Changes in Schedule

During each pre-registration period—November for the upcoming spring semester and April for the upcoming summer and fall terms—students shall prepare their schedules in Student Planning and obtain advisor approval. Registration is established by class attendance on the designated census dates each semester or by reporting to the Registrar’s Office on those dates.

Deadlines for requesting schedule changes or exercising special grading options are listed on the College’s Academic Calendar, in the Yearly Calendars section of this Bulletin.

Adding Courses

In the fall and spring semesters, the first five class days constitute the add period. The Registrar’s Office may permit limited schedule changes in Student Planning before the semester begins. The final date to add a full-semester or half-semester course is published in the Academic Calendar.

Summer terms have a shorter add period. The final date to add a summer course is published in the Academic Calendar. An instructor may establish an earlier add deadline for a particular course.

Advisor approval in Student Planning is required for registration.

Course Waitlists

When a course reaches its enrollment limit, a waitlist may be available. Ordinarily, up to 10 students may join a waitlist. If a seat becomes available, the Registrar’s Office shall notify eligible students by email. Students invited to enroll must add the course within the stated period, ordinarily 48 hours.

Enrollment from a waitlist is not automatic. The student, in consultation with the academic advisor, is responsible for completing all necessary schedule changes in Student Planning.

After pre-registration ends, courses may be added only during the add period and only with advisor approval. Waitlists shall not remain open after the final date to add a course. The instructor determines whether a waitlist will be maintained.

Dropping or Withdrawing from Courses

Students receiving financial aid who are uncertain how a schedule change may affect aid should consult the Office of Financial Aid before dropping or withdrawing from a course.

Course drops and withdrawals are processed online by the student’s academic advisor. A drop occurs on or before the published drop deadline. A withdrawal occurs after the drop period ends but on or before the published withdrawal deadline. A withdrawal is recorded on the transcript with a grade of W, which is not included in GPA calculation.

         Dropping a Course Without Transcript Record

A student may drop a first- or second-half-semester course without transcript record during the first two weeks of the course and a full-semester course during the first four weeks of the semester. Thereafter, the student may withdraw from the course with a grade of W.

For Wabash summer courses, the drop-without-record period ends one week after the course begins. Thereafter, the student may withdraw by the published deadline with a grade of W.

Summer courses offered through the Council of Independent College's online course sharing consortium (i.e., Course Share courses) have drop dates that vary by course. Once a Course Share course's drop date has passed, no drops are permitted, and the student is liable for the full tuition cost of the course. 

Withdrawal from a Full-Semester Course 

A student may withdraw from a full-semester course through Friday of the twelfth week of the semester with a grade of W. Thereafter, withdrawal is permitted only by petition to and approval from the Curriculum Appeals Committee. Withdrawal after the course has ended is not permitted.

Withdrawal from a Half-Semester Course 

A student may withdraw from a first- or second-half-semester course through Friday of the fifth week of the course with a grade of W. Thereafter, withdrawal is permitted only by petition to and approval from the Curriculum Appeals Committee. Withdrawal after the course has ended is not permitted.

Withdrawal from a Summer Course

A student may withdraw from a summer course until two weeks before the course ends with a grade of W. Thereafter, withdrawal is permitted only by petition to and approval from the Curriculum Appeals Committee. Withdrawal after the course has ended is not permitted.

Petitions

A student with extenuating circumstances may petition the Curriculum Appeals Committee to withdraw after the published deadline. The petition must include endorsements from the student’s academic advisor and the course instructor.

The Committee will not consider petitions to withdraw from a course, or to remove a withdrawal from the transcript, after the course has ended.

Withdrawal from the College

A student who withdraws from the College before the end of a semester shall begin the process in the Dean of Students Office. The official withdrawal date is the date the student obtains a Student Withdrawal Form.

To complete the withdrawal, the student must return the completed form to the Dean of Students Office. At that time, the date of implementation is established, and tuition and housing charges are discontinued as applicable.

If a student is unable to complete the withdrawal process because of circumstances beyond the student’s control, the Dean of Students may designate as the official withdrawal date either the date of the precipitating event or the last documented date of academic activity.

Wabash College does not maintain a leave-of-absence policy. A student is either enrolled or not enrolled. Re-enrollment after withdrawal is arranged through the Dean of Students Office.