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Dropping Courses
Need to drop a course? It happens. We understand and are here to help.
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Q-Drop, Withdrawal, and Pass/Fail Options

Review options below based on the time of year (semester). You’ll be able to see what options are available during different points of the semester.

First Twelve Class Days

August 26-September 11

Deadline for options in this section: September 11th at 5:00 pm

Dropping a class:

To drop a class during this time, you’ll need to access your registration page. You’ll be able to choose the drop option, pick the unique number of the course you want/need to drop, and submit.

Dropping a course this way removes it from your record completely and does not use any of your Q-drops.

Withdrawing:

To withdraw during this time, please reach out to your advisor so you can discuss any concerns. Once you have spoken with your advisor, you’ll need to send an email to our Registration Manager with a statement saying that you would like to withdraw for the current semester.

Pass/Failing:

To pass/fail a class during this time, please talk with your advisor. It’s very easy to mess up pass/failing a class, and can cause the need to retake a required course. We do not recommend trying to pass/fail anything on your own.

13th Class Day to Mid-semester Deadline

September 12-November 20

Deadline for options in this section: November 20th at 11:59 pm

Dropping a class:

Submit a request to Q-drop a class

You have six Q-drops you can use for academic reasons. If you’ve used all six Q-drops, you will be unable to drop another course. While we recommend speaking to your advisor before using a Q-drop, it is not required.

If you’re dropping a class for a non-academic reason, please contact your advisor for additional options.

Withdrawing:

To withdraw during this time, reach out to your advisor and/or make an appointment. This step is required to withdraw from a course and will allow you to ask questions/get any additional information you may need. After meeting with your advisor, submit a withdrawal request.

Pass/Failing:

To pass/fail a class during this time, please meet with your advisor. When you pass/fail a class, it automatically becomes an elective and cannot count as credit for anything else. For this reason, it’s very easy to mess up a pass/fail without help, and can result in the need to retake a required course. We do not recommend attempting to pass/fail a course on your own. 

If you choose to submit a pass/fail request without an advisor, make sure to read all ramifications. The following are courses you should not or cannot pass/fail:

  • Classes being used for a specific core, major, minor, certificate, or flag requirement
  • Classes that have the following or a similar message when you select the unique number in the course schedule: “Offered on the letter-grade basis only”

 

OTE: After the Mid-semester Deadline to Last Class Day

November 21-December 9

Deadline for options in this section: December 9 at 11:59 pm

One-Time Exception (OTE) to Q-drop or Withdraw

At this point, the mid-semester deadline has passed. You may still be able to drop a single course or withdraw for academic reasons using the One-Time Exception (OTE) if you have not used it previously.

There are potential options for Q-dropping/withdrawing for medical reasons that have come up past the deadline. You will need to discuss these options with an advisor if they apply to you.

One time during a student’s academic career, they are allowed to Q-drop or do a Semester Withdrawal after the university’s mid-semester deadline. Student’s using their OTE for a Q-drop should be aware that this does count toward the 6 maximum Q-drop limit for students attending Texas schools. A student can use their OTE after the university deadline for one of the following:

  • Drop one course
  • Semester Withdrawl from all courses

Students cannot use their OTE to change a course to/from a pass/fail basis.

OTE for Q-drops:

Although we encourage students to speak with their advisor about the potential impact of using an OTE, those who are not in iMPA or CBHP are able to initiate an OTE Q-drop on their own. 

Students in iMPA or CBHP should speak with an advisor in their program office to discuss potential impact.

OTE for Semester Withdrawals:

All students wishing to use their OTE for a semester withdrawal must speak with an advisor to complete the university-mandated withdrawal checklist. Once this step is complete, you can submit an OTE Semester Withdrawal request.

Potential Ramifications of Qs, Ws, and Pass/Fail

You will receive a grade of ‘CR’ as long as you pass the course. If you fail, you will receive an ‘F’. Receiving a CR will not affect your GPA; receiving an F will have a negative impact on your GPA.

Pay attention to the following when choosing to pass/fail a course:

  • Make sure it is not a required course for your major or minor.
  • Pass/failing automatically makes a course an elective, where it will no longer count toward the core, flags, major, minor, or certificate program.
  • If you pass/fail a required course, you will need to retake the course or register for another that will satisfy the requirement.
  • The course must be eligible for pass/fail. Go to the course schedule and select the unique course number you want to pass/fail. If the phrase “Offered on a letter-grade basis only” appears, the course cannot be pass/failed.

You will receive a ‘Q’ as your grade in the course. This will show on your transcript, but will not affect your GPA.

You are only allowed six Q-drops while you are an undergraduate student at any public Texas institution.

If Q-dropping a course will put you below 12 hours, you will be considered a part-time student. This could affect:

You will receive a ‘W’ as your grade in all remaining courses. This will show on your transcript, but your GPA will not be affected.

This could affect: