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Late Term Withdrawal Instructions

Evanston-campus undergraduates who wish to pursue a petition (previously referred to as an appeal) for a late term withdrawal should review the criteria for submitting a petition as described on the Office of the Registrar site. Only in extremely rare circumstances will a petition be granted for an exception for a late term withdrawal. Once an undergraduate has determined they understand the policy and the criteria for a petition and believes 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   
Petitions are reviewed by a panel of the Undergraduate Enrollment Petitions Committee as described on the Petitions Overview page.  Petitions received by the 15th of the month will be included for review in the following month Committee meeting, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Petitions should be sent to enrollmentexceptions@northwestern.edu.