Registrar Forms:Adding and Withdrawing from Classes

Considering a change of schedule can be both exciting and overwhelming. This resource guide is designed to help you drop or withdraw from courses after the semester has started.

For general registration, view the Registration Schedule and Schedule of Classes.

Who should I talk to before changing my schedule?

• If you need more information about how changing your schedule may affect your graduation timeline, start with Academic Advising.
• For information about how adding or dropping courses may affect your financial aid, visit the Financial Aid Office.
• To learn more about the careers that your major can lead to, meet with a Career Preparedness Navigator at Student Career Preparedness.
• If you need help with this decision, meet with a College Life Coach.

I want to drop a class.

The Request for Add/Drop form can help you request changes to your schedule during the semester. To drop courses:

1. Reach out to [email protected] to connect with your academic advisor.
2. Meet with the Financial Aid Office to discuss how this change will affect your financial aid. You may forfeit, or be required to repay, a portion of your financial aid award.
3. Use the Request for Add/Drop form.

Note: Undergraduate students may not drop more than six courses during their entire degree program. To learn more, read about the 6 Drop Rule.

I want to drop ALL my classes and withdraw as a student.

We get it; life happens. You started out strong, but plans change. If you wish to drop all your courses for the current semester and end your time at the university, the following steps can help you begin the withdrawal process.

1. Reach out to [email protected] to connect with your academic advisor.
2. Meet with the Financial Aid Office to discuss how this change will affect your financial aid. You may forfeit, or be required to repay, some or all of your financial aid award.
3. Use the Withdrawal Form.

Note: Undergraduate students may not drop more than six courses during their entire degree program. To learn more, read about the 6 Drop Rule.

I have emergency circumstances, and I can’t finish a class.

Are you considering dropping or withdrawing due to unexpected circumstances outside your control? Don’t drop just yet! You have options!

1. Meet with your instructor. Discuss circumstances beyond your control which prevent you from attending class or completing coursework or exams on schedule.
2. Instead of dropping the course, you may request a grade of X, also known as an “incomplete.” This is a contract you and your instructor develop together which states you are unable to finish your coursework now, but you agree to finish it no more than one year after the course ends. Once you have been assigned an incomplete, you cannot drop the course; your instructor must record a grade.
3. After you have met with your instructor and developed a Plan for Completing the Grade of X, make sure your instructor and department head sign off on it.

Add or Reinstate Courses

Considering a change of schedule can be both exciting and overwhelming. This resource guide is designed to support you through that process.

Use these resources to add or reinstate courses after the semester has already begun.

For general registration, view the Registration Schedule and Schedule of Classes.

I want to add a class.

The semester has started, you are already enrolled in classes, but you want to add one more. The Request for Add/Drop form can help you request schedule changes during the semester when you were enrolled in at least one class on the first day of the semester, and are unable to make changes yourself via myLEO. To add additional courses:

1. Reach out to [email protected] to connect with your academic advisor.
2. Meet with the Financial Aid Office to discuss how schedule changes will affect your financial aid.
3. Submit the Request for Add/Drop form.

NOTE: If you were not enrolled in any classes on the first day of the term, use the Late Registration Form instead.

I have previously withdrawn, and I’m ready to return.

If you have withdrawn from all courses and wish to return during the same semester, you can request to reinstate your existing schedule. Before completing the Reinstatement Form:

1. You must contact your instructors and get emailed approval to attach to this form prior to submission.
2. Reach out to [email protected] to connect with your academic advisor.
3. Meet with the Financial Aid Office to discuss how this change will affect your financial aid.
4. Submit the Reinstatement Form.

6 Drop Rule

Since Fall 2007, undergraduate students across the State of Texas must remember what’s known as the 6 Drop Rule. Under this rule, you may not drop more than six courses during your entire undergraduate program. If you are considering dropping or withdrawing from courses, the following guidelines can help you understand how doing so may affect your progress long-term.

Course Drop Definition

A course drop, which will be recorded on your transcript, is defined as a credit course not completed by an undergraduate student who:

1. is enrolled in the course at the census date, which is the 12th class day during the fall and spring semesters, the 4th class day during summer semesters, and the 2nd class day during mini semesters, and
2. will receive a non-punitive grade of Q.

Withdrawal Definition

You are considered to have withdrawn from the institution when you drop all courses during the current semester. Since full-time enrollment for fall or spring is usually considered to be five courses, withdrawing from a single semester may bring you close to the limit.

Who is affected?

The 6-Drop Rule applies to:

• Entering freshmen or first-time college students enrolled in undergraduate courses
• Transfer students who first enrolled at a Texas public institution beginning Fall 2007 or later
• Texas public universities, community colleges, technical institutes/colleges and health science institutions offering undergraduate coursework

As explained in TEC 51.907, the 6 Drop Rule applies throughout the State of Texas. Dropping a course at one institution and then transferring to a new school will not reset your drop count. Any courses you previously dropped do still count toward your limit of six.

Exceptions

The 6 Drop Rule does not affect students who have completed a baccalaureate degree at any recognized public or private institution. If you successfully earn your bachelor’s degree and decide you want to take more undergraduate courses or begin a second bachelor’s degree program, the 6 Drop Rule is no longer in effect.

