There is a difference between “dropping” and “withdrawing.” The differences are in how they affect tuition charges and grades.
Courses that do not meet the full term will have different deadlines. For more information on courses with irregular dates contact the Registrar’s Office or view the Academic Calendar.
Pre-enrollment: Students may add or drop courses prior to the semester starting. Students that drop courses prior to the semester will not be charged and classes will not be recorded.
Free Add/Drop: Students may add during the first week of classes for fall and spring semesters and the first 3 days of classes for summer semester. Students may drop without additional charges or grading penalties anytime up through the end of the second week of classes in fall or spring, or the first week of classes in summer session. Dropped courses will not show on transcripts, grades will not be recorded, and payment is not required. Students without any holds can process these online through MyRSU.
Note on Tuition Charges for Dropped Courses: You will be required to pay tuition and fees for any course dropped after the second week of classes in fall or spring semesters or after the first week of summer session, even if you add another course at the same time.
16-Week Courses and 8-Week Summer Courses: Students may withdraw from full term courses (16 week) during the 3rd-12th weeks of fall/spring and summer term (8 week) during the 2nd-6th weeks of summer with an action of “W”. A “W” is GPA neutral and payment is still required for the course.
Adding a Class: Students* can add classes the first 5 days of the fall and spring semester and the first 2.5 days for the summer semester. MyRSU allows current students to browse their class schedules and enroll in courses online.
How to Drop or Withdraw from Courses
Many students become confused by the difference between “dropping” and “withdrawing” and how these affect tuition charges and grades. Please review the Academic Calendar for the last drop date and withdrawal dates.
Drop: The term RSU uses if a student drops one or all of the classes before the final drop date. Dropping courses removes all tuition charges and all record of enrollment. No grades are recorded.
Withdrawal: Occurs when a student withdraws from one or all of their classes after the final drop date. When a withdrawal occurs, students receive an action of “W” for the given courses and payment is still required for the courses.
Dropping a Class: Students* can drop 16-week classes the first 10 days of the fall and spring semesters, and 8-week classes the first 5 days for the summer semester and receive a refund. Students* without any holds can process these online through MyRSU. All students with holds must take their completed drop form to the Registrar Office for processing. Strictly online students should adhere to the RSU Online instructions for dropping a class if they have a hold.
Withdrawing from All Classes: Students withdrawing from the university after the first 10 days of the fall and spring semester and the first 5 days for the summer semester and before the posted withdrawal deadline on the Academic Calendar will receive a grade of “W.” A “W” is GPA neutral grade and payment is still required for the courses. Students seeking to completely withdrawal need Bursar, Financial Aid, and Advisor’s signatures as well as completing a complete withdrawal fact sheet. The forms are available in all three branch campuses. Strictly online students should adhere to the RSU Online instructions for processing a complete withdrawal.
Withdrawing from Some or All Classes: The online form is required. Emails and phone calls are not sufficient. Complete the form on MyRSU:
- Login to MyRSU
- select Students (top menu)
- select Student Forms (left menu)
- choose “Course Withdrawal Form”
*International, Athletes, PLC, and Honor Students cannot add/drop courses online beginning two weeks before the beginning of the term. Forms must be completed with appropriate signatures and processed in the Registrar’s Office.