Withdrawing from a Course

Drop: Students may drop courses from their class schedules and/or add other courses through the "Last Day to Drop and Have Fees Adjusted" deadline published in the online Academic Calendar. This drop deadline is near the beginning of a part of term. If a student drops a course, the course will not be included on the transcript and the student will receive a refund of applicable tuition and fees paid for the course.

Withdrawal: Students may withdraw from courses during the semester per State Board Rule 6A-14.0301 following the established procedures explained on this page and by the deadline to "Withdraw with a Grade of W," which is published in the online Academic Calendar.

• When students withdraw from a course, the course will be included on the transcript as a course attempt with a final grade of 'W'. While 'W's do not count toward a student's Eastern Florida GPA, they do count as course attempts.
• Students who withdraw from a course are still responsible for tuition and fees for the course. The student will not receive a refund of tuition and is responsible for all associated course fees and the withdrawal could impact financial aid or require aid repayment.
• Students may not officially withdraw from a course taken for the third time; they must receive a grade for the third attempt, a rule which has been in effect since 1997. The online system will allow the withdrawal, but the student will receive an email notifying them they will receive a final grade of "F" for that course.
• Review the additional potential financial and academic consequences and guidelines below before proceeding with a course withdrawal request.
• Exceptions to all the guidelines associated with a course withdrawal and exemptions from full-cost tuition for repeated course attempts must be petitioned through the Academic Chair for the course discipline in question using the College's Academic Appeals process.

How to submit a request for withdrawal

Requests for course withdrawal must be submitted on or before 11:59 PM on the withdrawal deadline for part of term as published in the online Academic Calendar.

1. If you have no registration holds, you can submit your request online. This is the quickest, easiest way to withdraw. Visit  the "How to Withdraw Online" web page for this process.
2. If you are unable to withdraw online, you must use the COURSE WITHDRAWAL FORM (see link at the bottom of the page). Legibly complete the form, obtain all necessary signatures, sign, date, and submit the form by the published withdrawal date using the following procedures:  
   1. In person at any campus Advising Department
   2. Via the online Student Document Dropbox: log in to myEFSC and in the Dropbox section, select Advising from the "Send to" dropdown, and upload the completed, scanned form
   3. Via email to grades@easternflorida.edu (legible copy of photo ID required with the completed, scanned form)
   4. Via fax to 321-433-7172 (legible copy of photo ID required with the completed, scanned form)
   5. Via U.S. Mail to Office of the Registrar, EFSC Cocoa Campus, Bldg. 2, Rm 202, 1519 Clearlake Rd, Cocoa, FL 32922 (legible copy of photo ID required with the completed form)
   6. Incomplete or non-legible forms will not be accepted for processing and students may not drop a course by phone.
   7. Dual enrolled students must complete the DUAL ENROLLMENT/EARLY ADMISSION COURSE WITHDRAWAL FORM, available online (see link at the bottom of this page).

BEFORE YOU WITHDRAW FROM A COURSE, you should be aware that course withdrawals:

• Will increase the cost of your education
• May affect your financial aid status, including the requirement to repay a portion of federal aid.
• May affect your veteran's educational benefits, including the requirement to repay VA tuition payments
• May affect your transfer grade point average. Some transfer institutions have different rules for transferring withdrawals.
• May result in your having to pay, per State statute, the full cost tuition to retake the course
• May affect your anticipated graduation date
• May result in your being denied admission to limited access programs
• May affect your immigration status if you are attending EFSC on a non-immigrant visa
• Will result in your required repayment of course fees paid by a Bright Futures scholarship
• May affect your time status for enrollment verifications, such as insurance or loan deferment

Because of these consequences, please consider:

• Talking with your professor to discuss your progress in the course.
• Visiting a Student Advisor to discuss how a withdrawal will affect your career and education plans.
• Contact your campus Financial Aid Office or Military & Veterans Service Center to review the status of your financial aid and/or veteran's benefits.

