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WEB-SITE INFORMATION
DEAN OF STUDENTS - Withdrawal Services

Every college student, at some point, faces the possibility of enduring a hardship that may require withdrawal from the university.

Withdrawal Services provide supports to students and their families when a student’s enrollment is unexpectedly interrupted due to unforeseen circumstances (personal, family, medical or mental health reasons, and/or other crisis).  Students who must leave during a current semester must officially withdraw (all classes) through the Dean of Students Department. 

If a withdrawal is necessary, it is best to start with the Academic Dean of your College to discuss the implications and viability of withdrawing, as well as, any alternative academic options that may exist.

The Staff of Withdrawal Services will explain the withdrawal application process at its various stages, evaluates fee and grade liability for completed course work, refers students to their Academic Dean and offers other University support services as needed.  Students are notified of the final decision in writing and a University record of the completed withdrawal is maintained.

The Florida State University Center is located on the corner of West Pensacola Street and Champions Way.  If you need directions, please click on the Map and Directions selection or call our office.

Withdrawals Services
4th floor University Center Bldg. A
Room #: A4100
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Monday – Friday
(850) 644-1741

General Information

• To initiate the Withdrawal Process students will first discuss their circumstances with their Academic Dean.
• If the Dean supports your request he or she will refer you to Withdrawal Services to initiate a withdrawal by completing several forms (a withdrawal contact and application form, etc.)
• The student will sign the withdrawal application in the presence of a withdrawal advisor or a notary.  The withdrawal process will be explained and the student will either be referred to his or her dean or the withdrawal application will be placed in Campus mail  for consideration.
• For the withdrawal to be processed, the withdrawal application must be returned to the Withdrawal Services within ten (10) working days for processing.
• The withdrawal staff will centrally facilitate all paperwork through the appropriate university officials to finalize the withdrawal process.

Returning undergraduate degree-seeking students who have withdrawn from the University and have been absent for two or more consecutive terms (including summer), must submit an application for readmission to the readmission section of the Office of Admissions (850) 644-1050.

Withdrawal Information On Transcripts

The statement "Withdrew from the University" will appear on the transcripts of students who properly withdraw within the first seven weeks of class. After that date, depending on the quality of work at the time of withdrawal, grades of "W" or "F" will be assigned by your instructor(s) and placed on the student's transcript with the withdrawal statement.
Under unusual and or extenuating circumstances and upon recommendation of the appropriate academic dean, a student withdrawing from the university may receive "WD" grades (does not calculate into the Grade Point Average) in all courses taken that term.

Withdrawal for Financial Aid Recipients
Withdrawing from the University can cost you!

Effective Fall 2000, students who withdraw and have received financial aid will be required to repay to the program source the amount of unearned financial aid funds disbursed to them as of their withdrawal date. Programs include Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), Parent Loans (the Federal PLUS program), and other awards. The unearned amount of program funds is calculated based on the percentage of the semester completed before the date of withdrawal. Both the University and students receiving financial aid are required to return unearned financial aid to the aid source. The University is required to return the unearned portion of the financial aid funds it received from withdrawing students that was used to pay institutional charges such as tuition, fees, housing, and other educationally-related expenses assessed by the institution. The funds returned to the aid source by the University will be credited against the student's total liability of unearned funds. However, students will owe the University the amount returned to the aid source for institutional charges. In addition, any student who receives Title IV funds and stops attending classes during the semester and does not officially withdraw from the University is considered an unofficial withdrawal, according to Title IV federal regulations. The University is required to return unearned financial aid to the federal government for all unofficial withdrawals in the same manner as students who officially withdraw.
Students must repay the unearned Title IV funds to any Title IV loan program, in accordance with the terms of the loan. For Title IV loan programs, unearned grant program funds are considered overpayments, and students are required to return 50 percent (50%) of the grant. Students who owe grant overpayments remain eligible for Title IV program funds for forty-five days if during those forty-five days the student: (1) repays the overpayment in full to the University; or, (2) enters into a repayment agreement with the University. However, entering into a repayment agreement does not mean the student is eligible to register for additional classes, receive a transcript, diploma, etc. Students can lose financial aid eligibility if they do not comply with the options above.

Effective Fall 2009, new state legislation requiring the repayment of all Bright Futures Award amount received for course(s) which were dropped after the drop and add period, or withdrawn.  Students who withdraw and are recipients of the Florida Bright futures scholarship will be required to repay 100% of the scholarship to the University, along with any associated fees.  Students should consider their repayment responsibilities for these programs as part of any withdrawal decision.  Students should contact the Florida Bright Futures office for the most current restrictions on eligibility. Bright Futures scholarship recipients should go to http://brightfutures.fsu.edu to learn how these changes affect you. 
If you are a financial aid recipient and understand that you may be obligated in returning funds (tuition and fees) back to the University and your Lender. Then download and complete the Withdrawals Contact Form, fax the form to Withdrawal Services, (850) 644-0687.
A withdrawal packet will be sent to you once Withdrawal Services receives your fax. The packet will include an application for Withdrawal and re-entry, a letter explaining the withdrawal process, and/or medical forms, etc.

