Academic Policies and Procedures > Dropping, Adding, or Withdrawing from Courses
DROPPING, ADDING, or WITHDRAWING FROM COURSES are often sensible steps to take. However, because these actions can affect progress toward degree, student status, financial aid eligibility and a host of other factors, students should always consult with their advisor(s) and other relevant student-services staff before making a change to their schedule.
Dropping or adding courses until the end of the course change period is relatively easy. Specific dates are published in each semester's Academic Calendar, but the official course change period is scheduled for the first five days of classes and may be done in person at Records & Registration or online. Dropping or adding a course does not require the written approval of the student's faculty advisor, although first-semester freshmen students need to consult with Academic Advising. Courses may be added, provided that space is available in the classes, as determined by registration information. Students are responsible for printing a copy of their new course schedule to confirm the changes were made.
Students may withdraw from a course for any reason up to approximately two weeks after the mid-point of the semester. (Specific deadlines are published in the Academic Calendar: see "Last day for Course Withdrawal." Consult the Office of Records & Registration's Course Withdrawal page for more information.) Note that students may not withdraw from INT175 Education of Underrepresented College Students and that special permission is required for students to withdraw from BLK175 and from ENG160 Composition I, ENG180 Composition II or their equivalents.
Prior to withdrawing from a course, students should consult Student Accounts regarding tuition liability and financial aid considerations. Course withdrawal requests must be initiated on or before the date designated in the Academic Calendar. Requests are processed online as follows:
- Students go to my.newpaltz.edu, select "Registration" from the Resources list, then "Course Withdrawal." They select the course from which they wish to withdraw and submit the request, which is forwarded to the instructor. Students will receive an email confirming submission.
- After a course withdrawal request has been submitted, the instructor receives an email directing him/her to the link to the course withdrawal workflow. The instructor reviews the request and provides the student's last date of participation.
- Advisor(s) review the course withdrawal request. (For Composition, EOP and SMP courses, an early review is incorporated into this process, consistent with College policy.)
- The course withdrawal process is completed in Records & Registration. Students receive an email confirming their withdrawal from the course, and the $20 withdrawal fee is attached to the student's account.
No record of course enrollment will appear on the transcript if a course is dropped during the official course change period. After that, a grade of W will be recorded for approved withdrawals from courses. A student who never attends a course by the enrollment census deadline will be withdrawn following the enrollment census reporting date.
Requests for retroactive withdrawals from all courses in a semester or term must be filed no later than one calendar year after the end of the semester or summer/winter session in which the courses were taken. This process starts when the student submits a retroactive withdrawal request to the Office of Records & Registration.
