Academic Withdrawal Policies

Fulfilling Course Requirements

Students are expected to complete all course requirements in a timely fashion. Except as provided below, each student enrolled in a course for which there is a final examination is required to take the examination at the time it is scheduled. If the course requirements include a paper, a series of papers, or reports, each student is required to submit the paper(s) or report(s) at the time(s) specified by the instructor.

A student who does not take the final exam or who fails to turn in a paper on time without first having officially withdrawn from the course, petitioned for an incomplete, or rescheduled the exam or obtained permission to submit the paper late, may receive a "WF" grade (or "NC" for Credit/No Credit graded courses) on the exam or paper and for the course. "WF" grades count the same as "F" grades in GPA calculations. For more information, see the Law School's Exam Policies.

Withdrawal or Leave from Law School

Students who choose to withdraw completely from the School of Law, or want to take leaves of absence or to visit away at other law schools must complete the Official Withdrawal/Leave of Absence request process. JD students are required to be enrolled during the fall and spring semesters, or to be on approved leaves of absence. HLP students are considered to be enrolled full-time while engaged in their apprenticeships. Failure to enroll or receive approval for leaves may result in administrative withdrawal.

Course Withdrawal

Withdrawal from a course (commonly known as "dropping a course" if done by the end of the second week of the term) is official once the Law School Registrar's Office has been notified. Notification may be made electronically by "dropping" a course online via GGU4YOU or by submitting a Schedule Change Request form. Oral notification is insufficient. Written notifications may be delivered in person, by standard mail, by fax, or by electronic mail. Electronic mail must originate from students' e-mail addresses on record with the Law Registrar's Office. The date the written notice is received will be the official date of withdrawal. Students should refer to the Law School's Withdrawal Tuition Credit Policy and the Academic Calendar to determine the effect of withdrawals on their accounts. Courses from which students withdraw may appear on their transcripts. See Withdrawal Notations on Transcripts for more information. Rather than withdraw, students may petition for incomplete grades if they do not intend to withdraw from the Law School entirely. See our policies regarding incomplete course attempts for more information.

Permission to Withdraw

First-year JD students may withdraw from first-year courses only with permission of the associate dean or director for student services. Upper division JD students may withdraw from upper division courses without permission for any reason until the end of instruction. Students cannot "drop" courses online via GGU4YOU after the last day to drop without "W" grade, as indicated in the Academic Calendar. Instead, students must submit Schedule Change Request forms.

Students wishing to withdraw from courses after the end of instruction must obtain the approval of the associate dean or director for student services or their LLM program director, depending on their academic programs. Upon approval, students may withdraw from exam-graded courses until the day before the exam, and from non-exam-graded courses until the last day of the examination period for the term. In order to withdraw from courses after the end of instruction, students must submit Schedule Change Request forms and obtain the necessary approval.

Withdrawal Notations on Transcripts

The Registrar's Office will record "W" (Withdrawal) notations for courses from which students withdraw after the "drop" deadline (the end of the second week of the term) that will appear on students' transcripts. The Registrar's Office will record "WF" (Withdrew Failing) grades or "NC" (No Credit) for non-letter-graded courses for courses from which students do not withdraw by the deadlines stated above and which are not completed or approved for incomplete grades. "WF" grades count the same as "F" grades in GPA calculations. "NC" grades do not affect the GPA calculations.

International Students

International students with F-1 or J-1 visas may not drop below full-time status without the approval of an international student adviser. Full-time status is defined as 8 semester units for LLM students and 12 semester units for JD students in the fall or spring semesters. The summer term is considered a "vacation term" and no minimum enrollment is required.