Loan Exit Interviews

Federal and University regulations require that all recipients of federal loans participate in an exit interview counseling session upon graduation, withdrawal from the university, or dropping below six (6) semester hours. These loans include Perkins (NDSL), Subsidized Stafford (GSL), and Unsubsidized Stafford (UGSL) loans. Failure to complete this procedure will result in the withholding of diploma, transcripts, and other University services. To complete this requirement, students should go to the Secure Apps page on Blackboard (www.campus.fsu.edu) and select the "Exit Interview for Financial Aid" option. Students will need their user name and password to sign onto the Blackboard session. Students planning to continue their academic studies at Florida State University should contact the Office of Student Financial Services at A1500 University Center to ensure that their exit interview stop is removed.

Medical/Mental Health Withdrawal (M/MHW)

If you have experienced a severe medical and/or mental health problem that caused you to miss several classes and/or take a failing grade, you may qualify to receive a medical/mental health withdrawal. However, your health problems must meet certain criteria and be documented to be evaluated. Medical withdrawal (all courses removed) will be approved only for severe illnesses or injuries of an acute emergency nature that incapacitates the student.
MHW will be approved for severe psychological conditions requiring hospitalization or intensive outpatient care for an extended period of time.
MHW will be considered for a traumatic event (e.g. death of a close friend or family member, acts of violence, etc.) that clearly impedes the student's ability to perform in the usual manner. Documentation of counseling sessions, whether at the University Counseling Center or another facility, must be submitted.
Specific conditions for which medical withdrawals will be considered with examples provided of previously approved condition(s) for those criteria:

Students with chronic disabling conditions should register with the Student Disability Resource Center (850-644-9566).
Any evidence of fraudulence or misrepresentation in this process/application will result in automatic recommendation for denial and the information will be turned over to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for appropriate action.
Thagard Student Health Center and the University Counseling Center do not automatically support medical justification for Withdrawal for ongoing chronic illnesses regardless of clinical documentation.
Thagard Student Health Center and the University Counseling Center strongly recommend that the student and their clinician jointly evaluate realistic abilities to determine an appropriate course load so as to avoid withdrawal actions.
When a student has been granted more than one medical or mental health withdrawal, the M/MHW Committee will send a memorandum to the readmissions office requesting that a "STOP" be placed on the student file. The student will not be readmitted to the university until s/he has had a medical/mental health professional statement for readmission form completed by his/her health professional and submitted to Thagard Student Health Center or the University Counseling Center and approved.
The M/MHW committee to confirm that the student was in treatment, including the dates of treatment, and to verify that the problem has been completely resolved will review the completed form. If not completely resolved, the health professional should suggest the number of hours the student is capable of handling. Once approved, the M/MHW committee will send a memorandum to the readmission's office requesting that the "STOP" be removed. Procedures for Medical/Mental Health Withdrawal (M/MHW)

Procedures for Medical/Mental Health Withdrawal (M/MHW)

1. Before applying for M/MHW, explore other academic options like incompletes and/or the drop policies.
2. To qualify for M/MHW, the student will be required to complete and submit the Medical form (green packet) with supporting medical documentation to Thagard. Or the MHW (purple packet) to Withdrawal Services who will forward to the University Counseling Center for review. Medical documentation is needed from a physician, counselor, or other health care provider. The documentation needed are:
• the dates of treatment
• the nature of the illness/injury
• An indication that the illness/injury is severe enough to necessitate a withdrawal from the current semester/term.
3. Once it's determined that M/MHW is appropriate, proceed with the following:
• Withdrawals for Mental Health - the student should start at the Withdrawal Services office located on the 4th floor of the University Center, building A, room 4100, to obtain a withdrawal application and medical withdrawal form (purple packet).
• Withdrawals for Physical Health Reasons - the student should start at the Withdrawal Services office located on the 4th floor of the University center, building A, room 4100, to obtain the medical withdrawal.
• Please contact Ms. Angelia Wood of the Thagard Student Health Center (850-644-1624) for any questions or guidelines regarding what type of supporting documentation to obtain.
• The student must complete the University withdrawal application and the medical/mental health professional's statement (filling out the student section allows the professional to disclose your situation. Incomplete forms will not be processed!
• The student must have their health professional complete the section designated for the health professionals. This includes providing the correct documentation, which means office visit notes, admission/discharge summary (if hospitalized), or emergency room exam note. Documentation should note exam findings, diagnosis, plan of treatment, and recommendations. Hospital or physician bills will not be accepted as documentation. A signed letter from a physician will not be accepted instead of office visit notes.
• The student statement is the student's personal statement of how the health problem affected their academic courses.
• The completed Medical Application must be submitted to Ms. Angelia Wood, Thagard Student Health Center.
• The student must submit their completed MHW Application to the Withdrawal Services office, located at the University Center, Building A, Room 4100.
• The Withdrawal advisor/representative will forward the completed MHW application packet to the medical withdrawal committee at the University Counseling Center (UCC).
4. Documentation will be reviewed by the committee(s) and determination made whether criteria has been met. The committee's recommendation will be forward to the Withdrawal Services for documentation and processing.
5. The withdrawal staff will forward the withdrawal application w/the medical results to the Dean's office for final consideration (approval or denial). Withdrawal Services will notify the student of the final decision in writing or via e-mail.
6. If the M/MHW is denied the student is allowed one appeal. To appeal a denied medical, the student must be able to furnish additional documentation from the medical or mental health professional that gives stronger support to the reasons for the withdrawal. The student should submit additional documents to the withdrawal office for reprocessing. The withdrawal office will then forward the additional information to the M/MHW committee. Please write "APPEAL" on the first page of the new documentation.
7. The M/MHW process normally takes about 7 to 10 working days.  Questions about completing the forms or the withdrawal procedure can be answered by calling Withdrawal Services at (850) 644-1741, Thagard Student Health Center at (850) 644-1624 or the University Counseling Center at (850) 644-2003.

