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Returning Student Process

Welcome Back to the University of Washington!

The Returning Student Process is designed for undergraduate or professional-level students wishing to return to the University of Washington after an absence of one quarter or more (excluding summer quarter).

The following steps will guide you through the process to reactivate your student account and prepare you to register for a future quarter. Once you have submitted your Returning Student Request Form, you’ll be able to clear any holds you may have on your registration, and then confirm your intention to enroll through the Enrollment Confirmation System.

Returning Student Eligibility

You are eligible to submit a Returning Student Request form to return to the University of Washington if any of the following apply to you:

  • Do not attend for two or more consecutive quarters (excluding summer quarter), OR
  • Completely withdraw from one quarter and do not attend the following quarter (excluding summer quarter), AND
  • Have not obtained a degree in the last enrolled student category, either from the University of Washington or from another institution.

Eligibility Factors

Factors that may be considered when reviewing a returning student request include, but are not limited to:

  • space availability in the major in which you were previously enrolled
  • activities during the period in which you were not enrolled
  • prior disciplinary action

Complete Five Steps to Return to UW

5 Steps for Returning Students

Complete and submit the Returning Student Request Form. We’ll collect your current contact information and additional data that we need to reactivate your student account.

This form is only for undergraduate and professional students who have not completed their UW degree.

Returning Student Request Form

Watch for an email from your campus registration team confirming that your Returning Student Request Form has been processed.

Once you have been notified that your Returning Student Request Form has been processed you will receive an email prompting you to confirm your enrollment for the returning quarter you indicated.

After you receive an offer to return, log in to MyUW and check on any holds that may prevent you from registering. These could be placed on your account for tuition and fees still owed from a prior quarter, behavioral holds, departmental holds related to satisfactory academic progress, or any other holds associated with blocking registration until you take the required action.

We encourage you to resolve whatever registration holds might be on your account before proceeding to Step Five.

To prepare for your transition to campus, meet with your academic adviser to plan your class schedule for your return quarter. Remember to check Register.UW for information about registering for classes.

When you are ready, confirm your enrollment for the quarter you wish to return to UW.

You will be required to pay a non-refundable Enrollment Confirmation Fee:

UW Bothell UW Seattle UW Tacoma
$60 $80 $60

Completing the Enrollment Confirmation step is required before you will be allowed to register and to continue your studies.

Returning Student Deadlines

You must complete all steps of the Returning Student process, including registering for classes for your return quarter by the end of the Returning Student Process Deadline day of the quarter you wish to return.

Quarter Step One: Request Form
Submission Deadline		 Steps Two-Five:
Completion Deadline*
Autumn 2025 September 22, 2025 October 3, 2025
Winter 2026 December 31, 2025 January 16, 2026
Spring 2026 March 26, 2026 April 10, 2026
Summer 2026 June 18, 2026 July 2, 2026

UW Bothell and UW Tacoma

Returning Students to UW Bothell and UW Tacoma may have other requirements for resuming your studies. Check with your respective campus registration team for more information. If you have any questions on the Returning Student Process, email your campus registration team.

Campus Registration Team Email Resource EC Fee
UW Bothell uwbreg@uw.edu Returning Student Process $60
UW Tacoma reguwt@uw.edu Returning Student Re-enrollment $60

Graduate Students

Students previously registered in the Graduate School who have failed to maintain graduate student status (on-leave status was not secured or registration was not maintained) but wish to resume studies within the same degree program must file a request for reinstatement to the Graduate School.

Graduate students who are returning from official on-leave status do not complete the Returning Student Request Form. Review the Graduate On-Leave Status for on-leave eligibility, the procedure for requesting leave, and information about reinstatement.

For questions regarding on-leave status or the graduate reinstatement process, please contact the Graduate Program Advisor within your graduate program and/or Graduate Enrollment Management Services or 206-685-2630.

Productivity Platforms & Email

Please be aware that the UW G Suite and/or UW Office 365 email & productivity platform account(s) and data that you create with your UW email address are temporary and will expire when you graduate and/or separate from the UW.

It is strongly recommended to forward your UW email address to a personal, non-UW email address upon separation from the UW.

Major/Minor Update

You must be logged in with your UW NetID and be an Academic Adviser to view this page.

Current Quarter Drop

The Current Quarter Drop process allows students to drop classes using the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Form during the Late Course Drop Period.

