Backdated Withdrawal Information

Backdated Withdrawal Petitions

On this Page

  1. General Information
  2. When to use a backdated withdrawal
  3. When NOT to use a backdated withdrawal
  4. Documentation Requirements
  5. Deadline to submit your petition
  6. Fee Appeals
  7. How to submit your petition
  8. Decisions
  9. Appealing the petition decision

Backdated withdrawal information

A student may petition for a Backdated Withdrawal from a course(s) or from all courses taken during a term or session if they have documentation verifying the health reasons or compassionate grounds that prevented them withdrawing from the course(s) by the withdrawal deadline.

Further details about the deadlines, documentation requirements, and other considerations are set out below. You should review all the information on this page before submitting a backdated withdrawal request to ensure it is appropriate for your circumstances. Deadlines to withdraw from a course without academic penalty are referenced in the “Undergraduate Sessional Dates” section of the Undergraduate Calendar and always available on the Important Dates page.

If you have any questions about this process, you may contact Brock Central.

When is a backdated withdrawal available?

Backdated withdrawals are intended as a mechanism to remove academic outcomes for courses from a student’s academic record if the student had compelling health or compassionate reasons which prevented them from withdrawing from the deadline. For example:

  • Health grounds:
    • The student was suffering from a serious illness or disability that seriously impacted their functioning and prevented them from withdrawing by the deadline.
    • Note: the fact that a student was experiencing an illness or disability alone is not sufficient to support a request for backdated withdrawal. Students will be required to provide documentation to establish that the nature of their illness was such that they were unable to withdraw or the nature of their disability was such that they were unable to identify that they had a disability or that they had accommodation needs.
  • Compassionate grounds:
    • The student experienced an event or circumstance beyond their control which seriously impacted their ability to withdraw by the deadline – for example, there was a documented administrative error regarding their enrolment which was only discovered after the deadline, or the student was grappling with the death of a close family member and unable to withdraw by the deadline as a result.

When are backdated withdrawals not available?

  • If the request is submitted more then 90 days after the end of examinations: backdated withdrawal petitions must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar within 90 calendar days of the last date of examinations.
    • Note: this deadline does not preclude the University from accommodating students with disabilities who have been unable to comply with the 90 day deadline due to their disability. A student who wishes to seek an accommodation on this basis should work with Student Accessibility Services to determine what form of accommodation is appropriate.
  • If the request is not supported by adequate documentation: all requests must be supported by documentation verifying the health reasons or compassionate grounds that prevented the student from withdrawing by the withdrawal deadline (see below for more information about documentation requirements).
  • If the final exam for the course has been completed.
  • If the documentation provided indicates that the student is requesting backdated withdrawal for invalid reasons, such as:
    • You are not satisfied with your grade.
    • You neglected to formally withdraw from the course(s) in question.
    • You were not aware of the deadlines.
    • You changed your major and are now working towards a major or degree that does not require this course.
    • You chose to participate in non-academic activities which restricted your time for adequately managing the course expectations.
    • You wish to obtain tuition relief (a backdated withdrawal is not a mechanism to appeal tuition charges).
    • You only wish to withdraw from one course. The University would normally expect health or compassionate reasons to apply to all courses. If you are selectively requesting to drop only one or a few of your courses, you will need to provide a compelling explanation for why your health or compassionate circumstances only affected those courses.
    • You wish to “clean up” your record for future studies or use.

A request for backdated withdrawal that falls into one of the above categories will be denied.

What documentation is required to support a backdated withdrawal petition?

A request for a backdated withdrawal must be supported by documentation verifying the health or compassionate reasons you were unable to meet the deadline to withdraw from your course(s). Acceptable documentation can potentially include one or a combination of the following:

  1. A letter from a division of Student Wellness & Accessibility Centre (ie. Student Accessibility Services, Student Health Services, Personal Counselling Services) that outlines the functional limitations that you were experiencing and verifies that the nature of your health condition or disability was such that you were unable to withdraw by the deadline.
  2. A letter from your doctor (not a prescription) or recognized health professional that outlines the functional limitations that you were experiencing and verifies that the nature of your health condition or disability was such that you were unable to withdraw by the deadline.
  3. Documentation of a significant life event beyond your control that interfered with your studies and prevented you from withdrawing by the deadline – for example, an official death certificate, published obituary notice or original note from a funeral home citing your relationship to the deceased, a copy of an airline ticket in your name that evidences that you were required to leave the University to attend to an unforeseen life event, an eviction notice and related documentation that evidences that you were attending to an urgent unforeseen living change that prevented you from withdrawing by the deadline.

A letter explaining your circumstances is not acceptable documentation.

Failure to provide any documentation will result in an automatic denial for your request.

What is the deadline for submitting a backdated withdrawal?

Backdated withdrawal petition must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar with this form within 90 calendar days of the last date of examinations. Requests submitted outside 90 calendar days will not be considered.

Requests cannot be made for courses in which the final exam (or equivalent) has been completed.

Will I get my tuition and ancillary fees refunded if my backdated withdrawal is granted?

Students granted a Backdated Withdrawal to a date that falls within the tuition withdrawal refund schedule, will have their fees automatically adjusted to align with the fee percentage on the withdrawal schedule. If the Backdated Withdrawal is granted to a date within the online registration period, the student will have their fees automatically adjusted.

All withdrawals are subject to a withdrawal charge, assessed as outlined per the University’s withdrawals and refunds policies and procedures. For more information, please see the Fee Appeal Procedure.

How do I submit a request for backdated withdrawal?

Please use the following fillable webform to petition for Backdated Withdrawal: Backdated Withdrawal Form. Read the form over carefully before submission and be sure to have the following documentation ready. We encourage students to write their written statement and scan all supporting documentation into one file for attachment. You must include the following:

  • A written statement outlining the reasons for the Backdated Withdrawal request, including the reasons you were unable to withdraw from the course(s) before the academic deadline (including any functional limitations if you have a disability or health-related reasons);
  • Clearly indicate which course(s) the backdated withdrawal is requested from;
  • Supporting documentation that directly supports the reasons you are claiming, and in accordance with the criteria noted on the form and in the Documentation section of this site.

All Backdated Withdrawal requests must be signed and dated. Typing your name into the signature line in the fillable form is deemed to be a signature for digital submission purposes.

Acceptable documentation format includes: scanned copies of original documents; documents produced with MS Word; PDF documents, and/or clear photos of documents. Again, please scan all documentation as one attachment and only submit one webform.

You will receive a confirmation e-mail upon proper submission of the webform. If you do not receive this, you have not submitted correctly. Any follow-up questions, or attachments you are looking to include but have trouble attaching, can be sent to [email protected].

When can I expect to receive the decision on my backdated withdrawal request?

Decisions are communicated to the student via their Brock email account. Generally, students should receive a reply within 30 working days.

Can I appeal the Office of the Registrar decision?

If your request for backdated withdrawal is denied, you may submit a request for appeal to the Associate Dean of your home Faculty. Requests for appeal must be submitted within 12 calendar days of the decision rendered and communicated by the Office of the Registrar to the student’s Brock email account. Further information about the appeals process can be found at: Student Senate Appeals – Office of the Registrar