Withdrawals and Refund of Tuition

Students incur a liability for all credit hours that remain on their schedule of courses as of the end of the official drop/add period. The amount of this liability is identified on the Student Assessment Payment Schedule. Any amount paid in excess of the amount owed (assessed fee and outstanding University charges) during the term will be carried forward and will be applied against subsequent University charges incurred or may be refunded by request. Full refunds of tuition fees may be granted in instances of withdrawal from the University under the following conditions:

1. Involuntary call to active military duty
2. Death of the student or death in the immediate family (parent, spouse, child, sibling)
3. Illness of the student of such duration or severity, as confirmed in writing by a physician, that completion of the term is precluded
4. Cancellation of the course by the University
5. Exceptional circumstances that could not have been foreseen and were beyond the control of the student, as approved by the University refund committee.

Students who withdraw after the fifth day of the semester/term but prior to the end of the fourth week of the semester (or for Summer sessions by the first twenty-five percent [25%] of the term) are eligible for a twenty-five percent (25%) refund of tuition and fees. After this period, students who withdraw are held fully liable for fees. Students who withdraw and have received federal financial aid (Title IV programs), state or university aid may be required to repay to the aid source the amount of unearned financial aid funds disbursed to them as of their withdrawal date as described in the section on 'Withdrawals and Return of Financial Aid.
Note: In the case where a withdrawal petition is approved, a refund can only be provided if the refund withdrawal request is submitted within six (6) months after the end of the semester/term in which the withdrawal occurred. If financial aid is received by the student during the term in which the refund is granted, state and federal regulations may require that the refund be returned to the aid source.
An application for a request for refund of fees should be submitted as follows:

• Tuition Fees. Office of Student Financial Services, A1500 University Center; http://controller.vpfa.fsu.edu/Student-Financial-Services
• Food Plan. Director of Food Services, 144 Oglesby Union
• Housing Fees. Associate Director of Housing, 109 Student Life Building
• Parking Decals. Director of Parking, C2300 University Center
• Textbooks. Manager of Florida State University Bookstore, Parking Garage, Main Level

University debts will always be deducted from any university refund source prior to disbursement to the student. Any amount paid in excess of the amount owed during the term may be applied against subsequent university charges incurred, or may be refunded upon request. Payments made by credit card will be refunded to the credit card account, otherwise the refund request will be processed as a credit to the student's Suntrust-FSUCard account or a check will be mailed per the student’s request on the refund request form.

Tuition Refund Processing Times

Refunds requested for tuition fees are generally made within four weeks of application. At the beginning of a semester, refunds will not be processed until the end of the third week of class to ensure that all checks have cleared the bank. Refunds requested during the fiscal year close-out, during the last two weeks of June, will not be processed until the first week of July. The refund will be processed as a credit to the student's FSUCard account for currently enrolled students, unless the student requests a check to be mailed to the address on file. However, payments made by credit card will be refunded to the credit card. Checks will be mailed to those students who are no longer enrolled. Refund request forms are available at the Office of Student Financial Services, A1500 University Center or online at http://controller.vpfa.fsu.edu/Student-Financial-Services/forms.html.

Withdrawal and Readmission

Returning students who withdrew from the University and have been absent for two or more consecutive terms, (including summer) must submit an application for readmission to the Readmissions' section of the Office of Admissions. This application must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the beginning of the term for which readmission is desired. (Consult the Directory of Classes for specific application deadlines.)

