Adding or Dropping a Course

University Policy

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Policy

In most cases, students wishing to change their courses can do so via the MyBU Student Portal. If a course change cannot happen via the MyBU Student Portal, students must fill out the University Add/Drop form, obtain their advisor’s signature, and return the completed form to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences office. A request for late registration in courses cannot ordinarily be granted after the first full week of classes.

The official University deadlines for adding and dropping classes can be found at the Registrar’s website. No standard (entire term) course may be added after the add period has ended. A standard course dropped prior to the last day to drop classes without a W, per the University deadlines, will not appear on the student’s permanent record. A course dropped after this deadline will appear on the student’s record as W, and the student will be charged for the course. No course may be dropped after the last day to drop courses with a W.

For MA and MS students, Graduate School financial aid will not cover the cost of a course from which the student has officially withdrawn. For PhD and MFA students receiving tuition scholarships, Graduate School financial aid will cover the cost of the course if the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences approve the withdrawal. In either case, receipt of a W grade may affect satisfactory academic progress and the receipt of future merit-based fellowship aid as well as loan eligibility.

For information regarding auditing classes, please see the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Policy on Auditing Courses.