Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

1314 Revision of Class Schedules (Add/Drop/Withdraw)


Return to: 1300 University Academic Regulations  


Students who wish to revise their class schedules must follow the procedure appropriate for the period of time in the semester (see Adding / Dropping / Withdrawing Classes (Student Initiated) below). During the published registration periods for each semester, students may revise their schedules by accessing PAWS. Schedule revisions are defined as any changes to a student’s schedule and include adding, dropping and/or withdrawing classes.

All schedule adjustments must be completed by the official deadline as published in the online Semester Calendars at paws.gsu.edu. Printable calendars can also be found at registrar.gsu.edu.

1314.10 Adding / Dropping / Withdrawing Classes (Student Initiated)

Students are responsible for formally adding, dropping or withdrawing from courses using the online registration system, PAWS at paws.gsu.edu. Students may not attend a course unless they have registered for that course, nor should students simply stop attending a course unless they have formally dropped or withdrawn from that course. Students should be aware of the financial obligations and academic impact of adding, dropping or withdrawing from courses. Students should contact the Student Financial Management Center and their academic advisor for more information.

Adding Classes: Students who are eligible to register for classes may add courses to their official registration schedule by accessing the online registration system in PAWS. See section 1312 Registration Procedures .

Dropping Classes: Students who wish to remove a course from their academic record must drop their course in PAWS prior to 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the late registration period (see the Academic Calendar for official dates). Dropped courses do not appear on the student’s official academic record (which includes their academic transcript) and do not incur tuition and fee charges. Note: Dropping courses and lowering your credit hours for the term may have consequences academically or financially including Federal Student Aid, VA Educational Benefits, etc. See section 1330.30 for additional information on course load requirements. (For information on course drops due to failure to pay tuition and fees, see section 1210 Tuition and Fees ).

Withdrawing Classes: After the end of the late registration period and up to the semester midpoint (see the Academic Calendar for official dates), students who wish to no longer attend or participate in a course may withdraw from that course using the online registration system in PAWS.  Withdrawn courses appear on a student’s official academic record and incur charges.  Students will receive a grade of W or WF for withdrawn classes at the discretion of the faculty. Grades of W and WF appear on the student’s transcript. (Note: A grade of WF is treated as an F for GPA calculation purposes.)

After the semester midpoint, students may no longer initiate a withdrawal from a course on PAWS. Courses that are not officially withdrawn prior to the midpoint will be awarded grades based on academic performance.

Note: Withdrawing courses for the term may have consequences academically or financially including Federal Student Aid, VA Educational Benefits, etc. See section 1312.35 for additional information on course load requirements.

1314.15 Withdrawals and Drops from Off-Campus Courses and Cancelled Courses

In general, if a student voluntarily withdraws from an off-campus course, then the normal withdrawal policy applies (see section 1314.10). If the off-campus course’s schedule does not match a Georgia State University term, students should contact the academic department that offers the course to obtain the academic dates (start, end, and midpoint dates) for the course.

If a course is cancelled by Georgia State after the first week of classes, then the student may choose between the following options:

  • They may have the course dropped from their schedule (even if the course is cancelled after the end of Late Registration), or
  • They may take a W in the course, or
  • In coordination with the course instructor and the department chair, the student may develop an academically appropriate plan to complete the course. These plans must be approved by the instructor and the department chair.

1314.20 Course Withdrawal (Faculty Initiated)

Students are responsible for consulting the course syllabus for specific instructor policies regarding such matters as penalties for missing the first class, an exam, an assignment or a project. These may include, among the other things, being withdrawn from a course. Students are expected to observe all policies governing the class. Faculty must clearly state these policies in the course syllabus. When a faculty member determines that a student is in violation of one of the class policies (for example, has missed a required assignment or has excessive absences), that faculty member may withdraw the student from the course. Students involuntarily withdrawn prior to the midpoint of the course will be assigned a grade of W or WF at the discretion of the faculty member. Students involuntarily withdrawn after the midpoint of the course will be assigned a grade WF. Note that a WF is treated as an F for GPA calculation purposes. A symbol of minus “-” before the grade of W (-W) indicates non-attendance documented by the faculty member. Using the official Georgia State University email system, the faculty member will notify a student who is involuntarily withdrawn, and within ten days of this notification, the student may petition to the department chair for reinstatement in the course.

Students involuntarily withdrawn from all classes may be entitled to a partial refund of their fees (see Section 1210).

