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FQD Supporting Materials

Please keep in mind that supporting materials must be professional and from a third party. Common items that are not acceptable: images of injuries, people, medications, text exchanges, transcripts.

Event that could create an extenuating circumstance Potential Supporting Materials
Birth: Immediate family or family member
  • Copy of birth announcement.
  • Copy of birth certificate or adoption papers.
Death: Immediate family or family member There must be a clear relationship between the student and the deceased.

  • Copy of obituary.
  • Copy of memorial service announcement or program.
  • Copy of death certificate
Illness: Issues related to personal health, illness, or accident
  • Completed Healthcare Provider form.
  • Statement from a physician on letterhead including dates of service.
  • Copy of police report.
  • Copy of insurance statements.
Illness: Issues with illness or accident of immediate family or family member.
  • Detailed explanation of family member’s medical circumstances, including the name and relationship of the family member to you.
  • Copy of police report.
  • Copy of insurance statements.
Loss of childcare: Immediate family, or family member. Letter from childcare provider indicating date of loss of childcare.
Loss of employment: Self, immediate family, or family member. Statement from former employer on company letterhead for yourself, immediate family, or family member indicating date of termination.
Loss of housing: Immediate family or family member. Statement from the landlord or bank/mortgage company indicating a change to housing situation.
Marriage or divorce: Self, immediate family, or family member. Copy of divorce papers.
Military duty Copy of military orders showing dates of deployment, training, or service.
Natural disaster Personal statement including the date(s) the natural disaster occurred and the address at which the disaster occurred.
Relocation requirement Statement from employer on company letterhead indicating date of relocation.
Travel: Required out-of-town travel or overtime work Statement from employer on company letterhead indicating the work conflict such as out-of-town travel or overtime work
Event not listed UW School Official Support Statements: If you do not have supporting materials suggested on this list, you may have a University of Washington school official, such as an adviser, instructor, or other support person submit a statement on your behalf. You may include this statement with your petition or they may send it on your behalf to OUR Petition.

Former Quarter Drop

The University of Washington Seattle understands that you may face a variety of challenges and obstacles while attending. The Former Quarter Drop (FQD) process was designed to help you address the impact these challenges and obstacles may have had on your ability to drop your classes using the Current Quarter Drop through the last date of instruction each quarter. The following information outlines how you can use the FQD process to request to drop a class or classes completed in a quarter that has already ended.

Please review the policy and eligibility requirements to determine if this is the right process for you. Please also review the list of suggested supplemental materials prior to submitting a petition and include any and all materials you believe would best support your petition. It is highly recommended that you meet with an adviser prior to submitting a Former Quarter Drop petition so they can support you through this process.

If you are looking to drop a course or courses, or do not wish to complete course(s) for a quarter that is currently in progress, please use the Current Quarter Drop (CQD) process. Failure to formally withdraw by the posted University deadlines dates on the Academic Calendar does not warrant a Former Quarter Drop.

Tuition Refund

A Former Quarter Drop is not a petition for a tuition refund and only addresses your enrollment and grades as they appear on your transcript. By default, all tuition forfeiture policies will apply to a Former Quarter Drop. If you wish to petition Tuition Forfeiture, you must do so via the Tuition Forfeiture Petition.

Former Quarter Drop Policy

This process provides students with a method to petition for a grade earned in a former quarter to be changed to a Registrar Drop (RD). A grade of RD does not impact your cumulative GPA or academic standing. A Former Quarter Drop (FQD) may be granted if you are unable to withdraw from your course(s) because of extenuating circumstances beyond your control. Not being able to drop or withdraw from courses due to registration requirements for maintaining full-time status for financial aid, scholarships, athletic eligibility, or student visa status may not be considered as reasons why a Former Quarter Drop should be granted.

Every student at the University of Washington gets an email to their uw.edu account on the first day of each quarter. This email contains the Registration Change Guide, which includes important information and dates for changing your class schedule. It explains how to drop classes during the current quarter and after the quarter is over. Being unaware of the current quarter drop process will not be considered as a reason why a Former Quarter Drop should be granted.

