Drop/Add Guidlines

Adding and Dropping a Course

A student may add a course through the end of the first five class days of each semester or, in the case of a short course beginning later in the semester, may add the course before the second class-meeting of the course.

The time during which a student may drop from a class with no mark of ‘W’ recorded and a full tuition refund (if appropriate) is as follows:

• Courses offered in a standard format during the fall or spring semester – intent to drop must be submitted to the college/school dean’s office or to the Office of Student Records by the end of the 10th business day after the start of the semester.
• Summer courses – intent to drop must be submitted to the college/school dean’s office or to the Office of Student Records by the end of the first business day following the first meeting of the course.
• Weekend courses - intent to drop must be submitted to the college/school dean’s office or to the Office of Student Records as follows:
  • Classes that start with an evening session: by noon the day following the first evening session.
  • Classes that start with a full day session: by the end of the first day of class.
• Online courses: the drop schedule conforms to requirements for corresponding term lengths; e.g. in courses that are scheduled in a standard semester format intent to drop must be submitted by the end of the 10th business day after the start of the semester. In classes scheduled to last for 3 to 6 weeks, intent to drop must be submitted by the end of the second business day after the class begins.

Intent to drop must be filed using the procedures specified for the type of course and term in which it is offered:

• For courses meeting during the day on campus, intent to drop a course must be filed with the college/school dean’s office or with the Office of Student Records and Academic Information by the time specified above.
• For online courses and weekend courses intent to drop may be handled in one of the following ways (the intent must be in text form):
  • Submit a notice of intent to drop to the instructor.
  • Send an email to the Office of Student Records or to the office of the dean of the college in which the course is offered.

Attendance records will be used to verify attendance dates.

Withdrawal from a Course

When a student withdraws from a class after the “no W drop date” as specified above, but before the midpoint of the semester (or midpoint of a course that meets less than a full semester), the administrative mark of “W” is officially recorded. A student may withdraw from a course after the midpoint of the semester (or the midpoint of a course that meets less than a full semester), only if the instructor or dean’s office finds extenuating circumstances that would make the assignment of the “W” appropriate. In cases of withdrawal from a course after the midpoint of the semester where extenuating circumstances were not identified, the instructor of the course will be responsible for assigning the grade earned by the student in that course.

In practice, for weekend courses, the end of the second full weekend accounts for 67% of the direct instructional time of a course. Withdrawal anytime between the start of day 2 of the first weekend and the end of day 2 of the second weekend should result in a ‘W’ on the academic record. Notices of intent to withdraw that are received after the second full weekend but prior to the third full weekend can be backdated in the system as appropriate to reflect the actual date that intent was submitted, and to meet this standard regarding aid eligibility.

Individual colleges and schools may have additional academic regulations that are stated under the “Specific Regulations” of that college or school in the catalog. Information on the academic regulations of the Law School appear in the Law School Student Handbook at http://www.law.drake.edu/students/