How to Drop or Withdraw from a Course

If students are experiencing an academic or personal challenge that impacts their ability to complete any courses, they should contact their Department Chair. Once a student has spoken with their Department Chair, they may choose to request a drop or withdrawal by completing and returning a form provided by the Doctoral Success Coach. Students should also decide if they would like to “stop out” of their program through a Program Hold or disenroll from the program completely.

Students who need to pause their doctoral program for a year or more may request a Program Hold by communicating with the Doctoral Success Coach and completing the Program Hold Request form. Students may request one or more Program Hold during the program, as long as they complete the program within the approved timeframe of 7 years.

A student's program deadline is not extended if they are on an approved Program Hold; students will have the same program deadline when they return from a Program Hold and may need to work with the Doctoral Success Coach on if their program deadline is nearing or expired upon their return.

Effective for May 2025 courses and beyond:

Students must use the online “Course Drop/Withdraw Form” found under the University Forms column on the Academic Plan & Forms navigation menu of the student eCampus. Students will need to select which course(s) they are dropping or withdrawing.

If students do not have access to the Internet and need to drop or withdraw from a course, they should contact [email protected] or call the university’s toll free number and ask to be transferred to the Office of the Registrar. In an emergency, including technical difficulties, APUS will honor the drop or withdrawal date as the date a voicemail or email in the Office of the Registrar was received. Informing a university staff member who is not part of the Registrar's office is not considered an official drop or withdrawal request.

Students will not be able to submit a withdrawal request if the last week of the course has already started, or if a student is already on an approved extension of the course. See Appealing to Withdraw from a Course after Withdrawal Period Ends.

Deciding Whether or not to drop or Withdraw from a Course

Important Definitions

Course Drop: The removal of a course from a student's schedule before the end of the first week of class.
Course Withdrawal: The removal of a course from a student's schedule after the end of week one.
End of Week One: 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time on the first Sunday of the course.
Drop or Withdrawal Date: The date a student submitted the online “Course Drop/Withdraw” Form, the date a student contacted the Office of the Registrar with their official request by email, phone call, or voicemail.
SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress): One measure used to determine eligibility for both federal student aid and for graduation. Withdrawals impact SAP, as they count against a student's maximum cap of 150% of courses attempted vs. courses successfully passed.

Consequences of a Course Drop

Grades: Students will see a "DP" for the course when viewing grades inside the Records Menu area of the eCampus under My Academic Plan or My Academic Records under Grade Reports.
GPA (Grade Point Average): A student's GPA is not impacted.
Transcript: If a student has a transcript sent out, it will NOT show any record of the dropped course.
SAP: Classes that a student drops do not count as “attempted” in calculations used to determine eligibility for Federal Student Aid or for graduation eligibility.
Federal Student Aid: If a student does not complete a course they were scheduled to attend, their aid may be subject to a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.
Course Access: Students will no longer have access to a course once they drop it.

Consequences of a Course Withdrawal

Grades: Students will see a "W" for the course when viewing grades inside the Records Menu area of the e-campus under My Academic Plan or My Academic Records under Grade Reports.
GPA: A student's GPA is not impacted.
Transcript: If a student has a transcript sent out, it will show this course with a “W” grade.
SAP: Withdrawn courses do count as “attempted” in calculations used to determine eligibility for Federal Student Aid or for graduation eligibility.
Federal Student Aid: If students do not complete a course, their aid may be subject to a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.
Course Access: Students will no longer have access to a course once they withdraw from it.