Section Changes

Students may change from one section of a course to another with the instructor’s approval for the section being added. The section being dropped is deleted from the student’s record.

Adding Courses

Generally, courses may be added from the second to eighth week of a ten-week quarter with an instructor’s signature. Courses may not be added after the eighth week of the quarter. Deadlines for adding courses may differ for semester, interterm periods, and non-conforming terms that are not the standard ten weeks.

Waitlists

Contact the individual academic units for their policies on waitlisted courses.

Credit Load

A full-time graduate student may enroll for 8 to 18 credit hours each quarter.

A credit-hour load of more than 18 hours requires instructor and advisor approval and the signature of the dean of the unit. Each credit hour taken in excess of 18 hours is charged at the current hourly tuition rate.

Note: The total study load includes all courses taken at the University of Denver and at other institutions concurrently. Courses taken for no-credit (NC) are also applied toward the total study load. The maximum enrollment for any quarter is 20 credit hours.

Dropping Courses

Notification by Student of Intent to Withdraw

You may also submit a withdraw request via your MyDU. Navigate to Student Tools, followed by Records and Requests, and finally Withdraw from DU.  We record your official date of withdrawal as the date you notify the Office of the Registrar or the registration office associated with your specific program, of your intent to withdraw.   If the request to withdraw is received by another unit with registration authority, the effective date is the date that office is notified. During the automatic withdrawal period classes will be dropped effective the date of notification.

When a student ceases to attend a course, the student remains enrolled in the course unless the course is officially dropped through the appropriate registration office. A course may be dropped without instructor’s approval through the published date for automatic withdrawal (generally the end of the sixth week of a standard teen week quarter). A student cannot drop a course after the automatic withdrawal (W) deadline without the instructor’s signature and advisor’s signature.  All required signatures must be submitted to the appropriate registration office.  The student is liable for payment of all tuition and charges related to the course.

Students may not withdraw from courses after the eighth week of the quarter (or after the fourth week of a five- or six-week course).

In cases where the grade report indicates the student never attended, the Registrar may process the withdrawal request without referral to the Vice Provost’s office or the Graduate Academic Concerns Committee. Section and level corrections are also delegated to the Registrar’s Office.

In some cases, the student may need to submit a formal petition for an exception to academic policy to withdraw from a course.

Notes: Some programs may have more stringent policies regarding withdrawal from courses. Contact the unit for details.

Contact the Sturm College of Law for semester system withdrawal procedures.

International students who are considering withdrawing from the University should also contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) in addition to following the Office of Graduate Education procedures.

Official Drop Periods

Courses dropped through the first seven days of a ten week quarter (Monday–Sunday, summer session excluded) are deleted from the student’s record. Tuition will be reversed through this time period (first 10 percent of the term), if applicable.

A notation designating a withdrawal (“W”) is assigned for courses officially dropped after the first week of the quarter. The course appears on the student’s record with a withdrawal (“W”) grade notation. Credit hours for the withdrawn course are not earned and the “W” grade notation is not calculated in the GPA. A course may be dropped without instructor approval through the published date for automatic withdrawal (generally the end of the sixth week of a quarter, 60 percent of the term). Withdrawal deadlines and tuition refund schedules are available at www.du.edu/registrar.

Academic Dishonesty

A student can be prevented from dropping a course in cases of suspected academic dishonesty, even during the automatic withdrawal (W) period.

In cases of suspected academic dishonesty, the Office of the Registrar can reinstate a course that has been dropped without notification to the student. Once the case is heard by the Office of Student Conduct or reviewed by the unit in which the case originated, and if academic dishonesty is determined, an instructor may assign a student a failing (F) grade for the course. A withdrawal (W) for the course is not honored. If the accused student is found innocent of academic dishonesty and there has been an attempt to drop during the automatic withdrawal period, the drop is processed and a notation of withdrawn (W) assigned.

Requesting Drop when Student is Failing

An instructor may refuse to give permission to drop a course to a student who is failing the course.

Drops with Approval

After the sixth week of a ten-week quarter the instructor’s signature are required to drop a course.

Drop Deadlines

Withdrawals during the two weeks (ten class days, Monday through Friday) prior to the scheduled final examination period are not allowed.

The Office of the Registrar will maintain these and other important registration activity deadlines.

Notes: Some units may have different policies regarding registration processes, deadlines and procedures for adding/dropping of courses and academic dishonesty. Contact the Office of the Registrar for more details.

Registration deadlines may differ for interterm periods and courses that do not conform to the standard ten week term.

University College, Graduate Tax and the Sturm College of Law may have different policies regarding registration processes, deadlines and procedures for adding/dropping of courses. Contact their registration offices for more details.

Repeating Courses

Repeatable courses include independent research, independent study, topics courses and music performance courses. Unless it is specifically designated as repeatable, a course in which the student has received a qualifying grade may not be repeated for credit.

If a non-repeatable course is taken again, the regular tuition rate is paid and the course is counted as part of the total credit load. All grades are counted in GPA calculations. The highest grade received in the repeated course fulfills the degree requirements, but hours earned toward degree requirements are counted only once.

All repeated courses appear on student transcripts. Automated advising tools (e.g. the Degree Audit) may show only first grade for the course.