Program Withdrawal and Reinstatement
Lapsed Registration
Students who fail to enroll by the add/drop deadline for a given semester and who have not been granted official leave will be withdrawn from their program. The withdrawal procedures are detailed below.
Program Withdrawal
Program withdrawal refers to the ending of a student’s enrollment in a degree program. A student is considered withdrawn from their program when the student
- Has filed a withdrawal request with the Registrar,
- Has been withdrawn by a curriculum committee,
- Has failed to enroll by the add/drop deadline without an official leave granted and has been withdrawn by the Registrar, or
- Has been withdrawn by the Administrative Board as a result of disciplinary action.
Students who are withdrawn may only rejoin HDS via the process called Reinstatement.
Degree students who provide a written request of withdrawal from a degree program to the Registrar prior to the end of a semester are given a tuition refund according to the schedule below. Regular tuition is the only charge that is reduced according to the refund schedule.
Fall 2026 Tuition Refund Schedule
| Date | Refund |
|---|---|
Before 9/19/2026 | 100% refund |
9/19/2026 through 10/2/2026 | 75% refund |
10/3/2026 through 11/6/2026 | 50% refund |
11/7/2026 and after | No refund made |
Spring 2027 Tuition Refund Schedule
| Date | Refund |
|---|---|
Before 2/13/2027 | 100% refund |
2/13/2027 through 2/25/2027 | 75% refund |
2/26/2027 through 4/5/2027 | 50% refund |
4/6/2027 and after | No refund made |
Reinstatement
A withdrawn student, whether voluntarily withdrawn or withdrawn by HDS, who later wishes to resume studies is required to submit a petition to the Registrar for review by the appropriate curriculum committee (or the Administrative Board in cases of disciplinary withdrawal) for reinstatement, or may be required to reapply to the program through the admissions process. In the case of expulsion by the faculty of HDS, a student is not allowed to apply for reinstatement. Students should contact the Registrar about the reinstatement process. Should a petition be required, it should be submitted to the Registrar and must contain a personal statement of the circumstances leading both to the withdrawal and to the desire to resume study at HDS. Withdrawn students seeking reinstatement for the fall should file such a petition by May 1; for the spring, by December 1. Students required to reapply should speak to the Office of Admissions regarding the application process. All outstanding financial obligations to the University must be met before petitioning for reinstatement or reapplying to the School. Students who withdrew or were withdrawn from HDS 10 or more years ago must reapply to HDS and restart their programs, meaning prior coursework will not be counted toward the degree.