Change in Course Elections: Add, Drop, Instructor Initiated Drop, Waitlist, Withdrawal

(See Also “Change of Fees And Refunds”)

Changes in course elections include adding a course(s), dropping a course(s), substituting course(s), and withdrawing (discontinuing) all courses. All students must  either complete their add/drop online or by contacting the Office of the Registrar via email, registrars@umich.edu (with signatures when appropriate). Students must submit a request to the Office of the Registrar, via email,  if they wish to withdraw (discontinue) all courses in the term. Students may also submit their Registration/Add/Drop Forms or Withdrawal Form, in person, at the One Stop Student Services, 1145 UC (which will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar for processing).

Please consult the section on “Change of Fees and Refunds” for the impact on tuition and fees.

Add

A student may add courses or change a standard graded course to Pass/Fail or Audit during the first two weeks of a full term, the first week of a half-term or four week mini-term, or before the second class meeting of a less than one-month mini-term. Any exceptions for adding courses must be approved by the student’s academic unit.

Drop

A student may drop a course(s) during the first two weeks of a full term, the first week of a half term or mini-term, or before the second class meeting of a less than one-month mini-term. No record of the student’s brief enrollment will be recorded.

Courses may be dropped during the third through the ninth week of classes in a full term, during the second through the fourth week of classes in a half term or mini-term, and before the third class meeting in a less than one-month mini-term. A mark of "W" will appear on the transcript.

The effective date of the drop is the date the drop request is received by the Office of the Registrar.

Permission to drop courses under circumstances other than stated above will require the approval of the student’s academic unit.

Instructor Initiated Drop

Non-attendance does not constitute an official drop. The student is responsible for taking action to officially drop a course. However, the instructor reserves the right to initiate an administrative drop for any student who does not attend the first week of the semester. Academic departments may also administratively drop students from courses in which the student has not completed the prerequisite courses. Colleges are in charge of developing the procedure to administratively notify students that they have been dropped from the course. Please consult the Registration & Records website for procedures on how to drop courses.

Waitlist

Waitlists will not close prior to the first day of classes. Waitlists will remain open during the first eight days of classes for a full term, and the first three days of class during a half term.  During this time, students may add or drop their names to/from waitlists via the Student Information System.

Withdrawal

A student may discontinue all of his/her courses through the last day of classes (for the term) by withdrawing from the term. The withdrawal request must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for processing. The effective date of the withdrawal is the date the withdrawal form is received by the Office of the Registrar.

If a student withdraws (drops all courses) from a term during the first two weeks of classes in a full term, the first week of classes in a half-term or four-week mini-term, or before the second class meeting in a less than one-month mini-term, no record of the student's brief enrollment will be recorded. Beyond those deadlines, the mark of W will appear on the transcript.

Permission to withdraw under circumstances other than stated above will require the approval of the student’s academic unit.

Consecutive Withdrawals

Every student's academic record is reviewed for the purpose of observing academic progress at the end of each term in which the student is enrolled. A student who has not enrolled for one calendar year or who has withdrawn for two consecutive terms must apply for readmission and may not re-register without the explicit written permission of the student's unit office. (PDS/PE students see START Advising, Room 2149 UC.)

A student who first registers and then withdraws from two consecutive terms may be placed on academic probation and may not register without the explicit written permission of the Associate Dean or the Associate Dean's representative. 

Required Withdrawals

Unless extenuating circumstances are presented by petition, a student who is required to withdraw from one academic unit may not be admitted to another UM-Dearborn academic unit within the same term as that in which such withdrawal action is taken.

Refunds and Financial Aid

Students receiving Title IV financial aid may be required to repay some or all of the financial aid received for a term in which the student withdraws. Students required to repay financial aid funds will have the refunds allocated to financial aid programs in the following order: Federal Direct Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Pell, SEOG, other Title IV, federal, state, private, and institutional programs and finally, to the student. Students receiving financial aid and considering withdrawal should seek the advice of a Financial Aid Officer prior to taking such action.