| University Undergraduate Advising Handbook | |
SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENT
(Senate Policies 34-85,
34-87, 34-89)
The information in this section refers to any changes made to a student's schedule after his/her initial registration in resident instruction, Continuing Education, and World Campus courses. Schedule adjustment includes adding, dropping, or late dropping a course as well as changing from one section of a course to another. Consultation with an adviser is recommended before students change their course selections. (See Schedule Preparation for information on selecting courses.)
The last day of the drop/add period and the late drop deadline vary depending on the length of a course.
To drop all courses after classes begin, a student must withdraw.
If a scheduling error has occurred, administrative course cancellation may be appropriate.
Processing
Documentation
Tuition and Fee
Tuition Penalty for Dropped Credits
Processing Fee
Drop/Add Period
Changing Sections
Adding a
Course (full,
controlled,
time conflict,
credit overload,
or part-semester)
Late Course Add
Late Course Drop
Late Drop Credit Limits
Impact of Reduced Credit Load
Dropping Down in a Sequence of Courses
PROCESSING
Detailed instructions about procedures for registration (schedule adjustment) are on the Registrar's Web page. If you have questions about these procedures, contact the Registrar at your campus.
Schedule adjustments can be processed on eLion up to the time indicated as the deadline for the transaction. Occasionally students must contact the department offering a course to facilitate schedule adjustment.
Authorized advisers can adjust a student's schedule using ISIS screen ARURD.
DOCUMENTATION
Following a schedule change, it is critical that the student obtain a revised copy as proof that this modification was made. He/she should retain this copy until semester grades are received to make sure they accurately reflect the courses that were scheduled. The student may verify his/her schedule on eLion. Copies are also available from the student's adviser/advising center at University Park or another Penn State campus, and from the Registrar's office at any campus.
Caution: If a schedule adjustment has required an exception by a department or the Registrar's office to override an established limit in ISIS (e.g., adding a course that creates an overload, is controlled, or is full), the system no longer prevents time conflicts, so students should check their schedules carefully.
Tuition Penalty for Dropped Credits
Beginning with the first day of classes, students who drop below full-time or drop below their originally registered credit levels may be assessed a tuition penalty. Adjustments for tuition will be determined on the effective date of the drop. Any adjustment of charges will be made according to Penn State's Tuition Adjustment Schedule (for the most current schedule, refer to the Tuition Adjustment Policy). Dropping credits on or after the first day of the semester will not reduce the Information Technology or Student Activity Fees charged for registered students.
There is a $6.00 processing fee for each course late add and late drop. This fee can be paid at the Bursar's office or it will be included on the student's next billing statement from the University. There is no processing fee for schedule adjustments during the drop/add period, unless there is a tuition penalty (see above).
DROP/ADD PERIOD
After registering, students may change their schedules during the drop/add period
for courses. The drop/add period for full-semester courses is the first ten calendar
days of the semester. The dates for this period are listed on the Academic
Calendar. Using the Course Drop Dates application on eLion,
students and advisers can check drop deadlines for courses the student has scheduled prior to the deadline for the transaction.
The drop/add period varies for part-semester courses (see
Part-Semester Courses). After the drop/add
period, late add and late
drop procedures must be followed for these schedule modifications.
When modifying a schedule, the student should follow the guidelines for Schedule Preparation and consult with his/her academic adviser.
CHANGING SECTIONS
After the drop/add period, through the date that the course ends, a student may change from one section of a course to another by obtaining the signature of the new section's instructor on a registration drop/add form, obtaining departmental approval, and processing the change at the department offering the course or the Registrar's office at the student's campus.
There is no notation made on the student's transcript for a section change, late drop credits are not used, and no fee is charged unless the section change is processed as a course drop and a course add.
For instructions on how to schedule a course that is full, read "Strategies for Scheduling a Course That's Full."
Adding a Course That Is Departmentally Controlled
Enrollment in a course may be controlled in order to reserve space for a special population (e.g., students in a particular semester standing and/or major). Controlled courses are identified in the Schedule of Courses with a View Controls link in the column labeled Course Controls. Use the View Controls link to access information on who can schedule the course. A student who is not approved to enroll in the course must request an exception by taking a completed registration drop/add form to the department offering the course for department head approval and processing. Authorized staff may use the ARURX screen on ISIS to determine which students may schedule a controlled course.
