Dropping Courses
Changes can be made in the student's program on line beginning shortly after registration and through the first week of the semester. Drop/Add forms specific to the semester are available at the Academic Services Counter and must be used thereafter. Courses dropped before the end of the fourth week of the semester will be deleted from the transcript and the advising record. Beginning with the fifth week, and thereafter through the last day of classes, students may withdraw from a course by notifying the instructor (although the instructor's permission is not required) and submitting a Drop/Add form to the Academic Services Counter. Courses dropped after the fourth week appear on the advising record with a "grade" of W and the week in which the course was dropped, and on the transcript with a "grade" of W; the week is not specified.
Underload approval is required if the program will be comprised of fewer than 14 credits, and will not be granted for programs comprised of fewer than 12 credits. All freshmen, and sophomores through the fourth week of the fall semester, need to meet with their adviser to have the adviser "hold" lifted, or to secure their signature on a drop/add form, for every "drop" or "withdrawal" transaction. Students should be aware of the fact that dropping below 12 credits before the four-week deadline will affect all financial aid. Only students enrolled in at least 12 credits may receive University grants and scholarships. Dropping below 12 credits even after the four-week deadline may also change TAP, Pell, and loan eligibility. Students contemplating such actions should be referred to the Financial Aid Office. Varsity athletes wanting to drop below 12 credits should be referred to Athletics and Recreation, since NCAA regulations are strict on this point. Part-time students who are also UR employees using tuition benefits should check the policy at www.rochester.edu/working/benefits/tuition.html .
The deadline to drop one- or two-credit courses, whether full- or half-semester courses, is the end of the third week of the course.
For students in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, courses may be deleted through the fourth week providing the permission of the faculty adviser and associate dean are obtained. Engineering students submit their signed Drop/Add forms to the Dean's Office in Lattimore 306.
Go back to the Adviser's Handbook Index