Sometimes, after the semester has started, students wish to change their schedules by dropping or adding courses. This can be done during the drop/add period. After the drop/add period is over, students may withdraw from a course until a week after midterm. Dropping and adding courses provides flexibility in scheduling, and withdrawing enables students to leave a course they do not wish to finish.

There are significant differences between dropping a class and withdrawing from it, however. Students should understand the implications and possible effects of dropping or withdrawing from a course before they actually do it.  

Adding Courses

In general, full semester courses may be added up to 7 class days after registration. Specific dates are listed in the College Catalog and Semester Class Schedule. Classes should be added as early as possible, because adding a class after it has met for more than one or two sessions puts the student at a disadvantage. Adding a MWF class after three class sessions means the student has missed a week of class. It's never a good idea to start a class scrambling to do make up work.

The initial class meetings are particularly important. Class expectations are explained and often the class members and instructor get to know a little about each other during the first class or two. Adding a class at the end of the drop/add period can leave a student feeling out of it as far as the class goes. This isn't to say students shouldn't add classes, but they should try to add them as quickly as possible.

Dropping Courses

Courses may be dropped until 7 days after registration. Keep in mind that dropping a course may affect financial aid, full-time status, athletic eligibility, or program of study.   

If a student stops going to class after a few class sessions, the student needs to drop the class by filling out the appropriate form. Neither the instructor nor the college can do it for the student. The student must do it. The same goes for a class that a student registers for but never attends. The student must drop the class, or it stays on the student's transcript and the student receives an F for it.  This is another reason a student should check his or her schedule on WebAdvisor.  Sometimes students think they have dropped a class when in fact they have not submitted the proper paperwork.

Withdrawing from Courses

Students may withdraw from a course until five class days after midterm. Again, specific dates are listed in the College Catalog and Semester Class Schedule. Students have a much longer period of time to withdraw from a course than to drop it, but there's a catch here. If students withdraw from a course it's much too late to add a course to replace it, unless it is replaced with a second-half of the semester short course. Also, when a student withdraws from a course, the course remains on the transcript with a W (for Withdrawal) beside it.

Students sometimes choose to withdraw from a class rather than risk earning a bad grade in it. The same drawbacks of dropping a class also apply here. Students should keep in mind that a course can be retaken and the higher grade will stand.

Drop/Add forms may be picked up at the Enrollment Services office.