What Happens If I Drop A Class In College?

The BIG Consequences When You Drop A Class In College

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Before I tell you what may happen when you drop a class in college, I need to define these two terms: drop, withdraw. Oh, and also a “course” is really want you want to drop, not a class, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ll use the more standard term – “class”.

DISCLAIMER: As with everything I write, please know I’m referring to typical institutions. All colleges and universities are different, and I don’t have experience with every one that’s in existence. So, talk to your advisor regarding the policies where you are attending.

Is dropping a class the same as withdrawing?

There’s a HUGE difference between dropping and withdrawing from a class.

Drop = removing a class from your schedule before the drop deadline.

Withdraw = removing a class from your schedule after the drop deadline (and before the withdrawal deadline).

There is only one potential consequence of dropping a class, which I explain below.

On the other hand, there are multiple potential consequences when you withdraw from a class. Again, those are included below.

What happens if you drop a class before the drop deadline?

“Drop” is the most widely used term when you are thinking about taking a course off your schedule. A “drop” definitely does that, but at only certain points in the semester.

There is typically a “drop deadline” at the beginning of each semester or term, which is unique to your school. Dropping a course by the due date results in the following:

• You won’t be charged for the class
• The class won’t be listed on your transcript

Essentially, it’s like you were never signed up for the class at all. Cool, right?

Institutions allow this because many students will change their schedules in the first few days of school.

What are the consequences of dropping a class?

Watch your student status (part-time vs. full-time) when you switch things around on your schedule. If you drop a course and don’t replace it, that could change your status.

What happens if you withdraw from a course?

When you officially withdraw from a course in college, there are many potential consequences. (There are also potential consequences for failing a course. You could even get kicked out of college, depending on your specific situation.) You are able to withdraw from a course after the drop deadline, but before the withdrawal deadline. The withdrawal deadline is also unique to your school.

You will still be charged for the course

You’re still going to be charged a certain percentage (up to 100%) for a class even though you didn’t complete it. It sucks, sure, but that’s why it’s important to read and understand the policies at your school. (Don’t roll your eyes at me! If I did it [I really did], so can you! haha)

If you paid out-of-pocket for your tuition, nothing really changes in that regard. Keep making those payments if you’re on a payment plan.

Pell Grant, loan borrowers and scholarship recipients – this next part is for you! Depending on when you withdraw from the course(s), you may have to return some of the money to your financial aid office. This happens if dropping the course results in you becoming a part-time student. The only exception to this is if you withdraw from the course late enough in the semester. Ask your advisor or contact me if this is confusing to you!

Pell Grant amounts are determined by family income, and also by student status. For example: if you are eligible for a full Pell Grant, but you’re only taking classes part-time, you will receive a prorated amount of Pell Grant.

If you’ve received a scholarship that requires you to remain a full-time student, you’ll want to read the terms & conditions of that scholarship. It’s possible you will be asked to return some (or all) of the scholarship money.

A “W” will be placed on your transcript instead of a grade

This applies to students who officially withdraw from a course. You can’t just stop attending! If you stop attending without officially withdrawing from the class, you will get an “F” on your transcript. You don’t want an “F” on your transcript if you can avoid it.

An “F” negatively affects your GPA. A “W” has no effect on your GPA.

A “W” is always better than an “F”! Always. I can’t think of a single exception to that rule.

Withdrawing from a course affects your Satisfactory Academic Progress

If you are familiar with the term Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), you probably know what it means. Check out my post at the link above.

If you are on a SAP appeal, you may not be allowed a withdrawal. You need to talk someone in financial aid about your SAP status before making any decisions!

ATTENTION: Even if you are a great student and are earning awesome grades, you still have to make sure you don’t withdraw from too many courses! It could prevent you from getting financial aid in future terms. This usually affects students who have withdrawn from all of their classes in one semester. Most students don’t need to worry about SAP if they are passing most courses.

If you’re the type of student who withdraws from a course because you’re getting less than an “A”, you may want to reconsider that strategy.

Financial Aid will only cover a class up to a certain number of times

This one is confusing. You have a limited number of times you can retake a course and still have it covered by Pell Grant or federal loans. Arizona State University does an outstanding job with explaining different scenarios. But you know who will do an even better job? Your advisor or financial aid staff at your institution!