A full hardship withdrawal is defined as withdrawing from all courses for the semester of concern. Submit your application full withdrawal application. 

A partial withdrawal is defined as withdrawing from one or more classes, but not all classes. They are granted under exceptional circumstances. Academic difficulty of your selected course(s) will not be considered. Examples of academic difficulty include, but are not limited to: frequency of assignments, class attendance requirements, not meeting deadlines, etc.

To qualify, you must demonstrate how your hardship is affecting only the class(es) you are petitioning. (For example: you took yoga, broke your collarbone mid-semester, and need to withdraw from that one course).

Students are highly encouraged to exhaust the following options before submitting a partial request:

• Grade Forgiveness

• withdrawing before the WF Period

• talking to your professor about alternative options

Students cannot change the type of withdrawal they are requesting after petition decisions are made. Submit the partial withdrawal application. 

Students may ask their healthcare providers to submit documentation on their behalf. Healthcare notes must be sent directly from providers. Students are advised to obtain copy of the letters that are sent to the Office of the Dean of Students to ensure the provider met the criteria listed below.

Clinicians should provide a treatment summary letter (NOT an entire medical record), which must include the following:

1. Signed authorization request from the student. 
2. Provider's name (if off-campus: state license #)
3. Diagnosis (including date of original diagnosis and/or time of symptom onset)
4. Type of service(s) provided
5. Specific dates of services
6. Medication (if applicable)
7. History of Presenting Problem including detailed information regarding symptoms during the semester of concern.
   • Did the issue affect academic performance?
   • Was there an acute exacerbation of symptoms?
   • Was the condition, illness, or injury life-threatening?
   • Was there an impairment in functioning?

On Campus Providers: please consult with your Medical Records department for submission guidelines. 

Off Campus Providers: please fax your patient's documentation to 803-576-6775 or email it to withdrawal@sc.edu

It is the student’s responsibility to notify providers of the expectation(s) for both submitting their letter and the petition deadline, as committee members do not reach out to providers. All documentation is subject to verification by the University of South Carolina, including but not limited to class attendance, class participation, or supporting documentation. If false documentation or misrepresented information is submitted, students will be referred for alleged violation of the USC Honor Code and the Hardship Withdrawal request will be denied.

Acceptable Documentation for Withdrawal due to Extenuating Circumstances include: 

• Verification that the student communicated with professors to discuss options before petition.
• Legal paperwork (e.g. police report, attorney, etc.)
• Death certificate or obituary notice from newspaper or from funeral home. Ceremony programs
• Verification letters from appropriate campus partners (e.g. Student Disability Resource Center)
• Letters from employers, rental agents, or other business/university officials on letterhead

All documentation is subject to verification by the University of South Carolina, including but not limited to class attendance, class participation, or supporting documentation. If false documentation or misrepresented information is submitted, students will be referred for alleged violation of the USC Honor Code and the Hardship Withdrawal request will be denied.

The Office of the Dean of Students is governed by FERPA’s consent and confidentiality practices.  FERPA (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of students’ “education records.” Accordingly, any medical records provided by a student to this office in the course of a hardship withdrawal will be treated as education records under FERPA.  Similarly, any medical documents provided to the Office of the Dean of Students by your healthcare provider pursuant to a valid HIPAA authorization will be subject to FERPA’s consent and confidentiality practices.