Deciding Whether to Drop or Withdraw from Your Course

If you change your mind about taking a course, or if circumstances prevent you from completing a course in which you are registered, you may consider requesting a course drop or withdrawal. If you are having difficulty finishing a course due to unexpected time constraints, you also have the option of extending the course rather than withdrawing.

If you are an undergraduate student waiting for hard copy textbooks through the APUS book grant, you should always drop the course prior to the end of week one if you have not received your books by then. You won’t be able to appeal for a tuition refund later based on late arrival of your books.

Important Definitions

Course Drop: Removal of a course from your schedule prior to the end of the first week of class.
Course Withdrawal: Any removal of a course from your schedule after the end of week one using the online form provided.
End of Week One: 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time of the first Sunday of the course.
Drop or Withdrawal Date: This is the date you submitted the online “Drop/Withdrawal from Course” form, the date you contacted the Registrar’s office with your official request by email 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 your maximum cap of 150% of courses attempted vs. courses successfully passed.

Consequences of a Course Drop

Grades: You 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): Your GPA is not impacted.
Transcript: If you have a transcript sent out, it will NOT show any record of the dropped course.
Refunds: There is no fee for dropping a course, and you will receive a full refund of any tuition charge, although not of late registration fees.
SAP: Classes you drop do not count as “attempted” in calculations used to determine eligibility for Federal Student Aid or for graduation eligibility.
Federal Student Aid: Your eligibility for FSA funding may be decreased or lost if your course drop changes (reduces) your enrollment status. If your drop results in not completing a semester you were scheduled to attend, you may be considered withdrawn from the semester and subject to a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.
Course Access: You will no longer have access to a course once you drop it.

Consequences of a Course Withdrawal

Grades: You will see a "W" 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: Your GPA is not impacted.
Transcript: If you have a transcript sent out, it will show this course with a “W” grade.
Refunds: You will only receive a refund of the course based on the refund schedule, listed in the How to Pay for Courses section.
Military TA (Tuition Assistance): If you use Military TA, you should contact your ESO or ACES Counselor for a military withdrawal approval first, as you may be responsible for paying the military back for any tuition not refunded.
SAP: Withdrawn courses do count as “attempted” in calculations used to determine eligibility for Federal Student Aid or for graduation eligibility.
Federal Student Aid: Your eligibility for FSA funding may be decreased or lost if your course withdrawal changes (reduces) your enrollment status. If your course withdrawal results in not completing a semester you were scheduled to attend, you may be considered withdrawn from the semester and subject to a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.
Course Access: You will no longer have access to a course once you withdraw from it.