Course withdrawals

Carefully read the instructions and information on all applicable forms.

Complete and sign the appropriate Student Request Form, as follows:

• Faculty of Arts and Science, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, Faculty of Fine Arts, and John Molson School of Business students:
  Student Request for Late Withdrawal/Registration Form
• Independent Students: Independent Student Request Form
  

Attach the following supporting documents to your request:

• A clear and detailed written explanation of the unforeseen event(s) or circumstance(s) which prevented you from dropping the course(s) by the deadline. Indicate if you are asking for a refund (financial credit) of fees for this course(s).
• A written statement from the instructor of the course(s) confirming when you stopped attending class and that you did not complete course work or exams after that date.
• All relevant documentation which supports your case. This might include (but is not limited to) such documents as:
  • Student Request Medical Certificate (English / Français) duly completed, signed and stamped by a licensed medical practitioner (the MD’s licence number must be clearly noted on the form)
  • hospital record(s)
  • death certificate
  • accident/police report
  • travel tickets

Important information to keep in mind when submitting a late withdrawal request (DNE):

• If your request is approved and the requested course(s) are removed from your academic record (DNE), then you may no longer be eligible for financial aid for the semester during which you initially took the course(s). If you have concerns about potentially losing your financial aid or having to repay it, please reach out to fundingyoureducation@concordia.ca or your funding agency to confirm the conditions of your financial aid before submitting your late withdrawal request.
• International Students whose status may retroactively change to part-time as a result of the approval of their late withdrawal request (DNE) are encouraged to email iso@concordia.ca to confirm if they should request that DISC notation(s) remain on their record in order to avoid potential immigration issues.

Submit your request as follows:

• Students registered in a Faculty of Arts and Science program must submit to the academic department housing the program in which they are registered.
• Students registered in a Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science program must submit to the School's Student Academic Services Office.
• Students registered in a Faculty of Fine Arts program must submit to the Faculty Undergraduate Student Academic Services Office.
• Students registered in a John Molson School of Business program must submit to the Faculty Undergraduate Programs Office.
• Independent students must submit, as an email attachment, to undergrad.independent@concordia.ca

General Rules

The Student’s Responsibility

Once you register in a course(s) at the University, you become responsible for:

• following the University’s published rules, regulations, and guidelines; and,
• ensuring that you understand the academic requirements of your program(s) of study.

You are responsible for providing all the necessary information and supporting documentation when submitting a request. Incomplete requests will not be considered.

Why are refunds normally not applicable after the DNE deadline?

There are three main reasons why the University has a deadline for tuition refunds:

1. When you withdraw after the DNE deadline, you have prevented another student from taking your seat in the classroom. If you had dropped the course before the deadline, another student could have registered for the course.
2. The University’s costs are not reduced when you withdraw from a course, e.g. instructor’s salary, technology infrastructure, classroom space, etc.
3. You are not the only one paying for your education. In fact, most students’ tuition fees cover only about 25% of the total cost of their education. The other 75% of your education is funded by the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur. When you withdraw after the DNE deadline and are granted a Late Withdrawal (retroactive DNE), the University not only forfeits the money it returns to you, but also the government funding attached to your registration.

Remember, the DNE and DISC deadlines are published at Term Dates and Deadlines. Check the deadlines every term – it is your responsibility to know what the deadlines are.

Exceptional circumstances

In certain very limited circumstances, a student may be granted a late withdrawal (DNE) or a full/partial refund on a discontinued (DISC) course after the DNE deadline. Late withdrawals and refunds are only given when you could not have withdrawn before the DNE deadline because of serious extenuating circumstances. These circumstances must be unforeseeable and beyond your control.

Please note that, if your request is approved, the University Retroactive Withdrawal Committee will decide whether you qualify for a retroactive DNE or a full/partial refund with a DISC notation.

In some cases when DNE’s are granted, an administrative fee of 35$ per credit may be applied.

Examples of requests that are NOT granted

• You did not know the deadline and/or procedures for withdrawing from courses. (Remember, you are responsible for making yourself aware of University deadlines.)
• Your financial situation has changed and you cannot afford to attend University any more.
• You lost your job, you accepted a new job offer, you have a work schedule conflict, or your work hours have increased.
• You have a problem with child-care arrangements.
• You did not attend the course(s) you registered for.
• You attended another university or college and did not withdraw from your Concordia course(s).
• You did not pay your Concordia fees by the deadline date and assumed that your current registrations would automatically be cancelled.
• Your government financial aid was delayed or the value of your government financial aid was less than you expected to receive.

In the case of personal bankruptcy, please contact the Student Accounts Office at 514-848-2424, ext. 4900.

Examples of requests that may be granted

Particular medical circumstances:

• A serious illness or severe injury prevented you from withdrawing from your course(s) by the DNE deadline.
• You became seriously ill or were severely injured after the DNE deadline and, as a result were unable to complete your course(s).

Requests based on medical circumstances must be accompanied by a duly completed Student Request Medical Certificate (English / Français). If this Medical Certificate is not included with your request, your request will automatically be denied.

Please note that medical certificates may be verified before a request is considered and/or granted. To save time, please ensure that the medical certificate completed by your doctor includes all the information requested along with their medical license number and a telephone number where they can be reached during regular business hours. The medical certificate may be refused if it is insufficiently explicit or appears to lack seriousness or, on its face, raises doubt as to its authenticity.

Unfortunately, the fact that illness is usually not predictable and is nobody’s fault, does not automatically qualify you for a late withdrawal (DNE) or a refund of fees on a discontinued (DISC) course(s).

• You may be able to work out an alternative way to complete a course with your professor.
• You may be eligible for a MED, DEF or INC course notation. See §16 of the Undergraduate Calendar for an explanation of these notations.

If you must withdraw after the DNE deadline and before the DISC deadline, you have to drop the course on your student portal (My CU Account).

Particular non-medical circumstances:

Certain requests for late withdrawal (DNE) or a refund of fees on a discontinued (DISC) course(s) may be accepted in particular non-medical circumstances.

For example:

• There has been a recent death in your immediate family or other circumstances which have caused you severe emotional stress.
• You have unexpectedly assumed long-term primary responsibility for taking care of an immediate member of your family who is seriously ill.

Requests based on non-medical circumstances must be accompanied by complete supporting documents that are appropriate to the situation including, but not limited to, a death certificate, medical certificate, airline ticket, etc.

Things to Remember

Reason for submitting a request
Your reason for the request must be related to circumstances that were unforeseeable and beyond your control.

Submission deadlines
A student request shall be made within a reasonable period of time from the circumstances giving rise to the request. Normally, the following guidelines apply:

In determining whether the period of time elapsed is reasonable, all of the circumstances of the case shall be evaluated. Requests from previous academic terms will not be accepted without a detailed explanation for the delay in submitting a request.

For further information, please see the Undergraduate Calendar Section on Student Request Committees and Refund of fees (financial credit on account or refund)