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Division of Academic and Student Affairs 
Counseling Center

Requesting a Course Drop

A course drop allows you to remove one or sometimes more, but not all, courses from your current semester schedule.

Most often the Counseling Center is only involved in course drop requests for psychological and/or medical reasons. The academic colleges usually handle hardship requests. A counselor can assist in evaluating documentation you provide from off-campus providers, or can assist you in obtaining further evaluation from on-campus providers when necessary.

Students may drop from a course through Pack Portal until “Census Date” (usually 2 weeks in Fall and Spring semesters) without a “W” grade.  After Census Date and up until the last day to change to credit only (usually up to 8 weeks during a Fall or Spring semester) students might be allowed to drop a course through MyPack Portal, resulting in a “W” grade  on the transcript.  However, certain limitations apply (e.g., an undergraduate student cannot drop below 12 hours after Census Date without approval through their academic Dean’s office; some students may have restrictions placed due to such issues as financial aid, visa status, or athletic status). Beginning with Fall, 2014, students are allowed 16 credit hours of “W” on their transcript due to course drops for their remaining career at NC State.  Drops for extenuating reasons (e.g.,medical and psychological circumstances) might not count toward the 16 credit hours if approved through your academic Dean using Schedule Revision form procedures.  In addition, different drop deadlines exist for students enrolled in eight-week calendar courses.

For more information, please see NC State’s regulation for adding and dropping classes and NC State’s academic calendar for deadline dates.

Procedures for Late Drops for Extenuating Circumstances

Late drops occur after the last day of the official drop period in the current semester. Most colleges will not grant late drops within the last 2 weeks or so of the semester.

Procedures vary slightly from college to college but in general:

  1. Obtain a yellow Schedule Revision form and either a Notice of Consequences form or a form entitled Instructor and Adviser Feedback on Schedule Modifications after Deadline from your Associate Dean’s Office.
  2. Complete Section 1 of the yellow Schedule Revision form.
  3. Complete the Notice of Consequences form and/or Section 1 of the Instructor and Adviser Feedback on Schedule Modifications form. Have your instructor complete Section 2 and your faculty adviser complete Section 3.
  4. Attach to these forms a personal statement (typed or printed) to the appropriate dean of your college describing the situation, all events and dates and the effects that this situation has had on your academic performance in general and on the course you are trying to alter in particular. Also, indicate how you are proactively dealing with this situa­tion currently and how you plan to deal with it in the future. Attach to the forms and your personal statement, and documentation from one of the following categories, depending on the nature of your problem.

For physical, psychological, or emotional problems, attach appropriate form or letter from the Counseling Center. For dire personal or family hardship, attach all appropriate documentation that supports the situation described in your memo.

  1. If your situation is psychological in nature, come to the Counseling Center during academic walk-in hours. Meet with a counselor to discuss the issue and learn the course drop process. If your counselor supports your request, you will receive a Course Load Recommendation Form to use as supportive documentation during the rest of the process.
  2. If your situation is medical in nature, go to the Student Health Center.
  3. Bring your forms, personal statement, and supporting documents to your dean’s office.
  4. If your request is approved you will need to deliver the signed Schedule Revision Form to Registration and Records in 1000 Harris Hall.

Individual Course Drops in a Previous Semester

Courses may not be dropped after the final grades have been submitted by the instructor and processed by Registration and Records. Any action regarding a grade that has been recorded, including a change to W-Withdraw, requires the submission of a Grade Change Report Form by the instructor of the course with the approval by the teacher’s department head and, for changes other than from LA or IN, by the dean or associate dean of the college in which the course is taught.

If you need help understanding this process or would like the Counseling Center to review your documentation in order to provide support, please come to the Center during our academic walk-in hours.