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Withdrawing From the University

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Withdrawing From / Not Returning to UD

The University of Dayton recognizes that it becomes necessary for some students to interrupt their enrollment for a period of time and take a leave of absence. The University also recognizes that some students may wish to leave the University and do not plan to return.

Withdrawal/Leave of Absence

Students who wish to withdraw or take a leave of absence from the University — before the start of a semester, during a semester, or at the conclusion of any semester — must complete the student withdrawal/leave form. If a student is unable to complete the form, any University official may submit the form on the student’s behalf, with the verbal or written consent of the student or their authorized agent (i.e., parent, guardian, sponsor).

If the student withdrawal/leave form is received prior to the last date to withdraw with a “W,” as outlined in the academic calendar, the student's registration will be canceled without academic penalty. The student will still be responsible for any outstanding financial obligations owed to the University. Students who leave the University during the semester, or prior to the start of the semester, without withdrawing in accordance with the required procedures will receive the grade they earned in all courses in which they were registered.

The effective date of withdrawal/leave of absence will be the date that the Student Withdrawal/Leave Form was submitted. Lack of attendance/no attendance, failure to check in to university housing, etc. are not recognized as official withdrawals/leave of absence.

Withdrawals/leave of absence are subject to the University's cancellations and refunds policy. Please be aware that failure to notify the University of your intention to withdraw or take a leave of absence can impact your ability to receive and utilize federal financial aid at other institutions and you will be held financially responsible for any charges incurred. The process to appeal for a refund is outlined in the aforementioned policy. If the University has sufficient information to verify that a student never arrived/never attended, the University would typically adjust the effective drop date to a date within the refund period and would not require those individuals to submit an appeal for a refund.

Students should consult the academic calendar for all University published deadlines for each semester/term.

Students who are leaving the university AFTER the last date to withdraw with a “W” but PRIOR to the official last day of classes in the semester for NON-MEDICAL reasons will be required to complete the late withdrawal request and document extenuating circumstances. If a Late Withdrawal request is declined, the student will receive the grade they earned in all courses in which they were registered.

Students who withdraw or take a leave from the University are responsible for any outstanding financial obligations with the University. Students who have unpaid bills or other unsettled financial obligations, have unresolved Community Standards and Civility or Equity and Compliance investigations with the University will not receive academic transcripts or be eligible for re-enrollment until they have cleared all such matters.

Voluntary Medical Withdrawal

Students who are leaving the University due to medical circumstances are encouraged to complete a voluntary medical withdrawal. If a student only completes a Voluntary Medical Withdrawal and the request is declined, but the request was received prior to the last date to withdraw with a “W,” the student will still be withdrawn without academic penalty (W grades) as of the date that the Voluntary Medical Withdrawal request was received.

Learn more about voluntary medical withdrawals, including deadlines and medical documentation required.

Voluntary Medical Withdrawal Form
Student Medical Withdrawal Policy

Late Withdrawal Request

After the Last Day to Drop Classes With Record of W, a student may withdraw with a W only by making a formal written request through a submission to the University Late Withdrawal Committee, using the late course withdrawal request. All requests must be made by 4:30 p.m. on the last day of class instruction of each academic term. Late withdrawal requests will only be considered for undergraduate students who have experienced extenuating circumstances. Submission of a request does not mean a request will be granted.

  • Documentation and other forms of background information will be required of the student.
  • Students will be informed of the committee’s decisions by the last day of final exams of each academic semester.
  • Appeals must be submitted no later than 3 business days after receiving electronic notification through the provided University of Dayton email addresses.
  • Late withdrawals will be recorded as W’s on students’ transcripts.
  • Financial adjustments, if allowed, will be made only from the student’s last date of attendance. Total withdrawal from all classes after the deadline to withdraw from classes with a W requires written request through the Late Course Withdrawal Request.

Total withdrawal from all classes between the beginning on the first date to withdraw with a grade of W and continuing until the last date to withdraw with a grade of W as published in the academic calendar requires completion of the Student Withdrawal/Leave Form and consultation with the student’s academic advisor and/or assistant dean. It is the student's responsibility to initiate and follow all procedures for withdrawing from courses. Faculty do not initiate withdrawals for students except for auditors. In addition, the student is urged to follow procedures to withdraw from courses as soon as possible after deciding to drop a course.

Course withdrawals are not granted automatically if they stop attending class. Any failure to follow the appropriate procedures to withdraw from courses will result in a grade of F for the course or courses involved. The F's so accumulated are always included in the cumulative grade-point average.

Returning From Withdrawal/Leave of Absence

Please refer to the Withdrawing from the University/Leave of Absence Policy in the Academic Catalog for detailed steps for students who wish to return to the University after a leave of absence or withdrawal.
Additional Resources for Voluntary Medical Withdrawals

Types of Medical Withdrawals

Current Medical Withdrawals

This refers to withdrawals for the current semester.

The university offers multiple ways for a student to withdrawal from class(es). Any student wishing to withdrawal from individual classes can follow the standard instructions about adding or dropping a course. Any student withdrawing from all classes should utilize the student withdrawal/leave form.

The University of Dayton also offers a late withdrawal process which allows students to request to drop class(es) due to extenuating circumstances after the last date to withdrawal from a class with a "W".

A medical withdrawal may be appropriate if a student cannot continue in their current class(es) or finish their academic requirements. Medical Withdrawals must be related to the student's current physical and/or mental health. In most cases, a medical withdrawal will be a withdrawal from all courses in which the student is registered.

Please note; a medical withdrawal will appear the same as a non-medical withdrawal on all academic records (transcripts, degree audit, etc).

Retroactive Medical Withdrawals

Retroactive medical withdrawals applies to any request made after the last date of class instruction in any given semester. A retroactive medical withdrawal may be appropriate if a student could not continue in their current class(es) or finish their academic requirements.

