Article 3—Academic Policies and Regulations

Part 3. Registration, Course Changes, and Withdrawal

§ 3-311 Adding and Dropping Courses

(a) Except for courses described under subsection (b), a student may add a course during the first ten instructional days and may drop a course during the first eight weeks of instruction in a semester. (See the online Class Schedule for exact dates.) A college or department may place an advising hold on a student whom they wish to see prior to adding or dropping a course.

(b) However, some instructors or departments may limit adds for specific courses before the deadline, where missing early class sessions would severely impair the student’s chances for successfully completing the course. An instructor who intends to limit adds before the deadline must secure the approval of the unit’s Executive Officer before doing so. The instructor should also announce this restriction in class or include it in the course syllabus. Where this restriction is known in advance, it should be included in the course description.

(c) When students are allowed to add a class within the designated Add period, the instructor must reasonably accommodate them in making up work they have missed. For admission to a class after the designated Add period, a student must secure the consent of the departmental representative in charge of the course who may require the student to pass an examination in the work already covered by the class or to present other satisfactory evidence of ability to proceed with the class.

(d) The following rules apply only in the undergraduate colleges and the Institute of Aviation (See § 3-509 for refund deadlines.)

(1) New courses may be added only during the first ten instructional days of a semester or the first five instructional days of an eight-week part of term.

(2) Courses, except required courses, may be dropped without academic penalty, provided that the minimum academic load required by the college is maintained, during the first eight weeks of a semester or the first four weeks of an eight-week part of term.

(3) The times for adding and dropping courses are determined proportionately in accordance with the above principles based on parts of term; the respective online Class Schedules contain the exact dates.

(4) A grade of W or F will be assigned to a course dropped after these deadline dates, based on the evaluation of the circumstances by the college in which the student is enrolled.

(5) In case of extenuating circumstances (such as illness, injury, or unusual financial pressure), a student may be permitted to drop a course without academic penalty and regardless of time if, in the judgment of the student’s college, such action is warranted.

(6) A Study Abroad student who is registered as full-time during the semester(s) abroad by a “placeholder” enrollment must maintain 12 credits or the full-time enrollment equivalent as defined by the international institution. If upon receipt of the transcript from the international institution following the Study Abroad experience, the student is found to have enrolled in or completed less than the full-time requirement, a grade of W will be recorded for the balance of credits; this grade will appear in the student’s registration record, but not on the student’s transcript.