Petitions to waive tuition forfeitures will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Your petition will be reviewed once all information is complete and required documentation has been received. Incomplete petitions may be rejected. Petitions will be reviewed within three business days. Petition decisions will be sent to your email address on record via your MyUW.
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 not $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 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 fo 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:
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) |
|
| D. University Error | Student incorrectly advised by UW representative | A statement explaining how the University was in error from the responsible UW personnel, either:
|
| E. Other | The reason does not fall within any other guidelines and/or:
| 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 a special committee review and will require documented justification. |
| F. Minor Student | Students under the age of 18 at the time of their registration who did not complete the class(es) they signed up for may disaffirm having received educational benefit from the University of Washington whether formally withdrawing, or not, from those classes. | None; please attach blank form to process. |
RCW 28B.15.600