A student who must drop one or more courses after the Unrestricted Drop Period because an emergency situation has arisen may petition for a hardship withdrawal, recorded as an HW. Petitions for hardship withdrawals are available at the Office of the Registrar, 209 Schmitz, or may be downloaded from the web. The completed petition is returned to the Registrar and is reviewed by a Registrar's committee. Petitions should be filed promptly after the occurrence of the hardship.

Hardship withdrawals are granted for documented emergencies, such as an automobile accident or a severe illness, or other unusual or extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control.

In several situations a student's attempt at registration may be blocked. If a student has a registration hold, there is a link from Web Registration where you can find out which office has placed the hold. Below are some of the more common reasons:

• 105-CREDIT RULE: You must declare a major by the time you have earned 105 credits or a hold will be placed on your registration until you either: 1) declare a major, or 2) meet with an adviser and receive a premajor extension. You will be granted a premajor extension if your adviser decides that you are pursuing a reasonable goal, are taking appropriate courses and other steps toward your intended major, and have a good chance of gaining admission to the major. The hold is placed on when 105 or more credits have been completed. Transfer students who are admitted to the University with 105 or more credits are expected to declare a major before their second quarter at the UW, or obtain an extension from an adviser. For more information, visit the Registrar's website .
• 180-CREDIT RULE: If you have not submitted a graduation application or graduated by the time you earn 180 credits, a hold will be placed on your registration until you and your department adviser submit either a graduation application or a petition outlining your plan to graduate within two quarters. In some cases, the plan must be approved by your college. For more information, visit the Registrar's website
• STUDENT ACCOUNTS: If you owe money to the UW for tuition, late registration fees, etc., your registration will usually be blocked until the situation is resolved.
• LIBRARY FINES: Return your library materials or pay the consequences!
• DEPARTMENTS: Some departments will block your registration if you have neglected to return a lab key or other equipment.
• IMMUNIZATION: All enrolled matriculated students, and all students living in UW residence halls or single-student apartments, are required to provide proof of measles (rubeola) immunity. Students will not be allowed to register for any classes until the Hall Health Primary Care Center confirms that they have satisfied this requirement.

There are two types of hyphenated courses. In some hyphenated sequences, credit and grades are not granted until the hyphenated sequence is completed; in these sequences, a grade of "N" is recorded for the first quarter. The N is erased and a grade entered in its place only upon completion of the sequence. In other hyphenated sequences, a grade is recorded for the first quarter and the student is not actually required to complete the second quarter.