Readmission After Multiple Withdrawals

When a student has withdrawn from the University three (3) or more times, subsequent readmission will be considered by the Multiple Withdrawals Committee whose charge is to assess the students’ capability of making satisfactory progress toward degree. This committee, appointed by the Council of Associate and Assistant Deans, will make a recommendation to the dean of the student's college who will make a final decision.
Readmitted former students are subject to retention requirements in effect at the time of re-entrance. Students claiming classification as Florida residents must also re-establish their eligibility for this classification when applying for readmission.

The University reserves the right to refuse readmission to any student who has an unsatisfactory academic, conduct, or health record. Students who are denied readmission to the university may appeal that decision by filing a written petition with the appropriate academic dean's office.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A. All Students, including regular (degree seeking), special (non-degree seeking) and All State University System (SUS) transient students, who wish to leave the university during a term, must formally withdraw.

Withdrawal is a formal separation from the University. This process allows students to meet with their Academic Deans and/or professor(s) to determine their options. Dropping all classes does not constitute formal withdrawal.

Dropping is a process of reducing a course load for a particular semester, usually one of two courses. Students who do not attend classes and think the course(s) will automatically be dropped due to non-attendance and fail to withdraw will be assigned grades of "F" for each course.

Q. Is it possible to withdraw past the deadline date?

A. Yes, a withdrawal after the semester has ended is called a "Retroactive Withdrawal" and requires a written request. A Retroactive Withdrawal must be discussed with your Academic Dean prior to initiating the process.   

Q. Do I need clearance from the Office of Financial Aid before         withdrawing?

A. If you are a financial aid recipient we recommend that you contact your financial aid representative to determine how withdrawing may affect your financial aid for the future.

Q. Do I need to speak to my professor(s) before completing the withdrawal process?

A. We highly recommend that you speak with your professor(s) prior to withdrawing to determine your status in the course(s).  Depending on the quality of work at the time of withdrawal, grades of "W" or "F" will be assigned by your instructor(s) and placed on the student's transcript with the withdrawal statement.

Q. I owe money for this semester; does the Office of Financial Services need to know that I am withdrawing?

A. Yes, the Office of Financial Services may be able to assist you with setting up a payment plan. If you are a financial aid recipient you are required to do an exit interview.

Q. When I withdraw, do I need to speak with someone from my college or department?

A. Yes, the withdrawal process requires the consideration of your academic dean.  If a withdrawal is necessary, it is best to start with the Academic Dean of your College to discuss the implications and viability of withdrawing, as well as, any alternative academic options that may exist.

Q. How is a withdrawal shown on my transcript?

A. The statement "Withdrew from the University" will appear on the university transcripts of students who properly withdraw within the first seven weeks of class. After that and depending on the quality of work at the time of withdrawal, grades of "W" or "F" will be assigned by instructors and placed on the students' transcript with the withdrawal statement above.

Q. I want to attend FSU the next term of enrollment; Will withdrawing from this semester affect that process?

A. Yes, withdrawing could affect enrollment for the next semester. Your Academic Dean will determine re-entry and readmission for the next term of enrollment. 

Q. If I am a financial aid recipient, do I have to return my financial aid if I withdraw?

A. Yes, depending on the type of aid(s) you receive. Students who withdraw and have received state and/or federal financial aid (Title IV funds) will be required to repay the amount of unearned financial aid funds disbursed to them base upon your withdrawal date.

Q. Do I need clearance from University Housing before withdrawing?

A. Yes, If you have entered into contractual agreement with University Housing, you must contact them to determine your responsibility.

Q. Will my parents be notified of my withdrawal?

A. If you are under 18 years of age a parental statement is required prior to the processing of your withdrawal application. Over 18 years, upon completion of the withdrawal process, a copy of the withdrawal application may be mail to the address on the withdrawal application.

 Q. What is an Exit interview?

A. An exit interview is a loan counseling session in which you are advised of your loan repayment schedule, obligations and rights to deferment and/or cancellation. Your school is required by the federal government to conduct this exit interview whenever you withdraw from the University.

Q. Why is Florida State University requiring me to complete an exit interview? 

 A. Florida State University is required by the federal government to conduct this exit interview whenever you are no longer enrolled. Some reasons that Florida State University may require you to complete an exit interview are:

• You are graduating from the University.
• The registrar's office shows you as enrolled less than half time.
• You are withdrawing from school.
• You are transferring to another school.
• You are taking a leave of absence from school.
• You are attending a semester abroad.

Q. By completing the exit interview, does this mean I cannot go back to school?

A.  No, it does not mean that you cannot go back to school, transfer to a different school, or continue to receive financial aid.

Q. What happens if I do not complete the exit interview?

A. Your account at the university could be placed on hold preventing you from registering for classes or requesting transcripts.

Withdrawal Office Staff