Undergraduate Bulletin

Add/Drop Period

The add/drop period begins on the first day of classes and ends at the close of business (4PM)  on the tenth business day of classes of the fall or spring semester, the fifth business day of classes of six-week summer sessions, or the third business day of classes of three-week winter sessions. Many courses require students to have permission to register after the course has closed or after the start of classes. Permission requirements for individual courses are noted in the online Class Schedule. See the section "Closed Courses and Courses Requiring Permission" below.

Students may drop most courses through the SOLAR System. Some courses require permission to drop; these are noted in the online Class Schedule.

See the entries "Course Load and Course Withdrawal" and "Withdrawal from the University" in this Bulletin for more information on dropping and withdrawing from individual courses and withdrawing from all courses (withdrawing from the University).

After the end of the add/drop period, students may only add a course following procedures, established by the appropriate faculty Committee on Academic Standing and Appeals (CASA), for petitioning for an exception to the deadline, described in "Petitioning for Excep­tions" later in this chapter. Students may drop a course after the end of the add/drop period, but full-time students (those registered for 12 or more credits) must maintain at least 12 registered credits during the fall and spring semesters. A grade of "W" (withdrawal) will be recorded on the transcript when a course is dropped after the end of the add/drop period. (See "Course Load and Course Withdrawal") Students granted permission to make changes in registration after deadlines stated in the academic calendar will be assessed a petition fee.

Drop-Down Period

Select freshman-level mathematics, and physics courses have an extended add/drop period, usually after students have been notified of the results of the first exam, allowing students to drop-down to a less advanced level course.

In order to seek approval for an allowable drop down transaction (see below), students must complete a Drop-down Form and obtain signatures from both the new course instructor or  Undergraduate Program Director of that course’s department and their academic advisor. Once processed by the Registrar’s Office, the student’s original course will be replaced on their transcript with the drop-down course.

This process may only be completed after the add/drop deadline, but before the Drop-down deadline as published in the academic calendar. All other course changes after the deadline will result in a “W” on the student’s record and/or may require a petition for an academic exception, if appropriate. 

When obtaining required signatures, students should discuss how this change may impact degree progress, as well as the basis for grading in the new course.  Dropping down to a course in which credit was previously earned (e.g. MAT 131/AP) may impact financial aid awards.

The following are the only allowable drop-down transactions:

• MAT 127 to AMS 161 or MAT 132
• MAT 127 to MAT 126
• AMS 161 or MAT 132 to MAT 126
• AMS 161 or MAT 132 to AMS 151 or MAT 131
• MAT 126 to AMS 151 or MAT 131 
• MAT 126 to MAT 125
• AMS 151 or MAT 131 to MAT 125 
• AMS 151 or MAT 131 to MAT 123
• MAT 125 to MAT 123 
• MAT 123 to MAP 103
• PHY 141 to PHY 131
• PHY 141 to PHY 125
• PHY 131 to PHY 125
• PHY 142 to PHY 132
• PHY 142 to PHY 127
• PHY 132 to PHY 127