Petitions | Student Fiscal Services

Tuition forfeitures are incurred only when you reduce your credits or withdraw from a course. You do not owe a tuition forfeiture until your drop or withdrawal has been processed. You are not eligible to submit a tuition forfeiture petition until the drop or withdrawal has been processed.

Petition Review

Requests to waive a tuition forfeiture are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Your petition will be reviewed once all required information and supporting documentation have been submitted. Incomplete petitions may be rejected.

Petitions are generally reviewed within three business days but may take longer if additional review is needed. You will receive the petition decision at the email address on record in MyUW.

Petitions must be submitted within one year of the quarter being petitioned. If you are submitting a petition after the one-year deadline, you must explain why you were unable to submit it within the required timeframe and provide substantive supporting documentation.

Tuition Forfeiture

Tuition forfeitures are fees that are charged when you make changes to your schedule after the add/drop period of the first 7 days of the quarter. The first forfeiture period begins on the 8th calendar day of the quarter and runs through the 30th calendar day of the quarter during Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters (Summer is the 8th-21st day). In this period, if you drop classes that result in a change of tuition cost, you will be responsible for 50% of the cost difference between what you were previously being charged and your current tuition cost, in addition to your new tuition rate. For instance, if your original bill was $5000, and then you dropped classes to a rate where your tuition is now $2500, you would owe $2500 for your new tuition and $1250 for the forfeiture (half the difference).

The second forfeiture period begins the 31st calendar day of the quarter and runs until the end of the quarter for Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters (Summer is the 22nd-last day of the quarter). In this period, if you drop classes that result in a change of tuition cost, you will be responsible for 100% of your initial tuition cost, regardless of whether you are completing some of the classes or fully withdraw.

Tuition forfeiture charges can be waived if a student has a situation that meets the specific guidelines listed below. Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting your petition.

Please select the appropriate petition:

Seattle Campus
Bothell Campus
Tacoma Campus
Continuum College/Professional & Continuing Education
Fee-based programs are managed by the department themselves. If you have questions about a forfeiture for a fee-based program, please contact your department.
For MEDEX students, please email medxsrvc@uw.edu

Forfeiture Guidelines:

Reason	Qualifications	Documentation Required
A. Disability/Illness	Illness of the student of such severity or duration that completion of the quarter is precluded	One of the following that applies specifically to the quarter requested in your petition: A completed Health Provider Verification form, or A letter from your physician on their professional letterhead which includes the date of your medical visit; the description and duration of your condition; the impact to your attendance at the University; and why it prevented you from attending. Note: Documentation may be verified directly with the provider at the discretion of the Forfeiture committee.
B. Call to active U.S. military duty	Call to active military duty after the 7th calendar day of the quarter	Your military orders showing the effective date of deployment.
C. Death	Death of the student or member of the immediate family (parent, spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, grandparent)	Documentation of both the death and your relationship to the deceased must be provided. Examples of documentation would include a death certificate, a copy of remembrance of a service, a funeral notice, etc.
D. University Error	Student incorrectly advised by UW representative	A statement explaining how the University was in error from the responsible UW personnel, either: In an email originating from the individual’s UW email address, or On official UW letterhead from the University department.
E. Other	The reason does not fall within any other guidelines and/or: New Student: This is your first quarter at the UW and the petition is being filed within the current quarter. Extenuating circumstances: The student has a well-documented and reasonable justification for submitting the petition	Any additional documentation that can be provided to support your “reasonable justification.” Note: Petitions under the guideline of "Other" for reasons besides new student require an escalation review and will require documented justification.

Reason

Qualifications

Documentation Required

A. Disability/Illness

Illness of the student of such severity or duration that
completion of the quarter is precluded

One of the following that applies specifically to the quarter requested in your petition:

A completed Health Provider Verification form, or
A letter from your physician on their professional letterhead which includes the date of your medical visit; the description and duration of your condition; the impact to your attendance at the University; and why it prevented you from attending.

Note: Documentation may be verified directly with the provider at the discretion of the Forfeiture committee.

B. Call to active U.S. military duty

Call to active military duty after the 7th calendar day
of the quarter

Your military orders showing the effective date of deployment.

C. Death

Death of the student or member of the immediate family
(parent, spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, grandparent)

Documentation of both the death and your relationship to the deceased must be provided.
Examples of documentation would include a death certificate, a copy of remembrance of a service, a funeral notice, etc.

D. University Error

Student incorrectly advised by UW representative

A statement explaining how the University was in error from the responsible UW personnel, either:

In an email originating from the individual’s UW email address, or
On official UW letterhead from the University department.

E. Other

The reason does not fall within any other guidelines and/or:

New Student: This is your first quarter at the UW and the petition is being filed within the current quarter.
Extenuating circumstances: The student has a well-documented and reasonable justification for submitting the petition

Any additional documentation that can be provided to support your “reasonable justification.”
Note: Petitions under the guideline of "Other" for reasons besides new student require an escalation review and will require documented justification.

RCW 28B.15.600