Authorized Withdrawal Procedure
Walk-through:
Authorized Withdrawal (AW)
Procedure 		Tutorial:
Authorized Withdrawal (AW)
Request Letter

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Authorized Withdrawal Walk-Through by University of Manitoba Student Advocacy Office is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada License

Sometimes medical, compassionate, or other external factors can compromise your academic performance in courses during a term. If you earn "F" grades, or need to drop a course to avoid "F's", you may wish to request an Authorized Withdrawal (AW) for the courses in that term. AW's, if granted, remove the course entirely from your official academic transcript. If you are granted AW's within a year of taking the course, you may also be eligible for a tuition fee refund from the Registrar's office. All said, the process can be confusing. Below is a detailed guide to help you consider your options.

Step 1:
If you are seeking Authorized Withdrawals (AW's) from course(s) you are currently registered in, the first step is to make certain that you do not want to continue in the course(s). If that is the case, then you should Voluntarily Withdraw (VW) from the courses on or before the VW deadline.

It is also a good idea to speak with a student advisor in your faculty of registration, to find out if there are any specific deadlines you need to be aware of for making an AW request. You can also check out the General Course Calendar for specific policy information.

If you are making a request for courses completed previously, please see Step 2.

Step 2:
Draft a letter (see outline for assistance) explaining how your circumstances affected your ability to be academically successful in your courses.

Note: The letter does not need to extensively detail your personal or medical circumstances, but rather explain how your academic performance in coursework was damaged by those circumstances.

If you would like feedback on a draft of your letter or on your supporting documentation before submitting your request, you can make an appointment with a Student Advocate.

Step 3:
Obtain supporting documentation.
Some examples include a doctor's note, counselor or psychologist's note, an obituary or funeral program, or any other official documentation supporting your extenuating circumstances. Most AW requests cannot be granted without some form of supporting document. Please refer to the "Guidelines for Health Care Professionals" handout which explains the information that needs to be contained in clinical supporting documentation. This handout can be given to your doctor or other professional to advise them of how to write their letter. On campus, you may be able to obtain supporting documentation from University Health Services, or from the Student Counseling and Career Centre.

Examples of supporting documents include:

  • Funeral program and/or obituary,
  • Letter from a doctor (general practioner, specialist or surgeon),
  • Receipts for medication etc.
  • Letter from a counselor (usually a registered psychologist),
  • Police report or auto accident report,
  • Travel receipts (ariline, rail etc.).

    Step 4:
    Submit your letter and supporting documentation to a student advisor in your faculty of registration. Your request will then be considered by the Director/Dean of your Faculty. Be sure to keep a copy of your entire submitted package for your own records.

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