Adding and Dropping Classes

Procedures for adding and dropping classes are given in the Course Schedule. Each student is responsible for properly initiating and completing adds and drops. Information about tuition adjustments resulting from adds and drops is given in Adjustments for Added and Dropped Classes.

Adding a Class

The addition of a class is governed by the following requirements: (1) the student must obtain all required approvals; (2) the student must be eligible to take the class; (3) there must be space available in the class; and (4) the student must remain in conformity with the Quantity of Work Rule.

Subject to these requirements, a registered student may add a class through the twelfth class day of a long-session semester or the fourth class day of a summer term. Through the fourth class day of the semester or the second class day of the summer term, the approval of the chair of the department offering the class may be required; after these dates, the approval of the chair is required for undergraduates; for graduate students, the approval of the instructor, the graduate advisor, and the graduate dean is required. In some colleges and schools, the approval of the student’s advisor and college dean is also required. The student must consult the regulations of his or her college or school before adding a class.

Although a college or school may permit the addition of classes through the twelfth class day of a long-session semester or the fourth class day of a summer term, the student is expected to be settled in his or her classes by the fourth class day of the long-session semester or the second class day of the summer term. After the twelfth class day of a long-session semester or the fourth class day of a summer term, with the approval of the student's dean and the chair of the department offering the class, a student may add a current or past semester class (either with or without a grade) only¹:

1. If there was a rare or extenuating circumstance such that the student was unable to attempt to register for the class during the regular registration or add/drop access periods; or
2. When evidence exists that the student made an unsuccessful attempt to register for the class using normal registration procedures and that space was available in the class at that time.

The addition of a class for a semester prior to the previous long semester must be signed by the dean or the appropriate associate dean of the college/school. For graduate students, this is the graduate dean or the associate dean for student services.

Dropping a Class: Rules for Undergraduate Students

In general, an undergraduate may drop a class through midsemester in a long-session semester and through the last class day in a summer term. However, the student must meet the conditions described below and must abide by the Quantity of Work Rule. The dates of the deadlines discussed below are given in the Academic Calendar. Students considering dropping a course are encouraged to speak with the course's instructor to determine if options exist for completing the course.

In addition to other required approvals, international students must have the written consent of the International Office to drop a class.

On the recommendation of the instructor and with the approval of the student’s academic dean, a student may be required to drop a class at any time because of neglect or lack of preparation. Delete drops (which remove all indications of the course registration from a student's academic record) may be requested only in the cases of University error or in response to rare and extenuating circumstances. The form requesting the delete drop must be signed by the dean or the appropriate associate dean of the college or school in which the student is enrolled.

Limitations

In accordance with section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, a student may drop no more than six classes for academic reasons during his or her undergraduate career. This rule applies to all students who entered a public Texas institution of higher education as first-time undergraduates in the fall semester 2007 or later.

A dropped class is counted toward the six-drop limit if the student dropped it from the thirteenth class day through the deadline to drop a class for academic reasons in a long-session semester or from the fifth through the last class day in a summer term, and if the student did not drop the class for a substantiated, nonacademic reason as defined below.

Any such dropped class, for which the symbol Q is assigned, will not be considered final until any investigations of scholastic dishonesty for the class in question are resolved.

Nonacademic Reasons for Dropping a Class

A dropped class will not be counted toward the six-drop limit if it occurs for a nonacademic reason such as those listed below. The student’s dean will decide, at the time the student drops a class, whether the reason for the drop is academic or nonacademic.

1. A severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course.
2. The student’s responsibility for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person if the provision of that care affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course.
3. The death of a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s death is considered to be a showing of good cause.
4. The active duty service as a member of the Texas National Guard or the armed forces of the United States of either the student or a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s active military service is considered to be a showing of good cause.
5. A change of the student’s work schedule that is beyond the control of the student and that affects the student’s ability to complete the course.

Procedures

Through the twelfth class day. From the first through the twelfth class day in a long-session semester, and from the first through the fourth class day in a summer term, a student may drop a class through the registration system. If the dropped class must be taken in conjunction with another class, the student must drop the second class as well. Each student should meet with his or her advisor before dropping a class.

A class dropped during this period is deleted from the student’s academic record. It does not count toward the six-drop limit described above.

