Drop FAQs

• 1. What is Not considered a reason to grant a late or retroactive drop/semester withdrawal?

  • A drop request will be denied if only the following reasons are given.

    1. anticipating you may earn a low or failing grade

    2. non-attendance 

    3. not being able to handle class workload 

    4. deciding to change majors after the deadline to add/drop classes

    5. deciding to not attend SJSU

    6. not meeting course prerequisite(s)

    7. not being aware of add/drop deadline date

    8. taking too many units

    9. not liking or needing the class 

    10. not knowing how or when to drop (or forgetting to drop)

    11. major (or minor) does not require the course

    12. not eligible for Summer (or Winter) Session financial aid (or not aware aid was not given for Summer/Winter)

• 2. What are examples of evidence/support documentation?

  • Supporting documents must show your extenuating circumstances and match the term dates for your drop/withdrawal request. All documents will be verified.

    Students need to REMOVE all personal, sensitive information from documentation before uploading it to DocuSign (e.g., Social Security Number (SSN), Medical Record Number (MRN), birth date, credit card info, list of medications, medical diagnosis, etc.):

    -Health and Mental Health Related (self or immediate family (please identify relationship))¹: letter(s) from physician, counselor, therapist, psychiatrist, and/or Healthcare Provider Form [pdf].  

    -Employment Related: letter from employer on letterhead or work schedule (clearly identifying hours(before & after the drop deadline), change in schedule, or hiring date)

    -Death (Family)²: death certificate or obituary/memorial service card (if certificate cannot be issued)—documents must include dates and personal statement must identify how the individual is related to you.

    -Personal/Financial Hardships³: documents identifying hardships (student name and dates must show on the documentation)

    -Legal Issues/Divorce: legal documents identifying incident(s), student's name and date must be visible.

    -Accidents/Natural Disaster: insurance claim, police report, or legal documents regarding incident(s)

    -Administrative Error: letter(s) from university faculty or staff on university letterhead or email

    -Military, ROTC duties: documentation from Commanding Officer (CO), copy of orders. 

    -Primary Caregiver⁴: A letter is required from: a childcare provider stating services for childcare are no longer available, or a health care provider stating that the level of care needed to care for a sick family member, or newborn.

    ---

    ¹ List of medications and photographs of health related circumstances are considered insufficient without additional documentation. 
    ² Family often extends beyond those defined herein. Please identify familial relationship. 
    ³ Personal Hardships may include housing instability, food insecurity, or other financial crises.
    ⁴ Caregiving duties for family members, including parents, spouses or domestic partners, a minor child, an adult child, a child of a domestic partner, grandparents, grandchild, or sibling. 
• 3. What is not accepted as support documentation?
  • NOT accepted as support documentation: a statement from a family member/friend, or your own statement with no other supporting documentation.
• 4. If my instructor signed the late drop petition, does that mean the petition was approved?
  • No, the petition is a formal notice of your intent to drop the course and the instructor’s signature is an acknowledgment of your intent to drop the course. It is recommended that you talk with or email your instructor about your intent to drop. Alternatives such as an "Incomplete" grade may be possible in certain circumstances. 
• 5. My instructor does not use their SJSU email, what should I do?
  • You should use your instructor's SJSU email when initiating the DocuSign. You can then inform your instructor (via their preferred email or in-person) that the DocuSign petition was sent to their SJSU email.
• 6. For a course with multiple components (such as lecture, seminar, and lab), which instructor should sign the petition?
  • For courses with multiple instructors, the main instructor signs. For example, if you are dropping CHEM 1A—which has an instructor for the lecture, activity/seminar, and lab—the professor from the lecture would sign the form.
• 7. I am requesting a retroactive course drop, but the professor is no longer part of SJSU, who should sign my petition?
  • In cases where the instructor of record is no longer affiliated with SJSU, the department chair would sign on behalf of the instructor.
• 8. Who is my College Associate Dean (or designee signer)?

