Graduate students may request a withdrawal because of the sudden occurrence of a significant hardship beyond the student’s control, including financial hardship; the onset of or treatment for a debilitating medical condition; or fulfillment of active military service duties, which prevents participation in and/or completion of one or more courses. If approved by the Graduate School, students will receive a “W” on their transcript for the course(s) from which they have withdrawn.
Guidelines for Withdrawals
- Students may request a course withdrawal (withdrawal from one or more courses but not all courses in a given term) or a university withdrawal (withdrawal from all courses taken in a given term) for medical, hardship or military service reasons.
- Course withdrawals for medical or hardship purposes may be requested only after the regular withdrawal deadline has passed. Students may consult the Schedule Change Deadlines if seeking a course withdrawal prior to the deadline.
- Requests must be received no later than one year following the last day of the term for which the student is seeking the withdrawal.
- Students may only request retroactive withdrawals for courses for which they have earned a failing grade (C-, D, F, U).
- Requests must be for withdrawals due to the sudden occurrence of a significant hardship/medical event beyond the student’s control or active military service that prevented the student from attending/participating in courses during the course dates.
- A written statement describing the circumstances and documentation of circumstances (e.g., military orders for active service, emails/records, communications, obituaries, medical documentation, other verifiable evidence to support the case) is required. For withdrawal requests based on medical reasons, the Graduate School Medical Documentation Form (DOCX) must be submitted directly from the medical provider. Military orders for active duty are required for withdrawals for military service.
- Verified last date of attendance and dates in documentation of circumstances must align for a withdrawal to be approved.
- Course withdrawals are approved only in exceptional circumstances where a debilitating hardship or medical event/condition prevents participation or attendance due to the modality, structure or dates of a specific course but not all courses taken during the academic term. The written statement and documentation must clearly show that the hardship or medical event impacts a specific course and not others.
- Requests will be reviewed by relevant university offices throughout the approval process.
Eligibility for Tuition and Fee Refunds
Students are eligible for a tuition and fee refund if they have an approved university withdrawal for medical or hardship reasons. A university withdrawal is defined as a withdrawal from all credits taken during an academic term. Students with an approved university or course withdrawal for active military service reasons receive a tuition and fee refund for all applicable courses. No tuition refund is available if:
- The student has received a tuition waiver through a graduate assistantship or other program. (The student may still be eligible for a fee refund.)
- The student’s tuition is paid for by an employer, grant, or other sponsor. (The student may still be eligible for a fee refund.)
- The student has financial aid that would be negatively impacted by a tuition or fee refund.
- The student does not request a tuition or fee refund in the Request for Withdrawal form.
- The student is requesting a course withdrawal (withdrawing from one or more courses but not all courses during a semester)
Contact GradRecords@niu.edu with questions about withdrawing for medical, hardship or military service reasons.
Request a Withdrawal Due to Medical, Hardship or Military Service