Late Drop Petition

Petitioning for a late withdrawal

On rare occasions students are faced with extraordinary circumstances like extended illness or equivalent distress that make it extremely difficult to drop a class by the Auto-W Deadline or that impede success in a class after the Auto-W deadline. In these rare situations a student may petition for approval for a late withdrawal from the course. Poor performance in a course does not qualify as an urgent reason for requesting a late withdrawal.

The following are procedures for IU Exploratory, Pre-Business, Pre-Nursing, or Pre-Social Work students. Other students should consult with their academic advisor to learn about procedures in your school.

If you need to do a total withdrawal from all classes, complete the Withdraw from All Subjects form through the Office of Student Advocates. We recommend you meet with your academic advisor prior to submitting the form.

Follow the following steps when requesting a late drop.

  1. Meet with your assigned academic advisor. If your advisor is unavailable, you may schedule an appointment with another advisor in Advising & Major Exploration Services. Search "AMES" in the Student Appointment Scheduler or call 812-855-6768 to be scheduled with someone.
  2. Consult with your instructor on your circumstances and confirm that they are willing to grant a W grade if your late drop petition is successful. If you need additional support to communicate with your instructor, reach out to the Student Advocates Office.
  3. Assemble supporting documentation to submit with your petition. Assembling documentation can take several days. You may need to request letters from health care professionals or obtain legal documents verifying your circumstances. It might not be possible to gather the necessary documentation if you wait until shortly before the late drop petition deadline to begin the process.
  4. Complete the petition form provided by your advisor, which includes a concise narrative of your situation and supporting documentation.
  5. Submit an eDrop for the course(s) you're petitioning to drop.

The Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education will review your petition. It may take up to a week for you to be notified of the decision. If you have not heard after 2 weeks of submitting your petition, please contact your academic advisor.

If approved, your eDrop will be routed to your course instructor and their department for final approval. It will be up to your instructor to grant either a W or F grade if you drop a class after the Automatic W Deadline.

Late drop petitions may be submitted from the date after the Auto-W deadline until noon on the Last Day of Classes as noted on the Official Academic Calendar. Note that each session (full term, 1st-8-week, 13-week, and 2nd-8-week) has its own date for Last Day of Classes.

If you are not able to submit a late drop petition by noon the last day of classes, contact the Student Advocates Office to consult on whether you have other options for your circumstances.