From the thirteenth class day through the deadline to drop a class for academic reasons. From the thirteenth class day through the deadline to drop a class for academic reasons in a long-session semester, and from the fifth through the last class day in a summer term, a student may drop a class only with the approval of his or her dean. In some colleges and schools, the approval of the student’s advisor is also required. If the student is allowed to drop, the class remains on the student’s academic record with the symbol Q, which identifies a drop without academic penalty. In addition, the student’s dean determines whether the student is dropping the class for an academic or a nonacademic reason. If the dean determines that the reason is academic, the drop is counted toward the six-drop limit described above.

After the deadline to drop a class for academic reasons. After the deadline to drop a class for academic reasons has passed, there are only two possible ways for a student to drop a class. One way is in the case of urgent, substantiated, nonacademic reasons, which must be approved by his or her dean. Approved nonacademic drops that occur during this period are not counted toward the six-drop limit described above. The other way is for the student to seek approval to use the One-Time-Exception. Approved One-Time-Exception (OTE) drops that occur during this period are counted toward the six-drop limit described above. To seek either type of drop within this period a student must submit the completed OTE form to the student's dean's office by the last class day.

One-Time-Exception

Undergraduate students who may not have urgent, substantiated, nonacademic reasons will be allowed to drop a single class or withdraw from the University after the deadline to drop or withdraw for academic reasons under the provisions of the One-Time-Exception (OTE). The OTE may be invoked only once during the student’s entire undergraduate college career regardless of the college the student was enrolled in at the time the exception was allowed. The provisions of the OTE are as follows.

General Provisions

1. The OTE does not apply to students in the Graduate School, the College of Pharmacy, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, or the School of Law.
2. A student must submit the completed OTE form to the student’s dean’s office by the last class day.
3. Any drop or withdrawal allowed under the OTE will be subject to the same academic and financial aid rules governing other drops or withdrawals taken during the semester.

Provisions for Drops

1. A student may not drop a class in which a final grade has been assigned. This will be verified by the student’s dean’s office.
2. A student may not drop a class if there are any pending investigations of scholastic dishonesty for the class in question. Any drop assigned will not be considered final until any investigations of scholastic dishonesty for the class in question are resolved.
3. Drops allowed under the provisions of the OTE will be considered academic drops and will count toward the six-drop limit. Students who have reached the six-drop limit are not eligible to use the OTE to drop a course.

Provisions for Withdrawals

1. Students who are requesting to use the OTE for a withdrawal will be allowed to withdraw regardless of current grades in classes.
2. No instructors’ signatures will be required on the form.
3. Pending scholastic dishonesty will be verified by the student’s dean’s office with the Dean of Students Office. Withdrawal will not be approved if there is a pending scholastic dishonesty case.

Dropping a Class: Rules for Graduate Students

With the required approvals, a graduate student may drop a class through the last class day of the semester or summer term; after the twelfth class day of the semester or the fourth class day of the summer term, the graduate dean’s approval is also required. If the student drops the class by the twelfth class day of the semester or the fourth class day of the summer term, the class is deleted from the student’s academic record. After this time, delete drops (which remove all indications of the course registration from a student's academic record) may be requested only in the cases of University error or in response to rare and extenuating circumstances. The form requesting the delete drop must be approved by the graduate dean.

If the student drops the class from the thirteenth through the twentieth class day of the long-session semester or from the fifth through the tenth class day of the summer term, the symbol Q appears on his or her academic record to indicate a drop without academic penalty. After these dates, if the student is registered on the letter-grade basis, the class instructor assigns the symbol Q or a grade of F; if the student is registered on the credit/no credit basis, the symbol NC is recorded.

A student who is in warning status for failing to maintain a 3.00 grade point average may not drop a class without the recommendation of his or her graduate advisor and the approval of the graduate dean.

International students, in addition to obtaining the required approvals, must be advised by the International Office before dropping a class if their remaining course load will be fewer than nine hours.

Students appointed as graduate student academic employees may not reduce their course load to fewer than nine hours during a long-session semester or fewer than three hours in a summer session (in any combination of summer session terms).

Any Q-drop assigned will not be considered final until any investigations of scholastic dishonesty for the class in question are resolved.