Overview and Timeline

Several University of Washington policies affect when and how you can drop classes. Each quarter, during the Unrestricted Drop period, you may add and drop classes with no restrictions until the end of the second week of the quarter. After that, during the Late Course Drop period, you may drop one class, using Register.UW, between the third week and the last date of instruction for the quarter.

To drop more than one class during the Late Course Drop period, you may use the Adviser-Assisted Drop Process. Review the tuition forfeiture policy when considering dropping — you may not get all your tuition back. The form will open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. on designated dates for each quarter.

CQD Dates for 2025-2026

CQD Dates 2024-2025

Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Summer Term Start Date End Date Start Date End Date
Full Term Jun 30 Jul 6 Jul 7 Aug 22
A-Term NA NA Jun 30 Jul 23
B-Term NA NA Jul 31 Aug 22

Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Start Date End Date Start Date End Date
Oct 1 Oct 7 Oct 8 Dec 5

Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Start Date End Date Start Date End Date
Jan 12 Jan 18 Jan 19 (holiday) Mar 13

Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Start Date End Date Start Date End Date
Apr 6 Apr 12 Apr 13 June 5

How to Drop a Class by Period

Weeks 1 & 2 Week 3 – Last Day of Instruction Finals Week+
Unrestricted Drop Period
Add and drop classes via Register.UW with no restrictions until end of Week 2.
(Tuition Forfeiture period begins the start of Week 2)		 Late Course Drop Period
Use your Quarterly Drop for one (1) class per quarter via Register.UW, or the Adviser-Assisted Drop form for two (2) or more classes		 After the Last Day of Instruction
Use the Former Quarter Drop process instead

Unrestricted Drop Period

Through the second week of the quarter, you can add and drop freely using Register.UW.

These drops will not show up on your transcript. You will be charged a $20 Change of Registration Fee for all registration changes processed on a single day during this period. Review the tuition forfeiture policy when considering dropping — you may not get all your tuition back.

Late Course Drop Period

Between the first day of the Late Course Drop Period and the Last Day of Instruction, you have two options for dropping classes.

How to Use Your Quarterly Drop

You may drop one course per quarter using your self-serve Quarterly Drop via Register.UW. To use your self-serve Quarterly Drop, follow the same instructions as for the Unrestricted Drop Period.

How to Use the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Process

If you have already used your self-serve Quarterly Drop, or if you know you want to drop more than one course, you will use the Adviser-Assisted Drop process.

With the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Process, you will submit a form that sends an email to your adviser(s), as well as a copy for you. You will connect with your adviser(s) to discuss what you want to do, and the adviser(s) will then communicate with the registration team on your campus to drop the classes. Submitting the form does not automatically drop your courses. You must connect and communicate with your adviser(s).

Current Quarter Drop flowchart depicting the process of submitting an adviser-assisted course drop
Current Quarter Drop workflow

Before You Begin the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Process

  • Review the tuition forfeiture policy when considering dropping — you may not get all your tuition back.
  • Decide which classes you want to drop, and get their SLNs (5-digit code) in Register.UW.
  • Review the following conditions and provisions that you must agree to as part of this process.
  • For F-1 or J-1 international students with an I-20 or DS-2019 form, your international student advising office will also receive a copy of your Adviser-Assisted Drop Request. You will work with them to get advice on the impact of your drop request on your F-1 or J-1 status.
  • For NCAA athletes, Student Athlete Advising Services will also receive a copy of your Adviser-Assisted Drop Request. You will work with them to ensure that your drop request complies with NCAA academic requirements.
  • You have the option to notify your instructors of course(s) dropped through the Current Quarter Drop-Adviser Assist process by providing your instructor’s name and email. They will receive a courtesy copy of your drop notice from your campus registration team when the course has been dropped.

Start a Late Course Drop Process

Use either of these processes to drop classes after Week 2 of the quarter.

The CQD form will open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. on designated dates for each quarter.
Current Quarter – Adviser Assisted Drop Request Form

Current Quarter Drop Conditions and Provisions

If you intend to drop courses, you must read, understand, and acknowledge the following provisions of the Current Quarter Drop policy. These provisions will be included in the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request form.

