blue_chameleon said:
Check with your uni.
I know that at my uni, after the census date, there is financial penalty, but you can withdraw without academic penalty right up until the exams.
Yes, that's correct at Macquarie, too. I don't know if it happens in every uni, or if it's just ours.
At Macquarie and UNCLE: If you withdraw before academic census, you have no record whatsoever of withdrawing.
If you withdraw after the census, but before the financial commitment date (29th April @ Macq.), you get a W(ithdrawal without penalty) mark.
This W is on your transcript, but it does not officially harm your GPA, internal or otherwise. I'd double check with your uni, though.
However, if you withdraw after the financial commitment date, you get a WF, a withdrawal failure. Basically, it has the same affect as a failure.