Drops vs. Withdrawals
While the processes below may be similar to others across campus, information on this page applies specifically to students with a primary major in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. Students in other Colleges should contact their Dean’s office.
A course drop is when you remove one or more classes – but not all of them – from your semester schedule.
A withdrawal is when you remove your entire semester’s schedule, withdrawing from University enrollment for that term.
Dissatisfaction with a grade, grade disputes with an instructor, and the desire to raise one’s GPA are not themselves grounds for a course drop or withdrawal petition. As you review the information below, remember that course drop and withdrawal petitions must be supported by cause-specific supporting documentation demonstrating unforeseen circumstances beyond the student’s control which impacted their ability to perform academically.
Policy on grades: The College of Social Sciences & Public Policy does not approve course drops for classes in which a student has earned credit (D- or better) if doing so would move a student further away from graduation by removing needed hours to complete degree requirements. Exceptions to this policy are limited to courses required for a student’s program of study at the time the course drop petition is submitted in which a student did not earn a required minimum grade, thus necessitating that the student would have to otherwise enroll in duplicate coursework.
Click each of the questions below to expand for more information about drops and withdrawal processes.
What are the different types of drops and withdrawals?
Before and during Drop/Add
Classes may be dropped during open enrollment (before the semester begins) and during Drop/Add by the student themselves.
Students are not grade or fee liable for these drops. No special permission is needed for withdrawals.
Pre-7th week deadline (undergraduate and graduate students)
Detailed instructions on completing a pre-7th week deadline drop.
Classes dropped after drop/add but before the end of the seventh week of classes do no appear on final transcripts (student is not grade liable).
Students are fee liable for courses dropped after Drop/Add.
Students must initiate any withdrawals through the Office of Withdrawal Services but (unless medical/mental health) will be approved by COSSPP without requiring documentation of circumstances.
Late drop / 12th-week deadline (undergraduate students only)
Detailed instructions on completing a late/12th-week deadline drop.
Undergraduate students may drop up to a total of two classes between the end of the 7th and 12th weeks of semesters prior to earning 60 hours of credit and one additional course after having earned 60 hours of credit.
Students are fee liable for late drops and the course appears on their transcript with a “W” grade.
Medical / Mental Health
Students may petition to have classes dropped for medical or mental health reasons based on documented circumstances from during the semester in question. Documentation must be provided by a state-licensed medical or mental health practitioner.
Petitions are considered by a committee composed of medical and mental health professionals associated with University Health Services.
Approved drops remove fee liability, if initiated within university allowed time frames.
Personal Hardship / Administrative
Students may petition to have classes dropped based on non-medical or mental health circumstances through the Academic Affairs office. Cause-specific documentation of circumstances must be provided.
Petitions are reviewed by the College’s Drop, Exceptions, and Waivers (DEW) committee.
Individual circumstances and date of petition submission determine whether DEW can waive fee liability for personal hardship drops.
How do I drop a class?
Drops before and during drop/add, pre-7th week drops, and late drops are all initiated through your myFSU Student Center account.
Medical/mental health and personal hardship drops are initiated by submitting the COSSPP online petition form.
Before and during Drop/Add
- Go to Student Central > My Classes > Enrollment: Drop Classes. Select the correct semester.
- If enrollment is still open or if it is during the drop/add period, proceed with dropping courses.
Pre-7th week deadline (undergraduate and graduate students)
Additional detailed instructions are found on the FAQ page.
- Go to Student Central > My Classes > Enrollment: Drop Classes. Select the correct semester.
- When your schedule appears on the screen, you must click the red “Click here to Drop a class for a closed enrollment term” button or the system will generate an error message.
- Follow the prompts to complete the process.
Late drop / pre-12th week deadline (undergraduate students only)
Additional detailed instructions are found on the FAQ page.
- Go to Student Central > My Classes > Enrollment: Drop Classes. Select the correct semester.
- When your schedule appears on the screen, you must click the red “Click here to Drop a class for a closed enrollment term” button or the system will generate an error message.