The deadline to submit a retro active medical withdrawal is one year from the last date of class instruction for the semester of request.

The effective date of any retroactive medical withdrawal will always be the last date of class instruction.

Medical Documentation

Documentation is an important aspect of the medical withdrawal process. Documentation should be specific to the medical barriers a student experienced during the semester in question. Medical documentation can be provided by a variety of professionals. It is excepted that the professional has worked with the student on the medical or mental health issues in question during the semester in question. 

Generally, this type of documentation required from a medical professional may include:

  • Date of onset and dates the student is/was/will be under your care
  • Frequency and duration of appointments during period for which withdrawal is requested (Note: Fall semester is August to December; Spring is January to May; Summer is May to August)
  • General description of the illness/condition
  • General description of treatment (past or proposed)
  • Why or how this condition prevented the student from completing academic work
  • Why or how this condition prevented the student from functioning effectively in the university’s
    living community
  • If applicable, your professional recommendations (could include reduced course load, no
    courses, or other recommendations)

In most cases, students will also need to submit medical documentation to support their return to the learning and living community at the University of Dayton.

Student Voluntary Medical Withdrawal Policy

Deadlines

Student should begin the process for a Voluntary Medical Withdrawal as soon as possible. As a guideline, requests should be made within one year of the semester in question.

The withdrawal date will be based on the request form submission date. In some circumstances, the last date of academic activity may be considered.

Students seeking to return from a Voluntary Medical Withdrawal are encouraged to begin this process a minimum of 2-4 weeks before their intended semester of return. Please note; no requests will be processed within three business days of the start of the semester.

If a student only completes a Voluntary Medical Withdrawal and the request is declined, but the request was received prior to the last date to withdraw with a “W,” the student will still be withdrawn without academic penalty (W grades) as of the date the Voluntary Medical Withdrawal request was received.

Approved Medical Withdrawal: Next Steps

Once a decision is received for a student's Medical Withdrawal, a few things students may need to consider depending upon personal circumstances are listed below.

Contact Housing and Residence Life

Contact the Office of Housing and Residence Life (937-229-3317 or housing@udayton.edu) to determine all necessary steps for moving out and turning in their keys.

Check with Parking Services

Determine if they qualify for any parking permit refund based on the published refund policy. Direct questions to Parking Services (937-229-2128 or parking@udayton.edu).

Return Rented Textbooks

Return all rented textbooks to the UD Bookstore. If students need information on how to ship books or are looking for other options to sell used textbooks, contact the University Bookstore at 937-229-3234.

Notify Other Campus Programs

Students will want to notify other campus programs of the approved medical withdrawal. If students are involved in any other campus programs not related to a current course, it is the students responsibility to notify these programs directly. This includes any activities that students have specifically registered for such as Honors Signature Programs, Retreats, etc.

Confirm Withdrawal from Classes

Students will want to check their Porches account to confirm that they have been withdrawn from all classes. Direct any questions or concerns to Flyer Student Services (fss@udayton.edu or 937-229-4141).

Settle Oustanding Accounts

Students should settle all outstanding account with the Office of Student Accounts and Financial Aid. Direct any questions or concerns to Student Accounts (studentaccounts@udayton.edu or 937-229-4111).

Address Active Disciplinary Cases

Students will need to address any active disciplinary case(s) with the Office of Community Standards and Civility (CSC@udayton.edu, 937-229-4627).

Denial of Medical Withdrawal: Next Steps

If a student disagrees with a decision made regarding their Voluntary Medical Withdrawal, they have the right to file an appeal within thirty-days of the date of the communication. Detailed information regarding a student's Medical Withdrawal decision can be found within the decision letter. If a student has further questions regarding the decision letter, please contact the Office of Learning Resources.

First Appeal

If a student disagrees with a decision they have the option to file an appeal within 30 days of the issuance of the decision letter. The First Appeal request will be reviewed by the Director of the Office of Learning Resources. In order to start the Appeal Process; 

In addition to the Appeal Form students can;

  • Provide additional documentation - Students are welcome to submit additional documentation that may assist in their Appeal Request. 
  • Schedule an appointment - Student will have the opportunity to discuss their Appeal with the Director of the Office of Learning Resources.

Second Appeal

Following a denial of the First Appeal Request, students have the option to file a Second and Final Appeal Request within 30 days of the issuance of the First Appeal decision letter. The Second Appeal Request will be reviewed by the Medical Withdrawal Appeal Committee. 

In addition to the Second Appeal Form students can;

  • Provide additional documentation - Students are welcome to submit additional documentation that may assist in their Second Appeal Request. 

Returning From a Medical Withdrawal

Once a student is ready to return to the University of Dayton from a Medical Withdrawal, the student should complete the following steps in the order listed below. Failure to follow these specific steps may result in long processing delays in the student's Return Application.

The Return Process must be completed three business days before the start of the fall and spring semesters (one business day before summer semesters). Students should submit a return application as soon as possible to ensure that it will be processed in time for other offices (housing, advising, financial aid, etc.) to take action. 

Steps for Completing a Return Application

  1. Complete any specific tasks/items included in the student's original withdrawal decision letter
  2. Complete the medical withdrawal return documentation form (.pdf).
  3. Submit a return from medical withdrawal application.
  4. Schedule an appointment with the Office of Learning Resources.

The Office of Learning Resources will issue a decision letter to the student via email. If the Return Application is approved, the necessary UD offices will be notified. If the Return Application is denied, the student has the right to file an appeal.

Students Approved to Return

Once a student has been approved to return by the Office of Learning Resources they should complete the following steps:
Contact Flyer Student Services
300 College Park
Dayton, Ohio 45469 - 1600
937-229-4141 email