Withdrawing from a Spring Course – Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Withdrawing from a course is an option when you are certain you are no longer in a position to pass.

Questions to Consider Before Withdrawing

  • Have you talked with your professor about whether you can catch up in the class? (See these office hour tips.)
  • Have you used all available resources? 
    • Visit the Sagan Academic Resource Center to see if tutoring or time management/study skills coaching makes a difference. 
    • Address homesickness, relationship challenges, or overwhelm by working with the Counseling Center.
  • Could you at least get a D-? Even a D- in a class will count toward graduation; you just need an overall GPA of 2.0. Do not Withdraw if things aren’t going perfectly. There is still time to have a better experience and pass! 

Withdrawal Processes

  • To Withdraw, use the “Change of Schedule” form located at forms.owu.edu. It is helpful to give the instructor and your advisor a heads up.
  • Withdrawing from a course places a “W” on your transcript but does not impact GPA.
  • Although your GPA is protected with a Withdraw, you may make academic progress more slowly because a Withdrawn class does not count toward graduation units. Talk with your advisor about future coursetaking plans. 
  • The Drop deadline for full-semester classes has already passed. A Drop is different from Withdraw because a Drop removes the course from your transcript as if you’d never taken it.

Withdrawal Deadlines

  • Full-semester classes: Tuesday, April 1, 2025
  • Second-module classes (aka, those that meet only for the second half of the semester): Thursday, April 10, 2025