- Follow the prompts to generate the drop form.
- Send the PDF drop form to the Academic Affairs office.
- If it is after the 12th week of class, you may only petition for drops on the basis of medical, mental health, or unforeseen personal hardship.
Medical/mental health or personal hardship petitions
Medical/mental health drop petitions are considered by committees through University Health Services which return a recommendation to the Academic Affairs office. Circumstances must have impacted the student during the semester in question and required supporting documentation provided by a state-licensed medical or mental health care provider.
- Complete the COSSPP online petition form.
- A member of the Academic Affairs staff will send a medical/mental health petition packet to the student’s FSU email account in 3-5 business days.
- Complete the packet and submit it and documentation to UHS as outlined in the packet.
- Do not submit medical/mental health documentation to the Academic Affairs office.
- Once the committee returns a recommendation, you will be notified of the decision by a member of the Academic Affairs office. COSSPP policy requires that approval or denial follow the recommendation of the committee for medical/mental health drops.
How do I initiate a withdrawal?
Students must first notify the Academic Affairs office of their intent to withdraw and then to initiate the process through the Office of Withdrawal Services. Additional questions beyond the information below should be emailed to the Academic Affairs office.
Withdrawals initiated prior to the 7th week deadline will be approved by the Academic Affairs office without need of additional documentation. A withdrawal statement will appear on the student’s transcript but no courses will be listed. Students remain fee liable for any courses withdrawn through this process.
Lower-division student (pre-/NFA- majors) must contact their Dean’s office in the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Medical/mental health withdrawals
Medical/mental health withdrawal petitions are considered by committees through University Health Services which return a recommendation to the Academic Affairs office. Circumstances must have impacted the student during the semester in question and required supporting documentation provided by a state-licensed medical or mental health care provider.
- Complete the COSSPP online petition form. Submitting this form satisfies the requirement to contact the Academic Affairs office.
- Contact the Office of Withdrawal Services to initiate the withdrawal petition.
- Submit all documentation to UHS as outlined in the withdrawal dashboard.
- Do not submit medical/mental health documentation to the Academic Affairs office.
- Once the committee returns a recommendation, you will be notified of the decision by a member of the Academic Affairs office. COSSPP policy requires that approval or denial follow the recommendation of the committee for medical/mental health drops.
Personal hardship withdrawals
- Complete the COSSPP online petition form. Submitting this form satisfies the requirement to contact the Academic Affairs office.
- Personal hardship withdrawal petitions are required to submit documentation as part of the petition form. Petitions may not be submitted without cause-specific supporting documentation.
- Contact the Office of Withdrawal Services to initiate the withdrawal petition.
- After the withdrawal has been initiated through OWS, the College’s Drops, Exceptions, and Waivers (DEW) committee will consider the petition and documentation.
- Depending on circumstances and submitted documentation, DEW may require additional information or documentation before rendering a decision.
- Once the committee returns a recommendation, you will be notified of the decision by a member of the Academic Affairs office. COSSPP policy requires that approval or denial follow the recommendation of the committee for medical/mental health drops.
What qualifies as a circumstance for drops or withdrawals?
Drops and withdrawals initiated prior to the end of the seventh week of classes do not require documentation of circumstances. However, there is no fee liability waiver for any courses dropped or withdrawn simply through a pre-7th week process.
Medical and mental health circumstances must, by university policy, have occurred and/or impacted the student during the semester in question and must have supporting documentation provided by a state-licensed medical or mental health care provider.
Personal circumstances for drops or withdrawal must have been unforeseen, exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the student and must meet one of the following criteria:
- Involuntary call to active military duty
- Death of the student or death in the immediate family (parent, spouse, child, sibling)
- Acute medical or mental health condition of the student of such duration or severity, as confirmed in writing by a clinician, that completion of the term is precluded
- Cancellation of the course by the University
- Other exceptional circumstances that could not have been foreseen and were beyond the control of the student