Withdrawals

Withdrawing from a Course

If you need to withdraw from a course after the term has begun, you must click on the green box below and fill out the "E-Form" to "Petition to withdraw from Open University Courses" and submit the required supporting documentation.

  • Withdrawals after the start of the term are approved only for serious and compelling reasons.

  • Full refunds are not available once the term begins.

  • Refund eligibility is based on the official withdrawal date, not the date payment was submitted.

Example:
If you submit payment on March 28 and withdraw on April 9, your refund will be calculated based on the April 9 withdrawal date. In this example, you would receive an 80% refund and a "W" grade would be recorded.

Open University Petition to Withdraw

Approval Requirements


Withdrawal requests must demonstrate serious and compelling reasons. Approval is contingent upon appropriate documentation, which may include:

A letter from your employer on company letterhead confirming:

  • Work schedule (days and hours)
  • Effective date of the change
  • Whether the change was initiated by you or your employer

A note from your physician describing, in general terms:

  • The nature of the illness
  • The period of time you were treated

Documentation from a counselor or appropriate professional describing a serious personal issue that affected your ability to complete the course.

Withdrawal requests are typically not approved for reasons such as:

  • Failing or poor academic performance
  • Lack of prerequisites
  • Course overload or time management challenges
During the final three weeks of instruction, withdrawals are approved only in cases of documented emergencies beyond the student’s control.

Spring 2026 Withdrawal Dates

Add/Drop Period: January 5-30, 2026

During this period, please email cpgereg@cpp.edu to request any changes to your schedule, such as swapping a course for a newly approved course. 

You can add or drop classes without receiving Ws. 

Class Withdrawal Period: January 31-February 13, 2026

Petition to Withdraw for Serious and Compelling Reasons Opens: February 14, 2026

Last Day to Withdraw by Petition and Receive a W: April 17, 2026

Last Day to Withdraw by Petition and Receive a WX: May 8, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions


  • If you drop a course or all of your courses during general registration or Add/Drop Period, the dropped courses will not appear on your transcript. You can find general registration and Add/Drop Period dates on the Open University Calendar. 
  • If you want to drop a course or all of your courses during the withdrawal period, Ws will appear for those courses on your transcript. You are limited to 18 units of Ws on your transcript. The grade W does not affect your grade point average (GPA). You can find withdrawal period dates on the Open University Calendar page. 
  • You have the right to petition to receive a WX when withdrawing from a course. A WX is granted when you have demonstrated that your withdrawal is due to a serious and compelling reason beyond your control. A WX does not count toward your 18 units of Ws. 

  • The petition is available above. It must be signed electronically by the campus reviewers and then an email with the final decision will be sent to your CPP email. 
  • If your request is granted, you will receive Ws or WXs depending on your request and the decisions of the appropriate reviewers. 

All students will be required to submit documentation when submitting a petition to Withdraw for Serious and Compelling Reasons, regardless of whether they are requesting a W or a WX. 

  • The documentation must be related to the reason why you are petitioning to withdraw
  • If you are providing medical documentation, it must be on official letterhead and include your name and doctor's contact information. The documentation does not need to disclose diagnosis. 
  • If you are providing photos as documentation, do not submit photos of deceased people or body parts. 

  • If you stop attending class(es) (unofficially withdraw) and do not follow this procedure, you may receive a grade of F or WU (Withdrawal Unauthorized). F and WU grades are equivalent for the purposes of GPA and grade points. 
  • The symbol WU indicates that you did not withdraw from the course and also failed to complete course requirements. It is used when, in the opinion of the instructor, you completed assignments or course activities or both were insufficient to make normal evaluation of academic performance possible. 
  • WU is also assigned if you do not drop a course properly, such as when a student withdraws from a course without authorization (e.g. no approved Request for Class Withdrawal for Serious and Compelling Reasons Form is on file). 
  • If the appropriate withdrawal form is on file, this WU will be replaced by a W in the Registrar's Office and a W will appear on the final grade sheet returned to the instructor and on your grade report. 

Ws, WXs, and WUs

Table Explaining Ws, WUs and WXs
Grade What does this grade mean? How do I receive this grade? Notes
W This grade means that you withdrew from the class after the Add/Drop Period.
 Students can withdraw between the 11th and 20th day of class via BroncoDirect and receive a W.
Students with serious and compelling reasons to withdraw after the 20th day through the 12th week of instruction must complete the Withdrawal for Serious and Compelling Reasons form to earn a W.
  • Examples of why students may apply:
  • Work hours changed that conflict with class
  • Illness (student or close family)
  • Other circumstances that hinder (but do not prevent) attendance
Not acceptable reasons to apply:
  • Failing a class
  • Don’t need the class to graduate
  • Never attended class

Students are limited to 18 units of recorded course withdrawals (where the student received a “W”).


Ws do not affect your GPA.
WX This grade means that you withdrew from a class after the Add/Drop Period, and the circumstances were serious and compelling, beyond your control. Students with serious and compelling reasons to withdraw after the 10th day through finals must complete the Petition to Withdraw for Serious and Compelling Reasons form to earn a WX.

The Chair, Dean, and Associate Vice President for the Office of Student Success will evaluate the petition and documentation to determine if a WX is appropriate.

Examples of why students may apply:
  • Work conditions change preventing attendance
  • Serious illness (student or close family) preventing attendance
    • Note: Medical documentation must be on official letterhead and include your name and doctor's contact information. The documentation does not need to disclose a diagnosis. 
Students also receive this grade if they have an approved Retroactive Withdrawal. Retroactive Withdrawals are submitted after the term is over and withdraw the student for all classes for a term.

Students are limited to 18 units of recorded course withdrawals (where the student received a “W”).

If a student earns a WX for a course, those units will not count to their 18-unit limit.

 

WXs appear on your transcript as Ws. They do not affect your GPA.
WU This grade means that you did not withdraw from the course and failed to complete the course requirements.  Students who do not withdraw from their course and do not meet the course requirements will earn a WU. WUs are equivalent to Fs for the purposes of grade point averages.