Late Drop
The deadline for L&S undergraduates to drop semester-long courses is the end of the 9th week of classes. Courses may not be dropped after the 9th week except in extremely unusual circumstances, and only then with approval of a dean. (The drop deadline for summer session classes varies based on the number of weeks a course is being offered. Please consult the Key Deadline Dates for All Summer Students on the Office of the Registar's Schedule of Classes link for the exact drop deadline for a particular summer session.)
Courses dropped after Wednesday of the second week of classes during the fall or spring semester have a "DR" notation recorded on the transcript. Please note that a "DR" on a student's record DOES NOT have any implications when applying to graduate schools or seeking employment.
It is the College's policy to allow you to drop the course only when verifiable circumstances beyond your control either prevented you from dropping the course before the deadline (e.g., you were hospitalized and the deadline passed while you were there) or prevented you from completing the class (e.g., you broke a leg and won't be able to finish your swimming class).
A circumstance that DOES NOT qualify is "I did not know when the deadline was." The relevant dates are printed on the Registrar's website at Deadlines at a Glance and each L&S student receives an e-mail reminder at the beginning of the 9th week (during Fall and Spring). "I forgot", "I do not need the course for graduation," or "I did not know how I was doing in the class" are also not compelling reasons to be granted a late drop.
We encourage you to assess your performance in each of your classes before the 9-week drop deadline so you are able to make an informed decision about dropping one or more classes. "I just got my mid-term (or second examination/quiz) back after the drop deadline" is not an acceptable or viable reason. Further, a "recommendation" or authorization from the course professor or TA is also not a warrant to drop the class. We will take what you have to say (and what the instructor says) into consideration, but just because a professor or TA gives you permission to drop the course does not mean we will allow it.
If you think you have circumstances beyond your control, call the L&S Academic Deans' Services at 608/262-0617 to schedule an appointment to meet with an academic dean. You should make sure that you bring documentation supporting your claim to the appointment. Providing documentation is not a guarantee that your request to drop a class will be granted. A dean has the discretion to determine if the circumstances you claim were indeed beyond your control, merits approval and, in fact, prevented you from dropping the class in a timely manner. Each request is considered on a case-by-case basis.