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Required to Withdraw for Academic Reasons

Students will normally be required to withdraw if they do not make adequate academic progress according to the timelines and policies set by their home graduate program and/or the Faculty of Graduate Studies. When a student is required to withdraw, the academic record will indicate "required to withdraw".

A student in any graduate program who is required to withdraw will not normally be eligible to apply for readmission to the University for at least one year. After one year, students who have been required to withdraw from a graduate program may be admitted to a different program in the Faculty of Graduate Studies provided they meet all admission requirements in effect for that program at the time they apply. Such applications must be accompanied by a statement from the graduate program which recommended withdrawal outlining the reasons for which the student was required to withdraw. Students who have been required to withdraw from a graduate program may also apply to be readmitted to the same program after at least one year has passed from the effective date of withdrawal. Compelling evidence must be presented that a more successful outcome is likely if the student is to be readmitted. All cases for readmission must be reviewed and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Students required to withdraw from a graduate program more than once are not eligible to be considered for admission to any program in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Required to Withdraw for Non-Registration

A student who fails to register and/or becomes absent without leave from their program for two or more consecutive terms will normally be withdrawn from the program. The academic record will indicate "withdrawal - did not register." Graduate programs must document that an attempt was made to contact a missing student when recommending a withdrawal for non-registration.

A student who does not complete formal withdrawal procedures will be liable for all assessed fees until such procedures are completed.

Required to Withdraw for Non-academic Reasons

The Faculty of Graduate Studies reserves the right to require a student to withdraw from a program of study if the Faculty, in consultation with the graduate program, considers the student to be unsuited to proceed with the study or practice of the chosen discipline or field of study. Request to withdraw for non-academic reasons would not prevent the student from immediately applying for entry into a different program of study.

More information

Students may wish to discontinue their programs for personal reasons, or may be required by the University to withdraw from their programs. The procedure for withdrawing a student depends on the reason for the withdrawal. Withdrawal may be processed for one of the following reasons.

Voluntary Withdrawals

A student wishing to withdraw voluntarily from the University must notify the home Graduate Program in writing in order to obtain the approval of the dean, department head or director, and the graduate advisor in the home Graduate Program.

Once the request for voluntary withdrawal is approved by the home graduate program, the graduate advisor or head must then send a completed "Voluntary Withdrawal from Graduate Program" form, along with the student's written request, to the Associate Dean, SAS, Faculty of Graduate Studies stating the reason(s) for the student's withdrawal from the program and the effective date of withdrawal. When the withdrawal is approved, the academic record will show the date of withdrawal and a standing of "W" in all courses not completed on that date.

A student who does not complete formal withdrawal procedures will be liable for all assessed fees until such procedures are completed. Retroactive withdrawal requests will not be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies unless the Graduate Program confirms in writing that the student did not attend or use any university resources as of the requested effective date of withdrawal.
The academic record will indicate "Voluntary Withdrawal".

Required to withdraw for academic reasons

A graduate student may be required to withdraw if academic progress has not been satisfactory. A Graduate Program may establish additional criteria for measuring student progress, but when this is done it is essential that:

• the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies be informed of these additional requirements
• all students, when they enter the program, be informed in writing of these additional requirements

A student must be informed in writing by the graduate advisor of unsatisfactory progress and given an opportunity to discuss the matter with the supervisory committee before any recommendation for withdrawal is made to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

A student in any graduate program who is required to withdraw will not be eligible to apply for readmission to the University of British Columbia for at least one year. After one year, students who have been required to withdraw from a graduate program may be admitted to a different program in the Faculty of Graduate Studies provided they meet all admission requirements in effect for that program at the time they apply. Such applications must be accompanied by a statement from the Graduate Program which recommended withdrawal outlining the reasons for which the student was required to withdraw. Students who have been required to withdraw from a graduate program may also apply to be readmitted to the same program after at least one year has passed from the effective date of withdrawal. Compelling evidence must be presented that a more successful outcome is likely if the student is to be readmitted. All cases for readmission must be reviewed and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Students required to withdrawal from a graduate program more than once are not eligible to be considered for admission to any program in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The academic record will indicate "Required to Withdraw".

Required to Withdraw for Non-Academic Reasons

The Faculty of Graduate Studies reserves the right to require a student to withdraw from a program of study if the Faculty, in consultation with the home graduate program, considers the student to be unsuited to proceed with the study or practice of the chosen discipline or field of study.

Required to withdraw for non-academic reasons would not prevent the student from immediately applying for entry into a different program of study.

Withdrawal for Non-Registration

Failure to register for two consecutive terms may result in the student being required to withdraw. The graduate program must first make reasonable attempts to contact the student by e-mail and regular mail. If there is no response after repeated attempts, the graduate program may recommend that the student be withdrawn. The graduate program must send copies of the written attempts to contact the student and a memo confirming the non-registration and non-attendance of the student to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The academic record will indicate "Withdrawn - Did Not Register".