student Financial Services is required to determine whether any financial aid funds need to be returned to the original funding sources. This is called a “Return of Title IV” calculation and is required to follow Federal regulations. Students do not earn 100% of their aid until after the 60% point of the term. So, if they withdraw from classes at the 50% point in the semester, they have technically earned 50% of their aid. Unearned funds must be returned to federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs, which may cause the student to owe a balance to the university. Students withdrawing from all classes due to medical reasons may want to consult with the Dean of Students Office regarding a possible Medical Withdrawal.
In addition to the possible return of financial aid funds, all students are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress toward a degree. “Attempted Credits” for the Timeframe and PACE components of SAP are measured as of the tenth day of classes (the Pell Census date). All courses in which the student was enrolled on the tenth day of classes will be counted as “attempted,” no matter what circumstances prompted the withdrawal. If a withdrawal causes a student to fall below the required “PACE” or exceed the maximum Timeframe and become ineligible for aid, students may wish to meet with a Student Financial Services Advisor to appeal their aid eligibility. Students are encouraged to review the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.
Unofficial Withdrawals
If a student stops attending classes without completing the official withdrawal process, the student is considered an unofficial withdrawal. At the end of each semester, Student Financial Services receives notifications of students who received non-attendance grades. You will have your financial aid adjusted if you do not have documented evidence of participation in a class after the 60% point of the semester.
Students Attending Module Courses
Courses which do not span the length of the semester are “module” courses. This includes 8 week courses during fall and spring semesters, and most courses attended during the summer. Students may be considered to have withdrawn, even if a module course is completed. If a student drops one or more courses and is no longer actively attending any courses, the student may be considered withdrawn for financial aid purposes and aid must be adjusted accordingly. The exception is in cases where at least half-time credits have already been completed with a passing grade, completed a class with a passing grade that encompasses at least 49% of the enrollment period, or have completed graduation requirements prior to dropping future modules. Students who dropped module classes but are still enrolled in future modules may be required to submit written confirmation they plan to attend those courses.
Student Status Determination
The chart below illustrates how student status enrollment is determined by the number of credits for the purposes of certification to federal, state or private agencies (excluding Veterans certifications).
Fall/Spring Semesters
| Semester | Full Time | Half Time | Less Than Half Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEMESTER | FULL TIME | HALF TIME | LESS THAN HALF TIME |
| Undergraduates (except AOC) | 12 or more credits | 6-11 credits | 5 or fewer credits |
| AOC Undergraduates | 8 or more credits | 6-7 credits | 5 or fewer credits |
| Graduates | 8 or more credits | 4-7 credits | 3 or fewer credits |
Summer Sessions*
| Semester | Full Time | Half Time | Less Than Half Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduates | 6 or more credits | 3-5 credits | 2 or fewer credits |
| Graduates | 6 or more credits | 3-5 credits | 2 or fewer credits |
Eligibility for veterans benefits and other types of financial aid may be based on different credit load requirements. For financial aid purposes, AOC undergraduates are not considered full-time unless enrolled for 12 or more credits and for all students, enrollment status for summer is defined the same as for the Fall/Spring semesters. Contact Veterans Affairs or Financial Aid for further information.
Teaching or program/project assistants that are employed at 1/3 or more time and enrolled for six or more credits during the fall and spring semesters are usually considered full-time graduate students.
During fall and spring semesters, doctoral students must be enrolled for three graduate-level dissertation or research credits (at the current per-credit dissertator rate) each semester until their dissertation is accepted by the Graduate School. During any summers in which a doctoral student uses university facilities or faculty time, is a fellow or research assistant, or plans to graduate, the doctoral student must register for three graduate level credits (dissertator rate) in the regular eightweek summer session. Three is the minimum (and the maximum) per semester.
Note: For verification purposes and in determining financial-aid eligibility, English 90/95 and Math 90/95 will each be treated as the equivalent of a 3-credit class. Department of Education rules require that the same credit load standards apply for spring, fall and summer session loan deferment verifications. Therefore, for undergraduates, an enrollment of at least six credits (halftime enrollment) is required for loan deferment verification purposes for the summer session.
* In order to be reported as fully-enrolled for a term, a student must be enrolled as of the day after the add deadline in that term; prior to that date a student is considered registered but not fully enrolled.