Withdrawal from the University

Students who wish to withdraw voluntarily from the University must complete and submit the online withdrawal form, available at lesley.edu/forms/loa. The student will log into the Dynamic form using their Lesley credentials. Before withdrawing, a student must speak with their academic advisor and be cleared by Student Financial Services.  The student will discuss the impact of the withdrawal and any possible consequences for loan repayment and financial aid. A resident student is expected to vacate their room within 48 hours of the effective date of withdrawal. A resident student must contact the Office of Residence Life at reslife@lesley.edu to make an appointment to complete the checkout procedure.      

Students may not withdraw from a standard 15-week course during the last three weeks of the semester. Students may not withdraw from an 8-week term-based course during the last two weeks of the term. A withdrawal for any semester/term will be granted only through the last day to drop with a "W" grade for that semester/term. Requests after that date will be considered for the following semester/term. The policy regarding incomplete grades remains in effect regardless of the withdrawal status.

A withdrawal will not be finalized until processed by the Office of the University Registrar. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the university in advance if they plan to apply for a withdrawal. Non-attendance does not constitute an official withdrawal; students will be held responsible for all related tuition and fees. See refund policy.

University policy does not allow retroactive withdrawals or refunds.

Students seeking a leave of absence or withdrawal after the deadline to drop with a "W" grade for a standard 15-week or 8-week term may be eligible to appeal if they encounter serious or unavoidable circumstances. Examples of such circumstances include verifiable cases of illness, death or serious illness in the family, significant accidents, or other grave situations beyond the student's control. Students may be required to provide documentation of their circumstances. The Office of the University Registrar along with other administrative offices will review and determine the outcome of the appeal. Students should submit the appeal to the Registrar’s Office via the Support Hub at support.lesley.edu.

Refund of Charges Due to Dropped Courses

If a student drops a course prior to the end of the add/drop period for any given semester or term, course-associated charges such as tuition and fees for that course will be refunded in full and there will be no impact to the student’s transcript.

If a student drops the course after the end of the add/drop period, the student is financially responsible for the entire semester/term of tuition and fee charges for the course. This applies to all courses including residencies, weekend intensives, short courses, conferences, and travel study. The course will remain on the student’s transcript and the student will receive a grade of “W”.

Non-attendance does not satisfy the requirement for withdrawal and students who do not attend courses and do not withdraw/drop will be charged in full for course tuition and fees.

University policy does not allow retroactive withdrawals or refunds.

Refund of Charges for Withdrawal from the University

Students who wish to withdraw voluntarily from the University must obtain and complete an online Withdrawal Form to remain in good standing with the University and receive any appropriate refunds.

If a student withdraws or is withdrawn from all courses by the University for non-attendance early in the semester, an adjustment of institutional charges may be made to the student’s account in accordance with the appropriate policy described in the following section.

Students who are suspended or dismissed from the University or residence halls for any reason will receive no adjustment of charges.

In most cases in which the student received financial aid, any credit applied to the account will go to repay financial aid received and no money will go to the student or parent. Unpaid charges remaining on the account after all required adjustments are still owed to the university.

Students who withdraw from all classes after the add/drop period will be eligible for a reduction of tuition, room, and meal plan charges in accordance with the following schedule based on the date the student officially withdraws from the College. This includes students who withdraw for medical reasons.

Students are eligible for a 100% refund of all tuition, fees, housing, and meal plan charges if they withdraw prior to the end of the add/drop period except for tuition deposits and housing deposits.