Dropping a Course

A student can drop a course online through Student Self-Service until the end of Late Registration for the term.  Once Late Registration is over and before the term's census date, a student must either submit a signed Add/Drop Form to the Registrar's Office or submit a drop request online utilizing the Online Drop Request.  After the census date, instructor approval is required before a course drop can be processed. The online request will automatically be routed to the instructor for approval before it will be processed.

Course drops by the final drop deadline will receive an automatic W grade, which is a non-punitive grade. Failure to submit a completed and signed drop form by the published deadline will cause the student to receive the final grade earned.

Refer to the academic calendar for drop deadlines.

Students wishing to drop all classes and withdraw from the University for the term must initiate a formal withdrawal through the online Withdraw Request.

There is an Add/Drop fee assessed for each drop processed after the term starts, excluding withdrawals.

Undergraduate Limit on Dropped Courses

Under section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, “an institution of higher education may not permit a student to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education.” This statute was enacted by the State of Texas in spring 2007 and applies to undergraduate students who enroll in a public institution of higher education as first-time freshmen in fall 2007 or later. Any course that a student drops after the census date is counted toward the six-course limit if:

1. the student was able to drop the course without receiving a grade or incurring an academic penalty;
2. the student’s transcript indicates or will indicate that the student was enrolled in the course; and
3. the student is not dropping the course in order to withdraw from the institution.

For details of this policy, see the webpage of Undergraduate Studies. Undergraduates may drop a course without penalty before the census date of each regular semester. However, after the census date, anyone enrolling for the first time in fall 2007 or later (at TWU or any Texas public higher education institution), is allowed only 6 unexcused drops during their undergraduate academic careers. Drops after the census day will count toward the 6-drop limit unless they are supported by timely, appropriate documentation and excused by the university review process. Students can utilize the online drop form to initiate a drop request after late registration has ended.  The six drop limit does not apply to courses withdrawn as a result of the student withdrawing from the University for the term.