Adding and Dropping a Course

Graduate students may add and drop courses according to the schedule and policies described below. Late drop requests are processed by the Graduate School. An employee who wishes to drop one or more courses needs to contact the Benefits office for a Release from Course form which must be approved by the employee's supervisor and Human Resources. All other adds and drops are processed by the Registrar's Office.

Add/Drop and Refund Schedule

Part of Term Last date to add or drop a course with a 100% refund*
Last date to drop a course with no grade Last date to drop a course with a grade of W
Full Term
(14 Weeks)
Wednesday of 2nd Week Friday of 3rd Week Friday of 10th Week
First Half of Term—Track A
(7 Weeks)
Fourth day of 1st Week Wednesday of 2nd Week Friday of 5th Week
Second Half of Term—Track B
(7 Weeks)
Fourth day of 8th Week Wednesday of 9th Week Friday of 12th Week

*Students withdrawing from the University or dropping all courses will receive a refund according to the University Withdrawal Schedule below.

University Withdrawal Schedule

The following tuition adjustment schedule applies when students drop all classes and leave the University. This does not apply to students making schedule adjustments who otherwise remain enrolled at Michigan Tech. Refunds for classes offered in a time module other than a fourteen week semester will be prorated according to this schedule and the equivalent percentage of time. Refunds of room and board charges will be prorated by the number of weeks students used university housing.

Time of Withdrawal Refund Percentage
1st Week—Through Wednesday 100%
1st Week—Thursday and Friday 90%
2nd Week 80%
3rd Week 70%
4th Week 60%
5th Week 50%
6th Week 40%
7th Week or Later 0%

Late Drop Request

After the last drop date for a "W" grade shown above, students may request late drops from the Graduate School. Requests for a late drop will only be approved when extenuating circumstances prohibit a student from completing a course.

Extenuating circumstances may include (but are not limited to):

  • Car accident
  • Sudden injury or illness (Doctor’s office/hospital documented)
  • Birth of a child
  • Death of a family member
  • Conditions of close friends (suicide, accident/injury)
  • Divorce (individual or parent)

Non-extenuating circumstances include the following:

  • The student forgot to drop the course, or were not aware of the course-drop policy;
  • The student spent too much time on University extracurricular activities;
  • The student wishes to avoid a poor grade;
  • The student is transferring to another graduate program or another school;
  • The student does not need the course to graduate.

To request a late drop, students should submit a written request to the Graduate School explaining the circumstances. The request must also include the student's name, M number, and the course(s) to be dropped. If the Graduate School approves the request, a grade of “W” will appear on the student's grade report and transcript. See the Registrar's webpage for a definition of all grades used on transcripts.