Former Quarter Drop Eligibility

  • You were unable to drop your course(s) during the quarter because of an extenuating circumstance beyond your control.
  • The FQD Petition is submitted within one year of the quarter being petitioned.
    • Petitions will be accepted through the final day of the same quarter the following year; i.e. Autumn 2023 petitions will be accepted through the final day of Autumn 2024.
    • Petitions outside the one-year deadline will be considered only for a complete withdrawal of courses taken during the last quarter of enrollment prior to a break of at least two quarters (excluding summer) before returning to the University.
      • If you wish to submit an FQD Petition beyond the one-year deadline it must be supported by a UW school professional explaining why the petition should be considered past the one-year deadline.
      • Petitions will not be considered outside of the one-year deadline for students in continuous enrollment.
  • The FQD Petition is submitted and processed before a degree has been conferred.
  • The FQD Petition is for circumstances outside of the classroom and should not be used to address grading or academic related issues. Review Grading Procedures for additional information.

Prior to Submitting the Petition

  • You are responsible for reviewing all the information on this page before completing and submitting the Former Quarter Drop Petition.
  • Separate FQD Petitions with supporting materials must be submitted for each quarter being petitioned.
  • FQD Petitions will not be granted for coursework that has already been applied to a completed degree.
  • Submission of a FQD Petition does not guarantee it will be approved.
  • Students with F-1 Visa status should meet with an adviser in the International Student Services Office to be apprised of any Visa status changes due to FQD approval.
  • The FQD Petition is to be submitted after the quarter has ended.
  • If you need more time to complete the work for a course, use the Incomplete Grade Request form within the last three weeks of the quarter to ask your instructor for an Incomplete grade.
  • If you need to drop your courses before they are graded use the Current Quarter Drop (CQD) process by the last day of instruction each quarter.
  • Please be aware: The Former Quarter Drop process is not intended for grade renewal on individual courses or for grade forgiveness purposes. Requests made to improve GPA and/or improve opportunity for internal UW admission applications will be denied.

Requirements for Submitting the Petition

Petition Questions

To understand why you may not have been able to use the option to drop classes during the quarter you were taking them, we invite you to answer the following questions. (Please keep responses to 500 words or less.)

  1. Briefly explain what happened during the quarter that stopped you from using your Current Quarter Drop.
  2. Please explain how the above circumstance prevented you from dropping your courses during the quarter. Please note that needing to maintain your enrollment for financial aid, or scholarship, visa or athletic eligibility is not a reason for which we can approve a Former Quarter Drop petition.
  3. If you are not requesting an FQD for all your classes, please explain why your circumstance impacted the class(es) you are requesting and not the others. (If you are requesting to drop all your classes, please type “N/A.”)
  4. If you do not have supporting materials to support your Former Quarter Drop, you must provide a statement from a UW school official such as an adviser or instructor as supporting material.

Supporting Materials

You must also submit supporting materials that help to provide evidence that backs up your personal statement.

  • Review examples of why a FQD petition may be requested, as well as suggested supporting materials that may be submitted with the FQD Petition.
  • Supporting materials must be professional and from a third party. Items that are not acceptable: images of injuries, people, medications, text exchanges, transcripts.
  • Healthcare providers may complete the Healthcare Provider PDF form when a student has requested it to support their FQD Petition. If you choose to have a healthcare provider complete the UW Healthcare Provider form you have three options for submitting it.
    • Your healthcare provider gives it to you and you upload it with your petition.
    • Your provider can email it directly to OUR Petition. Please submit a document with your petition statement indicating what healthcare provider office will be sending this to OUR Petition so we can be sure to match it to your petition.
    • If you receive the completed form after submitting your FQD petition, email it to OUR Petition and we will match it up with your petition.
  • If you do not have supporting materials as indicated, you must provide a statement from a UW school official such as an adviser or instructor as supporting material.

Submit the Petition

Dishonesty in any part of this request/application may result in a change in outcome or automatic denial.

Former Quarter Drop Petition Form

Timeline

FQD Petitions will be reviewed by the Office of the University Registrar within 60 days of the petition’s initial submission date.

After Submitting the Petition

  • You will be taken to a web page that states “Your petition has been submitted. You should receive an email in the next few minutes which confirms that we have received your application.” You will receive a confirmation email at your uw.edu email. If you do not receive this email, your form did not submit.
  • A decision will be sent to your uw.edu email address within 60 days after the petition is submitted.
  • Approved petitions will result in your transcript reflecting a grade of RD (Registrar Drop) for the petitioned course(s).
  • Grades cannot be restored once an FQD Petition has been granted.
  • No details of the petition or supporting materials will be shared with anyone outside the FQD Committee.
  • The Petitions Committee’s decision is final – appeals will not be accepted.

