Dear University of Washington students,
Welcome to Autumn 2026. This guide contains information about adding, dropping, or withdrawing from your courses. You may not need these instructions right now, so bookmark this page for future reference.
Registration Changes
We strongly encourage you to consult with your adviser or team before making any of the following changes.
ACCESS Program
ACCESS students must make any registration changes through the corresponding campus registration team.
Registration Change Fee
A $20 Change of Registration fee is assessed to any add, drop, or change transactions. Use the UW Academic Calendar to identify when this applies.
Forms and Transactions
- All Office of the University Registrar (OUR) electronic forms open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. on designated dates, unless stated otherwise.
- All Register.UW registration transactions, after the start of the quarter, open at midnight and close at 11:59 p.m., unless stated otherwise.
- All times listed are Pacific Time.
UW Academic Calendar 2026—2027
Review the University of Washington 2026–2027 UW Academic Calendar, especially the “Adding/ Dropping Courses or Complete Withdrawal” section, for Autumn 2026 deadlines.
Religious Accommodation
The University policy reasonably accommodates students’ religious observances. Learn more about the Religious Accommodations Policy or submit a request.
Autumn 2026 Deadline: Friday, October 9 at 5 p.m.
Time Conflicts
Students who register for two classes with overlapping meeting times are responsible for meeting all exam and instructor requirements for both courses.
Drop Courses From Your Schedule
Review the tuition forfeiture policy dropping a course; your refund amount depends on when you drop.
| Period | Fee | Transcript | Drops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through Oct 6 End of Week 1 |
No fee charged | Course drops do not appear on your transcript | Add and drop courses freely using Register.UW. Withdrawal: Students who drop all their courses will have a withdrawal statement and the date of withdrawal posted to their transcript. |
| Oct 7-13 Week 2 Unrestricted Drop Period |
$20 fee charged | Course drops do not appear on your transcript | You may continue to add and drop courses using Register.UW, but you will be charged a $20 Change of Registration fee for all registration changes processed in a single day. Withdrawal: Students who drop all their courses will have a withdrawal statement and the date of withdrawal posted to their transcript. |
| Oct 14-Dec 11 Week 3—Last Day of Instruction Late Course Drop Period |
$20 fee charged | Course drops appear on your transcript | You may drop one course yourself via Register.UW using the self-serve Quarterly Drop. To drop multiple classes or an additional class, if you already used your Quarterly Drop, use the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Form. Consult with your adviser, who must meet with you to discuss your schedule changes before your campus registration team completes the request.
Additionally: Students whose enrollment depends on maintaining full-time status, including NCAA athletes and F-1/J-1 international students, may not be able to use the self-serve Quarterly Drop. In these cases, use the Adviser-Assisted Drop.
|
Registrar Drop (RD) Transcript Notation
Dropping courses after the third week will result in an RD reflected on a student’s transcript.
Withdraw Completely from the Quarter
| Period | Fee | Transcript | Drops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14-Dec 11 Week 3—Last Day of Instruction |
No fee charged | Course drops appear on your transcript | To withdraw from all your courses, submit the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Form. Full withdrawals are not allowed after the last day of instruction. Each dropped course will show an RD on your transcript, along with a withdrawal statement and date. Contact Student Fiscal Services for tuition questions. |
S/NS Grading
Use the S/NS Grading Option Change Process by the last day of the quarter to set your eligible classes to S/NS or numeric grading.
Important! Exercise caution when choosing S/NS. The petition allowing eligible undergraduates to revert to numeric grading after the quarter is under review and may be discontinued.
Marking a course as S/NS indicates any requirement it fulfilled still must be completed later to graduate. Use S/NS grading sparingly. Petitions to switch from S/NS to numeric grading are granted only in limited cases. After finals week, graduate students cannot change an S/NS grade to a numeric grade, per scholastic regulation 110, 1.B section 5.
The $20 Change of Registration fee is charged each time you request a grading option change. If paying this fee causes a hardship, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.
S/NS Grading Deadlines
Deadline: December 18
Drop Courses from a Previous Quarter
The Former Quarter Drop (FQD) option allows students to request dropping past-quarter courses due to uncontrollable extenuating circumstances that prevented use of the current quarter drop process. The submission deadline is one year. If approved, an RD will appear on the transcript for these courses.
Review the policy and eligibility requirements to see if this process fits your situation. Consider consulting an adviser for guidance or questions during the FQD process.
Registration Tampering Abuse Policy: Don’t buy, sell, trade, or hold spots in classes!
Pronouns
The University of Washington is dedicated to welcoming everyone as their authentic self. Find more resources and key information at Pronouns at the UW.
Manage Your Name Types
The University allows students to supply various name types for their records. Review the options and learn how to manage your name.
New Student Definition Under FERPA
The Washington Administrative Code WAC 478-140-015 has been updated to reflect a new definition of a student under FERPA as any person who is or has been in attendance at the University of Washington for at least one day of an academic program or work-study position, and with respect to whom the university maintains education records.
Volunteer Readers Needed
Join UW Libraries for the annual 2026 Constitutional Read-Aloud, a UW tradition celebrating the US Constitution! Students can sign up to read a one-minute section, either individually or with a group. Read alongside special guest speakers, UW leaders, and community members as we reflect on the rights and freedoms that shape our democracy.
Please contact your corresponding campus registration team with any questions regarding registration.
Sincerely,
Helen B. Garrett, Ed.D., University Registrar
University of Washington — regoff@uw.edu
Andrea Coker-Anderson, MPA, Registrar
University of Washington Tacoma — reguwt@uw.edu
Pamela H. Lundquist, M.Ed., Registrar
University of Washington Bothell — uwbreg@uw.edu