Adding a Course That Creates a Time Conflict
The University's computerized registration system will not schedule a student in classes that meet during overlapping periods. The student attempting to schedule classes that conflict may be able to make arrangements with the instructor of one of the classes to miss part of the class in order to report to the other class. Provisions may be made to make up missed class work. A registration drop/add form must be completed. The student should secure the signatures indicated on the form for course add (or late add) and the signatures of both instructors whose classes are involved. The form is then processed at the Registrar's
office.
Adding a Credit Overload
The student seeking registration in more than 19 credits must add the overload credits during
the drop/add period. Overload credits are added at
the department offering the course or at the Registrar's office. The registration drop/add form should be marked "Request for Overload." A request to add overload credits after the drop/add period must be processed by the Registrar's office as an exception. The student should consult with an adviser before adding a credit overload.
See Part-Semester Courses for information on adding courses that do not follow the time frame established on the Academic Calendar.
LATE COURSE ADD
Course adds occurring after the drop/add period are considered late adds. The deadline for a late add is the last day of classes in the semester/session when the course is offered. A student considering a late add should consult with his/her adviser to weigh the impact of missed classes.
A late add requires the signature of the course instructor on a registration drop/add form. If the course is full or departmentally controlled, the signature of the department head of the offering department is also required. The student takes the completed form to the department offering the course or to the Registrar's office to process the late add.
A late add may be scheduled as an audit if the course was never scheduled by the student at any time during the semester.
LATE COURSE DROP
It is possible to drop a course after the drop/add
period but before the late drop deadline, which, for full-semester courses,
is listed on the Academic
Calendar. Students and advisers can check late drop deadlines
for scheduled courses by using the Course Drop Dates application on eLion.
The late drop deadline for part-semester
courses can also be calculated using the ARIRP
screen in ISIS by entering any start and end dates.
A student should consult with an adviser before late dropping a course. A student can late drop a course (1) by using the eLion Late Course Drop application prior to the deadline for the transaction or (2) by completing a registration drop/add form so that the drop can be processed on ISIS by an adviser, the department offering the course, or the Registrar's office at the student's campus.
When a student has late dropped a course, the course instructor submits one of the following symbols in place of a letter grade at the end of the semester or session: WP (withdrew passing) indicates that during the time the student participated in the class a passing grade was earned; WF (withdrew failing) indicates that a grade of F was earned during the time the student participated in the course (see Grades and Grade-Point Average); WN (withdrew no grade) indicates that the student's performance in the course could not be evaluated.
A student should not late drop a course being audited.
Baccalaureate degree candidates have a total of 16 late drop credits which may be used during their academic careers.
Associate degree candidates have a total of 10 late drop credits which may be used during their academic careers.
Provisional and nondegree students have a limit of 10 late drop credits. If the student becomes a degree candidate, late drop credits used while he/she was enrolled in provisional or nondegree status are subtracted from the total number of late drop credits available (as described above).
If a student re-enrolls for a sequential degree, the late drop credits that were used in his/her first degree program will not count towards the late drop credit limit in the sequential degree.
IMPACT OF A REDUCED CREDIT LOAD
Students should be aware that certain programs or agencies require a minimum number of credits.
If a student must drop below full-time status for academic reasons but is required to remain full-time to meet other requirements (e.g., financial aid, insurance, scholarship), he/she should explore the possibility of adding a course with an alternative time frame (see Maintaining a Certain Credit Load).
DROPPING DOWN IN A SEQUENCE OF COURSES
It may be possible for a student who began a sequence of courses at too high a level to drop down to a more appropriate course in the sequence after the drop/add period without using late drop credits. To discuss the possibility of dropping down in a sequence, the student should contact the department offering the courses.
The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. Please consult a Penn State academic adviser for more detailed information.
This page is part of the University Undergraduate Advising Handbook, which is maintained by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, DUS@psu.edu.
Last Update: August 2007