  • Associate Deans (or Designee Signers)

    College / Department	Name and Contact Information
    Business	Dr. David Czerwinski   [email protected]
    Education	Dr. Ellen Middaugh  [email protected]
    Engineering	Dr. Nicole Okamoto     [email protected]
    Health and Human Sciences	Dr. Matthew Masucci   [email protected]
    Humanities and the Arts	Dr. Roula Svorou  [email protected]
    Interdisciplinary Studies (formerly Special Majors)	Dr. Melinda Jackson   [email protected]
    Science	Dr. Shelley Cargill   [email protected]
    Social Science	Dr. Clifton Oyamot [email protected]
    Undeclared	Dr. Shonda Goward  [email protected]
    Undeclared Pre-Nursing	Dr. Matthew Masucci   [email protected]
    Open University & Special Session	Dr. Namrata Shukla   [email protected]
    Special Session (Pbac or Graduate)	Dr. Jeff Honda [email protected]

• 9. Do I have to keep attending the course after the late drop petition is submitted?
  • Students are advised to continue attending the course and submitting assignments until a final decision on the petition is received.
• 10. Can I cancel my late course drop/semester withdrawal petition?

  • Yes, students are able to cancel their request any time before it is processed (showing up on your MySJSU account as a "W"). 

    To cancel your request, email [email protected] with the subject line "CANCEL Drop Petition." Include your name, SJSU ID, term, and request to cancel the petition. For course drops, add the course prefix and number (e.g., UNVS 101).

• 11. How will a late course drop affect my financial aid for the semester?
  • For financial aid eligibility, undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 12 units for “full-time enrollment,” 9-11 units for “three quarter-time enrollments,” and 6-8 units for “half-time enrollment”. Dropping below these levels MAY impact on your financial award, depending on the type of aid you receive. Students are advised to contact the Financial Aid Office with any questions about this PRIOR to dropping the course.
• 12. My petition was denied, can I appeal the decision?
  • Yes, students have 10 business days to appeal the final decision. Please work with an advisor and Undergraduate Education on appeal process. 
• 13. My petition to drop retroactively expired, what should I do?

  • DocuSign forms expired in 120 days.

    Students need to email Undergraduate Education to extend the expiration date or initiate a new form. 

• 14. I am a Non-Matriculated, Open University Student, which form do I submit. 

  • Open University students need to use the Undergraduate Late Course Drop/Semester Withdrawal forms.

Types of Withdrawals FAQ's

• 15. What is considered a WA?

  • "WA" is assigned for serious reasons that a student might anticipate before the semester/term's drop deadline.

    "WA" is assigned to the following as well:
    1) A course swaps/drop done after the drop deadline has passed. 
    2) COVID non-compliant drops (Fall 2020-Spring 2021)

• 16. What is considered a WB?

  • "WB" is assigned for serious and compelling reasons that are clearly beyond the student's control, usually emergencies.

    "WB" was also assigned to:
    1) COVID-19 pandemic "WU" grade change to "W" (Fall 2020-Spring 2021)

• 17. What does the "WU" mean?

  • The symbol “WU” indicates that an enrolled student did NOT officially withdraw from the course. "WU" grade symbol is equivalent to an “F.”

• 18. Is a grade of "W" calculated in the GPA?

  • No, the "W" on your transcript means you withdrew from the course(s) after the drop deadline. It doesn’t affect your GPA or progress points.

• 19. Are there limits on how many "W's" you can have on your official transcript?

  • Yes, there are limits on the total number of "W" units on your transcript. Exceptions can be made for circumstances beyond your control if an Incomplete isn’t possible. These exceptions are marked "WB" internally but will appear as "W" on your transcript (University Policy S09-7 [pdf]).

    "W" unit limits

    Limits	Students
    18 units	Undergraduate students (including Open University and Special Session)
    12 units	Post-baccalaureate students
    9 units	Graduate Students (including Special Session)

• 20. What is the difference from a semester withdrawal and withdrawing from SJSU?

  • A semester withdrawal is the formal procedure for dropping all courses after the add/drop deadline has passed.

    In contrast, withdrawing from SJSU refers to the process of ceasing attendance at the university altogether. Please see Withdrawing from SJSU FAQ's for more information. 

Withdrawing from SJSU

• 21. I wish to withdraw from SJSU, what should I do (continuing students)?

  • There is no formal paperwork required; however, dropping classes after the deadline is permitted only for serious and compelling reasons.

    1) drop all enrolled courses,

    2) cleared any holds (financial/housing/advising) before leaving.

• 22. I wish to withdraw from SJSU, what should I do (new admitted students)?

  • There is no formal paperwork required; however, dropping classes after the deadline is permitted only for serious and compelling reasons.

    1) drop all enrolled courses,

    2) cleared any holds (financial/housing/advising) on their MySJSU account

    3)Email the SJSU Admissions Office at [email protected] to notify the university of your intention to withdraw from SJSU.