Registration Policy on Adding/Dropping Courses

UNIVERSITY DECISION

Students may add and drop courses using My Student Center during official web registration days as designated by the Office of the University Registrar in the official academic calendar for each term. Under no circumstances are students permitted to add classes to their schedules after the census date, unless otherwise dictated by the school’s profession-specific accreditation body. Check the official Academic Calendar for published census dates.

PERTINENT INFORMATION

A full or partial refund may be possible for dropped courses contingent on the date of a drop and the official start date of the published academic calendar of each term. See the Refund Schedule in this catalog for more detailed information.

Students may drop courses at any time during the semester, but before administration of final exams or final lab exercises, if approved by their program director, associate dean, or other designated official. Withdrawals (or dropping a course after the census date) are recorded as a grade of (W). Students should check the catalog section specific to their respective schools for applicable grades.

Students should also note that dropped courses will count towards the “attempted credit hours” for the purpose of calculating excess hours under Texas Education Code §54.068 and §61.0595 for undergraduate students, and Texas Education Code §54.012 for doctoral students in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, including Nursing Ph.D. students. See the Excess Hours Policy in this catalog for more detailed information.

Additional Applicable Legislation:

The Six-Course Drop Limit stems from legislation applicable to all Texas public colleges and universities. This legislation was passed by the Texas Senate (SB 1231) and applies to all students entering into any Texas public institution of higher education as a first-time freshman and thereafter. Courses taken at a private institution or out-of-state do not count toward the six-course limit. 

The health science center may permit drop(s) in excess of the six drops for the following reasons:

  1. A severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course. 
  2. The student’s responsibility for the care of a sick, injured or needy person if the provision of care affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course.
  3. The death of a person who:
    • Is considered to be a member of the student’s family; or
    • Is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship that demonstrates good cause.
  4. The required duty service of the student or person considered to be a member of the student’s family and considered a sufficiently close relationship that demonstrates good cause.
  5. The change of a student’s work schedule or financial support situation that seriously affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course.
  6. Other good cause as determined by the health science center.

Drops for any other reason are included in the six-drop rule, are recorded by the Office of the University Registrar and are included in the six-drop count on the academic transcript. A health science center undergraduate student affected by this statute that has attended or plans to attend another institution of higher education should become familiar with that institution's policies on dropping courses.

A refund or adjustment of tuition and mandatory fees for dropped courses and student withdrawals shall be governed by Section 54.006 of the Texas Education Code as they relate to Section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code. The change in law made by Section 54.006, as it applies to Section 51.907, applies to tuition and mandatory fees charged with the beginning of fall 2007.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Adding

This refers to the process by which students enroll in one or more courses at the health science center, including non-credit courses, courses bearing zero semester credit hours, enrolling in absentia and modifying variable course hours. 

Census Date

The census date is determined in accordance with rules set forth by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, including the length of the term in weeks. It is the date by which all registration must be finalized and tuition and fees paid.

Class

This references a specific instance of a course within a particular term. For example, a course entitled “Introduction to Sciences” may be offered for fifteen weeks in the fall term. This is the class associated with that course.

Course

This refers to a set of meeting components (lectures, labs, clinics, or a combination of several components) that together make up a unit that can be taught during a specified term.

Dropping

This refers to the procedure by which students remove themselves from one or more of the courses in which they are enrolled while continuing in the remainder of their courses. A student who is enrolled in only one course and intends to drop that course must either withdraw from the university or apply for a leave of absence if the student intends to drop the course.

Holds

Holds are managed by various departments for various restrictions. The owner of the hold may be the only department to release a hold. Certain holds restrict registration which prevent enrollment transactions including but not limited to adding courses.

Term

This refers to the time frame in which a class is taught and is specific to the school in which it is taught. Terms at the health science center include fall, spring, summer, and academic years (as in, 2023-2024). Schools operate either under traditional semesters (long fall, long spring, short summer) or super semesters (long fall and long spring; no summer term).

UNIVERSITY PROCEDURE

Adding and Dropping (Regular Semester Courses)

Students have the ability to add or drop courses online using My Student Center during the official web registration time period identified in the academic calendar.

Any adds or drops approved for processing outside web registration dates must be done by an Add/Drop Class eform found in My Student Center. Under most circumstances, eforms are processed within two business days. In order to attend classes, students should be officially registered. It is the student’s responsibility to inquire with the Bursar’s Office to determine if a refunds is applicable or a balance due. Outstanding balances may prohibit additional registration and/or receipt of the diploma or academic transcript. Students who have received financial aid will have their cost of attendance budget adjusted up or down to reflect the actual cost of tuition and fees and may have their aid reduced as a result. 

It is the student’s responsibility to drop a course by the appropriate deadlines. If a student fails to drop a course during the add/drop period, a grade of W will be assigned based on the date that the drop is received. Under no circumstances may a student ask another individual to register her or him on her or his behalf. This includes peers, faculty, and other support staff. Only students may register for courses; outside designated web registration dates, personnel from The Office of the University Registrar may do so with the approved Add/Drop Class eForm.

Adding and Dropping (Academic Year Courses)

Students can add or drop courses online using My Student Center during the official web registration time period identified in the academic calendar.

Any adds or drops approved for processing outside web registration dates must be done by an Add/Drop Class eform found in My Student Center. Under most circumstances, eforms are processed within two business days. In order to attend classes, students should be officially registered. It is the student’s responsibility to inquire with the Bursar’s Office to determine if a refund is applicable or if a balance will be due. Outstanding balances may prohibit additional registration and/or receipt of the diploma or academic transcript. Students who have received financial aid will have their cost of attendance budget adjusted up or down to reflect the actual cost of tuition and fees and may have their aid reduced as a result.  

Medical and dental professional students in an academic year follow a module-based curriculum. Medical students may make changes to their selective, elective and clinical curriculum throughout the year. Dental students may make changes to their elective and selective curriculum and will be assigned a grade of W based on the procedure of the School of Dentistry. However, if a medical or dental student drops all classes on or after the first day class of the academic year, a grade of W will be assigned for all courses.

Under no circumstances may a student ask another individual to register them on their behalf. This includes peers, faculty, and other support staff. Only students may register for courses; outside designated web registration dates, personnel from The Office of the University Registrar may do so with the approved Add/Drop Class eForm.

Census Date and Failure to Pay Tuition and Fees

Absolutely no changes to enrollment will be made after the census date, including adding additional hours to a variable-hour course for which the student is already registered. Furthermore, a student who fails to pay tuition and fees by the census date or make sufficient payment arrangements with the Bursar’s Office will be permanently dropped from all their courses that semester. Students who are administratively withdrawn from all classes as a result of failure to pay or make suitable payment arrangements with the Bursar’s Office by census date will not have any transcriptable record of enrollment for that term. 

The student’s tuition and fees will then be recalculated to reflect a balance of zero. During that term, the student does not carry any registration but may register along with other students for the subsequent semester. The student should meet with an academic advisor or designated associate dean to determine how the curriculum might be rearranged to acquire the number of semester credit hours and specific courses required to attain the degree sought.

If a student drops one or more classes (but not all classes) before the census date, a grade will not be assigned; however, if a student drops all classes on or after the first day of class, a grade of W will be assigned for all courses.