Leaving and Returning to Campus

Students in good standing or on academic warning have the option of “stopping out” for a time; that is, leaving the university for one semester without initiating formal withdrawal procedures. Students who have stopped out will need to contact their advisor to begin course registration procedures. 

If students are planning on transferring to another institution, the courtesy of initiating formal withdrawal procedures from the university is appreciated, but not required; if students have registered in advance for the subsequent semester, it is their obligation to clear these course enrollments. In cases both of withdrawal and “stopping out,” students are encouraged to discuss their plans with their advisor, the assistant dean, and their parents or guardian. 

The Office of Student Financial Aid provides information concerning possible partial adjustment of tuition and fees.

A student may cancel or withdraw from a semester through the means listed in Cancellations and Withdrawals in Registration, Course Changes, and Withdrawals. A student who leaves for one semester only does not need to petition for re-admission providing they left in Good Academic Standing (assuming no special provisions). A student who returns after a one semester absence will be issued a Time Ticket informing them of their date of registration. That student should reach out to their academic advisor about registering in the next term as a hold will be on their account preventing them from doing so.

A student who wishes to return to the College of ACES after two consecutive semesters or more not enrolled must petition for re-admission to the College of ACES regardless of the circumstances in which they left. A student who has been away for two semesters or more may be asked to provide proof of coursework at a transfer institution. See the “Academic Warning” section below for more information. Official transcripts should be sent by the transfer institution directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

After the semester has begun, students who wish to withdraw from the semester should contact the College of ACES to initiate the withdrawal process. Withdrawal requests require approval from the College and, when applicable, other university officials. The effective date of the withdrawal is the date the student notifies their academic advisor or the College of their intent to withdraw. This date may affect the student's eligibility for a partial refund of tuition and fees. A student may consult the withdrawal refund schedule.

See Sections 3-312 and 3-313 for General Rules and withdrawal for Military or Other National Defense Services, respectively.

Prior to 11:59PM CST the day before the first day of instruction for a semester, a student may cancel their registration via Student Self-Service. There are three ways to cancel registration:

Via Enterprise Self-Service: Enhanced Registration allows students to drop all courses until approximately 10 days prior to the beginning of instruction. Within Classic Registration, a student can drop all but their last remaining class using the Add/Drop Classes option. The student should be provided an option to “Cancel Registration” and should follow all prompts and verifications to confirm their intent to cancel.

Via the Student Services Center: a student may initiate cancellation through the Student Services Center, but please note this must be done no later than 11:59PM CST the day prior to the first day of instruction.

Alternative methods are to submit a request to cancel registration by email to registration@illinois.edu from your Illinois email account; submit a request by letter to the Office of the Registrar at 901 West Illinois Street, Urbana, Illinois  61801; or by request in-person at the Records Service Center at 901 West Illinois Street, Urbana, Illinois. For more information on these alternative methods can be found on the Registrar website.

See Section 3-308 of the Student Code for additional information governing this policy.