Further, some types of courses are excluded from the course drop limit, including:

1. Courses taken by students while enrolled in high school – whether for dual credit, early college credit or for college credit alone.
2. Courses dropped at private or out-of-state institutions.
3. Remedial or developmental courses, workforce education courses or other courses that would not generate academic credit that could be applied to a degree.
4. Aerospace Studies courses not eligible for formula funding.
5. Courses taken as required co-requisites such as a lecture class with a required laboratory are counted as one drop whether or not identified as separate courses or as separate sections of a course.
6. Courses which meet the definition of complete withdrawal.

Appeal to Waive 3-Peak Charges

Throughout your academic career, you may find you need to repeat a course more than once. While this is not unusual, enrolling in the same course excessively means navigating extra guidelines and fees.

What is a 3-Peat?

Taking the same course three times is known as a 3-peat (three repeat). Let’s imagine you enroll in a course, but for whatever reason, you don’t finish it as planned. Maybe your grades are low and you don’t receive credit, or maybe you drop the course altogether. You decide to try again next semester and either fail again or earn a grade that is technically passing, but lower than you wanted. You think if you enroll a third time, you could do even better. This would be a 3-peat.

The State of Texas has established guidelines to discourage students from repeating the same courses excessively: namely, Texas residents attempting the same course for a third time will be charged an additional $125 per credit hour for that course. This provision is described in the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Rules (Chapter 13, Subchapter B, §13.25).

Do dropped courses count?

They can, depending on when you drop. If you drop or withdraw from a course after the census date, that course does count towards the 3-peat rule.

Census dates include:

• For Fall and Spring: the 12th class day
• For Summer: the 4th class day
• For Mini semesters: the 2nd class day

If you intend to drop a course, you must do so before the end of the census date to avoid having that course count in your total number of attempted hours. That is, only when you drop before the end of the census date will the course NOT count toward the 3-peat rule imposed by this policy.

Are there exceptions?

Some degree programs may require you to take the same course multiple times. Or maybe the course number is the same, but the content and assignments are entirely different. For these reasons, the following types of coursework are exempt from 3-peat charges:

• Thesis and dissertation courses.
• Independent study courses.
• Seminar courses and Special Topics.
• Continuing Education courses that must be repeated to retain professional certification.
• Developmental Education coursework taken three or more times will be allowed; however, developmental coursework in excess of 18 hours is subject to additional charges.
• Courses that may be repeated for credit because they involve different or more advanced course content each time they are taken, including but not limited to: individual music lessons, Workforce Education Course Manual Special Topics courses (when the topic changes), theater practicum, music performance, ensembles, certain physical education and kinesiology courses and studio art.

Can I appeal the extra fees?

In some cases, yes. If you believe you have extenuating circumstances, you can file an Appeal to Waive 3-Peat Charges form to the Office of the Registrar.

Enrollment Special Circumstances

Life isn’t always straightforward. From delays in funding, collecting important documents or transcripts from your previous school or developing a plan that’s right for you, sometimes your path to success has a few extra steps. Use these resources to navigate unique enrollment circumstances.

I want to…

Enroll after the semester starts.

The semester has started, but you were not yet enrolled in any classes. The Late Registration Form may be able to help. To get started:

1. Review the Schedule of Classes to identify potential courses you might take.
2. Obtain written permission to register from the instructor and your college dean.
3. If you are late registering for multiple classes, you must submit all courses and instructor approvals on a single form.

If you were enrolled in at least one class on the first day of the term, use the Request for Add/Drop form instead.

Audit a course. I’m not interested in earning college credit or a degree.

If you love to learn, but you’re not sure if you want to complete an entire degree, you can request to audit a course. Attend class meetings, complete assignments and participate just like any other student, but without the pressure of completing an entire degree program.

By auditing a course, you understand that you will not receive college credits toward a degree, and your enrollment status cannot to be changed to gradable/for credit after the census date.

To audit a course:

• Request approval from the instructor and department head.
• Submit the Course Audit Request Form to the Registrar’s Office prior to registering.
• Register. Enrollment for audit courses opens on the first day of classes.
• Pay your tuition, fees and admission requirements. Costs for audit students are the same as for-credit, except for those age 65 and older.

Course Audit Request Form

Register for more hours than the full-time limit.

You want to take more classes than the maximum allowed. For undergraduates, a schedule overload means requesting to register for more than 18 hours during a single long semester (Fall or Spring), or more than 6 hours during a single summer semester (Summer I or Summer II).

Earn credits from two schools at the same time.

You may desire to earn credits from East Texas A&M University and a second higher education institution during the same semester. This is known as concurrent or dual enrollment (not to be confused with dual credit). East Texas A&M allows concurrent enrollment with a few important rules to consider first:

• Your total course load at both institutions combined cannot exceed the load allowed at East Texas A&M.
• Concurrent enrollment may affect your financial aid package. Contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss how.
• You must download a signature page to be completed by the dean at your other school, acknowledging your request for concurrent enrollment.
• When you have obtained approval, complete a Petition for Concurrent Enrollment.

Be sure to consult your second institution’s rules and guidelines regarding concurrent enrollment, which may differ from East Texas A&M’s policies.