Withdrawing from a First or Second Attempt in a Course

On or Before the Withdrawal Deadline: During a first or second attempt in the same course at EFSC, if you withdraw, you will receive a final grade of ‘W’ - Withdrawn and the withdrawal will count as an attempt at that course. You will not receive credit for the course, and the ‘W’ will not be calculated in your grade point average at EFSC; however, the enrollment will count in your total attempts in the specific course. Please note that federal financial aid will only pay for ONE repetition of a previously passed course.

After the Withdrawal Deadline: A student is not permitted to withdraw after the withdrawal deadline. Students with documented, extenuating circumstances may submit an appeal following the student appeals process for consideration of a late withdrawal. The student must submit the completed COURSE WITHDRAWAL PDF FORM (link at the bottom of this page) and STUDENT APPEAL FORM (link on the appeals process page), and supporting documentation. Appeals will not be accepted during the final week of class.

Withdrawing from a Third Attempt in a Course

Per Florida statute, you may have only three attempts per course at EFSC, including the original grade, repeat grades, and withdrawals. Upon the third attempt, you will be charged full cost tuition; you will receive a letter grade; you cannot withdraw from the course.

Please note: the online withdrawal process will allow the student to withdraw from a third attempt. However, students will receive an email in their student account notifying them that they will receive a final grade of “F” in the course.

Total Withdrawal from the College

Students who completely withdraw from all EFSC courses will be flagged with an enrollment status of Total Withdrawal. This may affect financial aid and tuition and fees owed to the College.

Please note: Passing some of your courses may be a better alternative than total withdrawal. Before you file the withdrawal form, it is advisable to speak with a Student Advisor to explore your options and receive important information.

What to do when you are ready to return: To reinstate to the college within one year, student must see a Student Advisor to have their status changed. Students who do not complete a course for three consecutive terms or more will be inactivated and must complete the online Admissions Application for readmission and provide updated documentation.

Administrative Withdrawal or Withdrawal for Non-Attendance

Regular class participation is required at Eastern Florida State College. Students are expected to attend all classes and actively participate and complete all assigned course work for all courses for which they are registered. In order to obtain credit for a course, a student must demonstrate continued academic participation as defined in the Satisfactory Academic Participation definition and earn an overall passing score on assignments used to meet the competencies of the course. Students may elect to withdraw from a course by the published withdrawal deadline, but they will not be withdrawn by their instructor outside of Census Reporting or the Disruptive Student Behavior policy. 

Students may receive a failing grade based on lack of satisfactory academic participation as outlined in the Satisfactory Academic Participation definition. If a student fails based on that definition, they may continue to submit assignments and receive feedback until the conclusion of the course; however, no grades will be assigned to those assignments. 

Students who are reported as never attending or participating based on the Satisfactory Academic Participation definition during the Census reporting period will be withdrawn from the class by the Office of the Registrar. Financial Aid and Veterans benefits will be adjusted or rescinded accordingly.

Additionally, a student may be administratively withdrawn without permission for non-compliance with Florida statutes and rules or EFSC policies and procedures related to student behavior and conduct. An administrative withdrawal from a course will result in a final grade of “W” if it is the student’s first or second attempt at the course; all other attempts will result in a grade of F.

Reinstatement into a Class

If a student has been withdrawn in error, or wants to rescind their withdrawals, the student must obtain permission from the instructor. The instructor must email censusreporting@easternflorida.edu to authorize the student’s reinstatement.

What Happens after Student is Withdrawn?

• The student will receive a notice of the withdrawal in their EFSC student email.
• If the withdrawal cannot be processed the student will receive a notice of the issue sent to their EFSC student email.
• The student may no longer attend or participate in the class. Students who are withdrawn from online courses will have their access to the Canvas classroom blocked.

If you have read the above information and will continue the course withdrawal process, click one of the links below.