What makes a strong personal statement?

Once completed, your personal statement should thoroughly answer the following questions. The online petition form provides questions that will help guide you as you write your statement.

  • The first sentence of your petition should say: “I am submitting a retroactive withdrawal petition for _______ semester.”
    For example: “I am petitioning to withdraw from the Fall 2017 semester”
     
  • Explain in the most specific way possible how the term began, how it progressed, and how your circumstances affected your academic performance.
    If you are petitioning to withdraw from an individual semester, be extremely specific about why your problems only affected that specific semester.
     
  • What happened at that time that made it difficult for you to keep up with your attendance or coursework?
    For example: “Because of my father’s death in January 2017, I began to suffer from severe depression and couldn’t get out of bed to go to class or complete my homework”
     
  • What documents do you have that would support your situation?
    For example: “I worked with a therapist from Wardenburg and have included her letter supporting my diagnosis and treatment and the effect it had on my classwork”
     
  • Your plans for the future.
    What tools have you learned that will allow you to succeed going forward/what will you do differently so you will be successful?
How often are petitions approved?

Retroactive Withdrawals are an official change of record, therefore petitions are infrequently approved and only done so for extreme extenuating circumstance that prevented the student from withdrawing during the semester. Speak with your academic advisor or academic coach to learn all options available to you when deciding if this process is right for you.

What happens if my petition is approved?

If your petition is approved, you will be fully withdrawn from the requested term(s).

  • Earned grades will be replaced with withdrawals (W) and your GPA will change to reflect this.
    • This final processing through the Office of the Registrar can take one to two weeks after you receive a notification.
    • If an approved retroactive withdrawal changes your academic standing, please note that changes to your record cannot be made by your college until the withdrawal has been processed by the Registrar’s Office and W appears in place of the earned grades on your record
       
  • Tuition Disputes are a separate process completed through the Bursar's Office. If approved for a Retroactive Withdrawal you can use your official approval letter as documentation for a tuition dispute.
Will my courses be expunged from my transcript?

The term approved for a retroactive withdrawal will have their grades officially changed to a "W" grade. These "W"' grades will appear on your official transcript. The retroactive withdrawal process does not offer expungement of courses from student records.

Will I be reimbursed tuition for my semester(s) if approved?

Tuition reimbursement is not automatic. Students who received an approval have the option to pursue a Tuition Dispute Form through the Office of the Bursar. The official retroactive withdrawal approval letter must be included as documentation.

All tuition disputes are handled through the Office of the Bursar and are separate from the Retroactive Withdrawal and Office of Undergraduate Education.

What happens if my petition is denied?

As a retroactive withdrawal petition request is an appeal of University procedure regarding withdrawal deadlines, all decisions are final and requests for the same semester will not be reviewed in the future. Once the official decision has been reached by the committee students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss their options moving forward.

The grade replacement policy remains a helpful avenue for eligible coursework. Students can work with academic advisors, in conjunction with the Deans of each college, to explore any other options that may be available. 

Who do I contact if I have questions about my petition?

The official means of communication for the Retroactive Withdrawal Petition process is via email at retrow@colorado.edu. 

My documentation is in a language other than English, will it still be accepted?

The retroactive withdrawal committee will accept any documentation but unfortunately does not have access to translations. For documentation to be strongest, it is recommended for the student to have it translated by a University department, instructor, or other verified source. 

The original document and translation should both be uploaded as documentation for the committee to review.

My petition was just approved, why haven't my semester(s) been withdrawn yet?

The final processing of withdrawing is completed through the Office of the Registrar and can take one to two weeks after you receive notification. You will not be notified when this occurs so please be patient and make sure to check Buff Portal.

I forgot to withdraw but never attended my classes, can I retroactively withdraw?

Retroactive withdrawal petitions are accepted only in the case of extenuating circumstances such as health problems (mental or physical), a family emergency (such as a death in the family) and unexpected financial difficulties (such as a parent losing their job). 

Failure to verify a class schedule or confirm whether an enrollment action was processed as sole reasoning for a petition will not be considered.

My petition was denied, can I find out why?

The committee does an extremely thorough and holistic review of each petition, which includes any information available to them outside of the documentation and statement provided. No approval is ever guaranteed. 

The committee process is a completely confidential one for the students we are serving and for the committee members themselves. Due to this, in-depth information regarding the committee's deliberation or context regarding the decision will not be shared. 

A retroactive withdrawal request that has be denied does not imply that a student was not going through challenging circumstances as approvals are rare. 

What information does the committee consider in the decision-making process?

In addition to the information/documentation a student provides, the committee considers all information and records they have available to them, which includes but is not limited to:

  • The completed petition form 
  • Academic history 
  • Information that may be available to administrators on campus (such as BuffPortal logs)
  • Demonstrated ability to follow withdrawal deadlines
  • Previous history with the retroactive withdrawal process, such as multiple petition requests citing the same circumstances
  • Exceptions that are already given to the student by the University or professors
  • The severity of the issue
  • Demonstrated academic improvement