Course Adds, Drops & Withdrawals
New Deadlines as of Fall 2018
Changes to the course drop and withdrawal deadlines were implemented beginning with the fall 2018 semester. There were no changes to the add and pass/no pass deadlines. Students taking undergraduate and master's courses will have six (6) weeks to drop a course and ten (10) weeks to withdraw from a course. Exact add, drop and withdrawal dates may be found on the official Academic Calendar. Up until the deadlines, students can initiate course adds and drops through Student Information Online (SIO). Courses dropped by the deadline will not appear on the student's record, and courses withdrawn from by the deadline will receive a 'W' grade. Additionally, a voucher process has been implemented for late drops (see Late Course Drops & Vouchers).
It is expected that students who are full-time after the add period retain full-time status (36 units) unless there are extenuating circumstances. In order to drop below full-time, students should meet with their advisor and associate dean. Students cannot use vouchers to drop below full-time status.
Please note that there is no change to doctoral course-section drop or withdrawal deadlines; these courses follow a separate Academic Calendar (pdf).
Late Course Adds
Students wishing to add a course after the add deadline must obtain academic advisor approval, and complete and submit a Course Add, Switch Section or Change Units Request (pdf) form.
Late Course Drops & Vouchers
A late drop voucher system was implemented beginning with the fall 2018 semester to permit a limited number of late course drops. Undergraduate students are permitted three drop vouchers over the course of their undergraduate career and may use only one voucher per semester (including summer). Master's students are permitted one drop voucher per year of study and may use only one voucher per semester (including summer). PhD students are exempt from the voucher process. Courses dropped using a voucher will be removed from the student's record, as long as the drop is confirmed in SIO by the student within 24 hours of receiving the automated voucher email (refer to instructions below). Students may use drop vouchers up until the last day of classes each semester.
Voucher Instructions:
- A student wishing to drop a course after the deadline must first consult with their academic advisor. It is important to note that vouchers are not intended to be used for exceptional or extenuating circumstances; additionally, drop vouchers cannot be used to drop below full-time status (36 units).
- After consultation, the academic advisor will initiate a drop voucher request in S3 (the student information system).
- After the request is initiated by the advisor, the student will receive an automated email requesting that they confirm the voucher information is correct within SIO (by selecting 'Official Schedule' under the 'Registration' tab, and clicking 'Confirm Drop'). The student will have 24 hours to confirm the drop; otherwise, the course will remain on their record.
Late Course Withdrawals
Students wishing to withdraw from a course after the deadline must obtain approval from their academic advisor, and complete and submit a Course Withdrawal Request (pdf) form.