Drops, Withdrawals & Refunds

The information below is for noncredit students in UWPCE certificate programs, specializations and courses.

Credit students: See Credit Student Registration & Policies.

Dropping a Course

You can drop a course through the UW Continuum College student portal. Go to the My Enrollment History page and click Request Drop. The last day for a refund is two days before the start of class

If you fail to attend class, or only tell the instructor that you want to drop, you have not officially dropped your course. Unless you officially request to drop, an unsuccessful completion (USC) will be entered on your UWPCE official record. You'll also be responsible for any outstanding fees.

If you're thinking about dropping a course, our Enrollment Services team is available to discuss your options with you. Email us at enroll@pce.uw.edu.

Withdrawing From a Certificate or Specialization

If you’re considering completely withdrawing from a certificate program or specialization, we encourage you to email the Enrollment Services team at enroll@pce.uw.edu to discuss your options. You may be able to defer to the following program offering and complete the program provided you meet an approved set of deferral criteria.

If you withdraw from a program and return to it later, you don't need to repeat courses you've successfully completed, provided you return within two years of your initial certificate start date, and the curriculum of the program hasn't been substantially revised.

Refund Policies & Deadlines

Refund policies and deadlines vary depending on the course type and also the quarter of the course. Refund policies for most programs are changing in Autumn Quarter 2026.

Through Summer Quarter 2026

Certificate, Specialization & Single Courses

To receive a full refund, minus the nonrefundable registration fee, you must drop the course no later than one calendar day before the first class.
To receive a 75% refund, minus the registration fee, you must drop the course within eight calendar days of the first class. There are no refunds after this date.

Starting Autumn Quarter 2026

Noncredit Certificate, Specialization & Single Courses

To receive a full refund, minus the nonrefundable application and/or registration fees, you must drop the course no later than two calendar days before the first class.

Petitions for Hardship Withdrawal

Hardship Withdrawal

If you can’t complete a noncredit course because of extenuating circumstances beyond your control, and the drop deadline has passed, you may petition for hardship withdrawal. If hardship withdrawal is approved, you’ll get a W for the course on your UWPCE official record. To inquire about hardship withdrawal, contact Registration Services at c2reg@uw.edu. See criteria and required documentation below.

How to Submit a Hardship Withdrawal

1. Make sure you review the criteria for different types of petition requests in the table below.

Some examples of reasons or scenarios that don’t qualify for a petition request and won’t be approved include:

Misunderstanding refund deadlines or not reading transaction summary or welcome email, unsubstantiated phone conversations with UW personnel
Request for proportional refund based on the number of days attended (regardless of reason or documentation)
Dissatisfaction with course content, instructor or cohort-mates

2. Prepare a petition request that specifies what kind of hardship withdrawal you're requesting (drop/withdrawal only, drop/withdrawal and refund) and explains why you believe an exception should be made.

3. Include required documentation for your type of request from the table below.

4. Submit your petition request, along with supporting documentation, by email to c2reg@uw.edu or by fax to 206-685-9359.

You should initiate your petition request within four weeks of the onset of hardship or explain in your request why you couldn’t do so.

Documentation Requirements

Below are documentation requirements for different types of hardship petition requests.

All documentation must be in English. Documents not originally written in English must be translated by an accredited translator or a third-party professional, and you must include the translator’s contact information.

For documentation from a health care provider or employer, documentation may be verified directly with the provider by the petition committee.

Type	Criteria	Required Documentation
Disability/illness	Severe or long illness of the student or immediate dependent	Completed health care provider form. If the student is caring for a dependent, the documentation must clearly identify the student as the primary caretaker.
Job	Layoff or employer-initiated change in workload, travel or schedule	Email or letter from the student’s employer on company letterhead that includes the description of the job change, the date the student was notified of it, the impact of the change to the student’s ability to complete their course, and the manager's or HR department's contact information.
Death	Death of the student or member of the immediate family (parent, spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, grandparent)	Documentation of the death and the petitioner’s relationship to the deceased, such as a death certificate, a remembrance from a memorial service or a funeral notice.
University error	University error such as student being incorrectly advised by UW representative, instructor change mid-quarter or prolonged technology failure	Statement explaining how the UW was in error and any documentation that supports the case, such as timely communication with a UW representative and/or instructor about the concern.
Military duty	The student’s call to active military duty after the course began	Military orders showing when the student was notified and the effective date of deployment.
Other	Any other extenuating circumstances where the student has a well-documented and reasonable justification for submitting the petition	Any documentation that supports the student’s reasonable justification.