Late Term Withdrawal Instructions
Evanston-campus undergraduates who wish to pursue a petition for a late term withdrawal should review the criteria for submitting a petition as described on the site. Only in extremely rare circumstances will a petition be granted for an exception for a late term withdrawal. A petition for a late term withdrawal extends to all enrollment within the fall, winter, and spring terms. It is only possible to petition for a late withdrawal for selected courses within the summer term. Petitions for a late withdrawal should be submitted within one calendar year at the end of the term in question; petitions that exceed that time frame have additional requirements, see below. Once an undergraduate has determined they understand the policy and the criteria for a petition and believe their circumstances are eligible for review, they must follow the procedure below to write and submit a petition.
Writing and Submitting a Late Term Withdrawal Petition
- An undergraduate may seek guidance in writing their petition letter from their academic adviser/Undergraduate Engineering, or school representative, or anyone identified on the Petitions Overview page.
- The petition letter should:
- Be written and submitted by the student.
- Be addressed to the Undergraduate Enrollment Petitions Committee.
- Include your student ID number.
- Start with a clear statement of what is being requested, ie. a late term withdrawal.
- Provide a clear and concise explanation of the exceptional circumstances for why the term withdrawal deadline was not met and why an exception should be considered. Exceptional circumstances are those that are beyond the student’s ability to control and delayed action to withdraw by the deadline, supported by documentation (e.g., a serious medical condition that renders students unable to take appropriate action).
- Include documentation, if appropriate, of correspondence with instructors, advisers, or others that supports the explanation provided.
- If health circumstances are identified as a factor in missing the term withdrawal deadline, include a letter from the health provider that verifies the explanation. No treatment details are necessary.
- Additional materials the student feels support the petition.
- If the petition is submitted more than one calendar year after the term in question, the petition must include justification along with documentation for the delay. Please ensure that the petition clearly states the request, which is consideration for a late withdrawal beyond one year from the term in question, and provides a clear explanation of the exceptional circumstances (as described above), supported by documentation, for the delay in submitting the petition.