Withdrawal from a Course - Undergraduate

Students may drop a course during the first two weeks of a semester (or during a corresponding time for summer sessions) without having any entry made on the permanent record and will not be financially responsible for the course. Students are financially responsible for the course if they have not dropped the course by the end of the add/drop period.

Updated 10/21: Students may withdraw themselves from a course without faculty permission up until 2 weeks following the due date for mid-semester grades. See deadline in academic calendar. The grade of W will be posted on the student’s transcript.

Faculty will be able to assign a W or W/N (never attended) any time after the add/drop period up until 2 weeks following the due date for mid-semester grades, after which a regular letter grade (A-F or incomplete) must be assigned. See academic calendar.

Additional information on options and procedures for withdrawing from a course is available from the Records Office website. 

Withdrawal for non-academic reasons

Requests for course or semester withdrawal(s) for non-academic reasons (i.e., medical, personal leave, active duty reasons or withdrawal from the college) should be referred to the course withdrawal form available on the Records Office website: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?RhodeIslandCollege&layout_id=35

Withdrawals for Student Veterans

Student veterans who withdraw from a course and have a W grade are required to return a portion of their benefits. An F does not require a return of benefits. However, the F has a greater impact on academic standing. The federal government allows a one-year grace period if the student veteran has an Incomplete instead of a W. Student veterans will be allowed two consecutive semesters following the course (summer sessions not included) to complete the course requirements for the Incomplete without needing to request instructor permission. 

Limit on W Grades

Students are limited to a maximum of 5 W grades while pursuing an undergraduate program at RIC. W grades posted prior to the implementation of this policy will not be counted toward the total of 5 W’s allowed. A student with extenuating circumstances may petition the Academic Standing Committee for permission to exceed the maximum of 5 W’s. W/L and W/M grades do not count towards the 5 W grade limit. If the total number of W’s exceeds the maximum, a notation indicating a violation of college policy will appear on the student’s unofficial transcript. Further consequences such as a registration hold may apply. This portion of the W policy will not be enforced until system programming occurs.