1314.25 Emergency Withdrawal

Students may request an emergency withdrawal when a non-academic emergency situation occurs that prevents them from completing their course work (e.g., severe medical problems, traumatic events) and when the timing or nature of the emergency prevents them from voluntarily withdrawing from their classes. (See Section 1314.10.) Emergency withdrawals are subject to the following restrictions:

  • Students must initiate an application for an emergency withdrawal no later than two academic years after the semester in which the courses were taken.
  • Students may request emergency withdrawals in a maximum of two semesters of their enrollment at Georgia State.
  • Students may not request an emergency withdrawal after degree conferral.

Emergency withdrawals normally apply to all the courses a student took in a semester. In exceptional cases, emergency withdrawals may be granted for some of a student’s courses. Students requesting an emergency withdrawal in some but not all of their courses must provide documentation to justify a partial withdrawal.

If a student is granted an emergency withdrawal, W grades will automatically be awarded. W grades awarded as a result of the emergency withdrawal process do not count against the student’s voluntary withdrawal limits.

For further information on emergency withdrawals, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at deanofstudents.gsu.edu.

1314.30 Military Withdrawal

Withdrawal for Military Service: Refunds and Grades

Full refunds of tuition and mandatory fees and pro rata refunds of elective fees may be considered for students who are:

  1. Military reservists (including members of the National Guard) who, after having enrolled in courses and paid tuition and fees, receive orders without prior notice to active duty, reassigned for temporary duty, or mandatory training and the orders prevent completion of the term;
  2. Commissioned officers of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) who receive deployment orders in response to a public health crisis or national emergency after having enrolled in courses and paid tuition and fees and the orders prevent completion of the term;
  3. Active duty military personnel who, after having enrolled in courses and paid tuition and fees, receive reassignment, a temporary duty assignment, or a training assignment without prior notice and the orders prevent completion of the term; or,
  4. Otherwise unusually and detrimentally affected by the activation of members of the reserve components or the deployment of active duty personnel of the Armed Forces of the United States who demonstrate a need for exceptional equitable relief.

This policy does not apply to a student enlisting in the Armed Forces prior to or during a semester, unless the student presents documentation showing his/her date to report to initial training was changed without the student’s prior knowledge and the new reporting date prevents completion of the term.

Students must officially withdraw and submit official orders to the Office of the Registrar, Military Outreach Center prior to leaving for the assignment. The student is not eligible for a military withdrawal in any course in which the student has completed the course requirements (for example, taking the final exam or submitting the final paper) and/or a grade has been assigned. Elective fees are to be prorated according to the date on which the student officially withdraws. Students who withdraw and receive a full tuition refund will receive a grade of “WM” (military withdrawal) for all courses from which the student has withdrawn.

Appeals Committee

Per the BOR’s policy on Military Service Refunds, 7.3.5.3, requests for exceptional relief are made directly to the president of the institution and the president will make a determination on each request expeditiously.

Requests for course withdrawals due to military service will first be considered by the certifying officials in the Office of the Registrar, Sparks Hall 224. If a student’s request is denied and the student feels his/her case requires exceptional relief due to an unusual or detrimental activation, then the request will be considered by the Military Outreach Committee.

The Military Outreach Committee consists of academic advisors, VA benefit certifying officials, ROTC representatives, associate deans and university representatives from the Counseling Center and Affirmative Action. This committee will make recommendations to approve or deny students’ requests to the Senior Vice President for Student Success.

Appeals of the decision of the Senior Vice President for Student Success may be initiated by the student within 5 business days of notification of the Senior Vice President for Student Success’ decision and will be considered by the Provost.

Appeals of the decision of the Provost may be initiated by the student within 5 business days of notification of the Provost’s decision and will be considered by the President.

1314.35 Non-Academic Withdrawal

In the judgment of the Dean of Students, a student may be withdrawn from the university for non-academic reasons when it is determined that the student has demonstrated behavior that: (a) poses a significant danger or threat of physical harm to the person or property of others; or (b) interferes with the rights of other members of the university community or with the exercise of any proper activities or functions of the university or its personnel. Except in situations where the student is believed to be an imminent threat to others, as determined at the sole discretion of the University, a student shall, upon request, be accorded an appropriate hearing prior to the final decision concerning his or her continued enrollment at the university. In situations involving an imminent threat, the student will be provided a hearing as soon as possible after the withdrawal occurs. The instructor will assign students who are non-academically withdrawn a grade of W if they are withdrawn before the semester midpoint and a WF if they are withdrawn after the semester midpoint.