Adding, Dropping, and Withdrawals
Adding Courses: Courses may be added during the first day of any short course, two-week course, or four-week course; during the first two days of a six-week or eight-week course, and during the first four days of any course longer than eight weeks of instruction. This includes adding a course, exchanging courses, dropping courses, and transferring from one section of a course to another section. No record of such courses is made on the student’s transcript. No change in program may be made without prior approval of the student’s advisor.
Dropping Courses: Students may drop a course during the first 80% of any length course unless under a charge of academic dishonesty. (See “Fees and Costs” section.) Students who follow the prescribed procedure for dropping a course will have no grade entered on their permanent record. Those who do not follow the prescribed procedure for dropping a course will have a grade of “F” recorded on their permanent record. Students cannot drop all of the courses in which they are enrolled. This process is called "Withdrawal from the University" (see below).
If due to extraordinary reasons—beyond the control of the student—a student desires to drop a course after the deadline (late drop), he or she must petition the Dean of the Graduate School. Extraordinary reasons which may be considered include advisor error, administrative error, or documented medical reasons. Students who are granted a late drop will have a "DR" entered on the permanent record.
During the drop period, an instructor of a course may administratively drop a student from a course when the student is in non-compliance with the expectations of the course provided that: 1) the course syllabus clearly states the conditions under which an administrative drop would be initiated; and 2) the student is warned of a pending administrative drop and provided the opportunity, when possible, to remedy the situation. Reasons for such action may be poor attendance and/or sustained non-submissions of required work in the course.
Courses may not be dropped during the final exam period.
Withdrawal from the University: All students who wish to terminate their enrollment during a term should initially consult with their advisor. If, after meeting with the advisor, a student decides to withdraw from the University, the student must complete an Exit Report in the Graduate Office in the Administration Building. It is extremely important that a withdrawal be completed to ensure that proper entries are made on the academic transcript, that fee refunds are processed (See “Fees and Costs” section.) and that all University records are corrected to reflect the status of the student.
If a student cannot initiate the withdrawal process in person, he or she should write or call the Graduate Office, who will process the withdrawal from the University.
Students who wish to withdraw from the University must do so before 80% of any trimester or shorter-length term has expired. A “W” will be recorded for each class.
Students who are administratively withdrawn for non-payment of fees are prohibited from attending classes.
Students who do not follow the prescribed procedure in withdrawing from the University will have recorded on their permanent record a grade of “F” for their courses.