Agency
Students take full responsibility for any ramifications from choosing to drop classes.
Funding Status
Changing your registration can have a negative impact on funding status depending on the student’s personal circumstances.
Timeline
The Current Quarter Drop (self-serve Quarterly Drop via Register.UW and Adviser-Assisted Drop Request) may be used during Week 3 to the last date of instruction for the current quarter.
CQD Step 1
The student may use the self-serve Quarterly Drop for (1) one class for the current quarter via Register.UW prior to submitting a request for additional drops.
Deadline
The student must submit the request form by the established deadline in order to be considered and processed by the campus registration team by the last date of instruction of the given quarter.
Advising Discussion
When contacted, students are responsible for discussing with their academic, program, degree adviser(s) and/or advising team to proceed with the drop process.
Advising
The adviser reviewing the drop request does not decide on the ability to drop the class(es). Rather, they advise the student on academic history and make sure the student has evaluated the risks and consequences associated with dropping classes during the current quarter.
Approval to Drop
When advising steps are completed and the adviser(s) forward the request to the registration team, the student is authorizing the respective campus registration team to drop the identified classes.
Drops are Final
Classes dropped from a student’s schedule may not be reversed.
Change of Registration Fee
The $20 fee will be assessed for any Drop (and Add) processed in a given day. Students completing a complete withdrawal will not be charged the $20 Change of Registration Fee.
Tuition Refunds
The timing of when classes are dropped will determine whether different tuition refund policies will be applicable. The student is responsible for reviewing all of Student Fiscal Services’ deadlines and policies, and following the separate procedures related to the tuition refund processes.
Transcript Notation
Dropped classes will carry an annotation of RD for Registrar Drop on the academic transcript. The credits and GPA points associated with the RD dropped class(es) will not appear on the academic transcript, but the class abbreviation, class number, and the annotation RD will appear. The RD annotation cannot be removed.

Late Add & Registration

Late Add Petition

The Late Add Petition is available after the Late Add Period has ended (last day to add a course through Register.UW) and remains open through the last day of each quarter.

  • Late Add Petitions are only permitted during the quarter for which the course is offered.
  • The Late Add Petition is for UW Seattle tuition-based students.

UW Academic Calendar

Refer to the UW Academic Calendar for specific dates for registration periods, adding & dropping, and late add periods for the given quarter.

Fees

Late Adds incur a Change of Registration Fee of $20.
Late Registrations, first registration occurs during or after Registration Period III, incur a Late Registration Fee of $25 through the second week of the quarter, and $75 beginning the third week of the quarter.

Refund Petition

Students may request a refund of the Change of Registration or Late Registration fee in the event the fee was assessed due to University error. The student must first pay the fee and then submit a refund petition. Petition refunds are rarely approved.

Petition for Registration Fee Refund UW NetID – Students only

Late Add Petition Process

The student and instructor must complete the Late Add Petition when:

  • Late Add Period Ended: The student can no longer add a course through Register.UW;
  • Late Add: It is determined that an additional course is needed, or;
  • Late Registration: A student must register for the first time for the current quarter.
Late Add Petition Steps

The Student completes and submits the Late Add Petition. The student should allow enough time for the instructor to review and forward the request to the Registration Team before the last day of the quarter.

Information provided by the student:

  • Student: Name, UW NetID, ID Number, @uw.edu email
  • *Course: SLN, Abbreviation, Number, Section
  • *Code: Add Code, Entry Code, or Faculty Code
  • **Instructor: Name, @uw.edu email
  • Explanation: Reason for late add
  • Consent: To registration changes, associated change fees, tuition charges

The Late Add Petition is forwarded to the instructor for review. The instructor has through the last day of the quarter to review and forward the request to the Registration Team.

  • Review: Correct SLN, Add Code, Reason for the Late Add Petition.
  • Approval: If approved, forwards the email to the Registration Team affirming they are the Instructor of Record for the course, and they approve the Late Add Petition.
  • Denial: If denied, the instructor should notify the student directly.

  • Registration: The OUR Registration Team will verify add codes and the Instructor of Record before processing the Late Add Petition.
  • Notification: Both the student and instructor will be notified if the Registration Team is not able to process the Late Add Petition.

After the course has been added, the student should review their tuition balance.

Late Add Petition Form

The form opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. on designated dates for each quarter. Only students may access and submit the petition.

Late Add Petition UW NetID – Students only

Past Quarter Academic History Change

A Past Quarter Academic History Change is a request to add a course to a student’s academic history after the quarter has ended. These requests must be sent by the Instructor of Record (IoR) of the course to petition@uw.edu.

  • Requests will only be approved if there was demonstrated institutional error that prevented the student from being registered during the quarter.
  • Students who fail to register, even if they were added to Canvas for the course, will not be approved for a Past Quarter Academic History Change.