Beyond the one-year Deadline

  • If you wish to submit a FQD Petition beyond the one-year deadline you must petition to drop ALL courses in that quarter and have a break of at least two quarters (excluding summer) before returning to the University.
  • If you wish to submit an FQD Petition beyond the one-year deadline, it must be supported by a UW school professional explaining why the petition should be considered past the one-year deadline.
  • You must contact OUR Petition and include your qualifying situation prior to submitting your FQD petition. You will then be provided additional instructions on how to submit your Former Quarter Drop petition outside the one-year filing timeline. The Former Quarter Drop petition form should not be used to submit a petition for a quarter that is not listed on the dropdown menu, unless advised to do so by the UW Seattle Office of the University Registrar.
  • Petitions will not be considered outside of the one-year deadline for students in continuous enrollment.

Campus Support Resources

Nothing is more important than a student’s health and well-being. Students who may be struggling with medical, emotional, or behavioral issues that are impacting their academic success are strongly encouraged to reach out to one of the following resources for support and to help create a plan to address any struggles being experienced. Following are some key resources at the University of Washington that can help support students in this regard.

University Resource Description
Student Life: Well-Being All UW Seattle student health services in one place.
UAA: Advising Undergraduate Academic Affairs – advising and academic planning services.
OMAD: Academic Counseling Services Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMAD) advising and assistance for students from low-income families, students who are first in their family to graduate from a four-year college, and underrepresented minority students.
Disability Resources for Students (DRS) A unit of Student Life dedicated to ensuring access and inclusion for all students with disabilities on the Seattle campus enrolled in our undergraduate, graduate, professional, Evening Degree and Access programs.
UW Police: Victim Advocacy Confidential advocacy and support for victims of crime.

Former Quarter Drop FAQs

FQD FAQs

Your campus registrar will review the FQD and supporting materials. If they can approve your request based on the statement and supporting materials that you have provided with your petition, they will let you know that it was approved and the previous grade earned will be changed to “RD” for Registrar Drop, the grade points and credits will be taken out of your quarterly and cumulative GPA. The course, course number, and RD will remain on your academic transcript.

If the campus registrar is not able to initially approve the petition, it will be referred to the Former Quarter Drop Review Committee. A member of the Committee will contact you to discuss your petition and will recommend a decision to the campus registrar. This process is over a sixty-day (60) period.

If your petition directly indicates that you are seeking a Former Quarter Drop for grade point average (GPA) modification reasons and/or you do not provide information as to why you are only requesting to drop one or more courses and not all of your enrolled courses for the quarter, with adequate supporting statements and materials, your petition is likely to be denied by your campus registration team without being sent to the Former Quarter Drop Review Committee.

Petitions may not be approved if the Former Quarter Drop Review Committee finds that your situation does not meet the criteria outlined for granting a Former Quarter Drop (FQD).

Examples include:

Supporting Materials Issues

  • Supporting materials detailing how the course under petition was specifically affected by the situation (for partial FQDs) is not provided
  • Supporting materials such as death certificate were not provided or the familial relationship to the deceased was not clearly substantiated
  • Third-party professional supporting materials were not provided
  • Supporting materials have not been translated into English by an accredited translator or third-party professional, or their contact information is not provided
  • Supporting materials were provided by family members or friends, as opposed to UW or external professionals not related or personally connected to the petitioner

Other Issues

  • The situation is considered an academic issue, and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the FQD Review Committee.
  • Request was made to improve GPA and/or improve opportunity for internal UW admissions application reasons.
    • The Former Quarter Drop process is not intended for grade renewal on individual courses or for grade forgiveness purposes.
  • The situation is not considered beyond the student’s control
  • A Former Quarter Drop was already granted for the same/similar reason(s) in the preceding quarter
  • The student’s degree has already been conferred.
  • Petitions for students who have already earned their University of Washington degree will not be forwarded to the FQD Review Committee since changes cannot be made to the academic history after a student’s degree has been posted.