Dropping Courses or Withdrawing

Term Withdrawal

Withdrawing from a term will remove a student from all courses within the selected term. It does not remove a student from the university.

Dropping Courses

Dropping a course, or courses means that you will remain in at least one other course for the duration of the same term. There is a $10.00 fee for any course dropped or added once late registration begins for the term. Prior to the end of late registration, a student may drop courses but not withdraw using Student Planning within Student Self-Service. *If enrolled in only one course for the term, you must submit a term withdrawal.

Please see the academic calendar for drop and withdrawal deadlines.

6 Unexcused Drops Rule for Undergraduates

The 6 Unexcused Drops Rule for Undergraduates states that undergraduates enrolling for the first time in Fall 2007 or later (at any Texas public higher education institution), are allowed only 6 unexcused drops during their undergraduate academic careers. Courses dropped before the census day (see Academic Calendar) do not count against the 6 course drop rule. Term withdrawals do not count toward the 6-drop rule.

*It is not the responsibility of the University to initiate dropping students from their courses.

Initiating a Term Withdrawal

A term withdrawal should be initiated using the online withdrawal request. (This system functions best using Google Chrome or Internet Explorer.) The percentage of refundable tuition and fees can be found on the academic calendar by term.

Please review the Student Life Office website on withdrawals for additional information.

Withdrawals must be approved by the Office of Student Life before they will be processed by the Registrar’s Office. Unless otherwise indicated by the Office of Student Life, withdrawals will be processed effective the date the request was initiated.

Dropping Courses After Late Registration

Online Drop Request

After late registration ends, students may initiate course drops online. (This system functions best using Google Chrome or Internet Explorer.)

Any course drop initiated after the census day of a term or session requires instructor approval. Course drop requests initiated before the census date do not require instructor or advisor approval. Requests must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the deadline stated on the academic calendar.

After-census course drop requests using our online drop process are electronically routed to instructors for their approval. Once approved, the Registrar’s office will process the request. If the instructor has not acknowledged the online drop request after two weeks, the drop will be processed.

Drop requests using the Drop/Add form

Students who have difficulties initiating a drop using the online request may use the .pdf Drop form.

When initiated after the census date, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain their instructor’s signature on the drop request form before submitting it to the Registrar’s office. If an instructor or advisor signs the Drop/Add form electronically, they should email the form from their TWU email address to the Registrar’s office for processing. *Undergraduates must also obtain their advisor's signature.

Refunds

Prior to the beginning of late registration, students may drop courses through their Self-Service and will be eligible for a full refund.

From the start of late registration on, there is a $10 fee for dropping a course. 

  • Until the census day, students are eligible for a full refund of a dropped course.
  • After the census day, there are no refunds for dropped courses.

Term withdrawal refunds graduate down from the first day of late registration. Please see the academic calendar for the percentage of refund applicable based on the date the withdrawal is initiated.

Drop and Withdrawal Grades

Prior to the census day, dropped and withdrawn courses do not receive a drop grade.  The dropped or withdrawn courses will not appear on a student’s transcript.

After the census day, dropped courses will receive a grade of W or W& on the transcript. The grade of W& indicates an unexcused drop which counts toward an undergraduates 6-drop limit.

Withdrawn courses will receive a grade of W on the transcript. 

Please see our transcript key for an explanation of grades.

Canceling a drop or withdrawal request

If a student initiates a course drop then decides before it is processed, they wish to remain in the course(s), they must email registrar@twu.edu from their TWU email account to cancel their request. This email must include the student’s ID number, a statement that they wish to cancel their drop request, and specify the course they no longer want to drop. Example: My name is ____, student ID 0000000, and I would like to cancel my drop request from 2019 Fall ART 1303*01.

Students who decide to cancel a term withdrawal request must email studentlife1@twu.edu from their TWU email account. This email must include the student’s ID number and a statement that they wish to cancel their term withdrawal request and specify the term to which the withdrawal request applied. Example: My name is ____, student ID 0000000, and I would like to cancel my withdrawal request for 2019 Fall.

Page last updated 4:21 PM, March 14, 2024