You can drop a course before the regular drop deadline or the late drop deadline, with certain requirements and restrictions. Note that if you plan to drop your only course or all of your courses for a semester, you will need to withdraw from the semester.
Before you decide whether to drop a course, it is important to work with your academic adviser to understand how changing your schedule will fit into your academic plan. Contact your adviser before making any registration changes.
- Course Drop Deadlines
- Important Financial Considerations
- How to Drop a Course
- Withdrawing from the Semester
Course Drop Deadlines
There are two course drop deadlines each semester: the regular drop deadline and the late drop deadline. There are academic and financial implications for dropping a course before each of these deadlines, and your adviser can help you consider how dropping a course may impact you.
For standard semester-length courses, you can find these deadlines on the Academic Calendar. You can find the specific deadlines for your courses in LionPATH.
Regular Drop Deadline
For standard semester-length courses, the regular drop deadline is six calendar days after the semester begins. There is no limit to the number of courses you can drop before this deadline, and courses you drop before this deadline will not appear on your academic record.
Late Drop Deadline
The late drop deadline for each course is on the day when approximately 80 percent of the course is complete. There is no limit to the number of courses you can drop before this deadline. Courses you late drop will be entered with a notation of the late drop on your academic record. In addition, a $6 fee will be charged for each course that you late drop.
Important Financial Considerations
Changing your overall number of credits after your course begins can have financial implications. Your individual financial implications may depend on several factors:
- Tuition Adjustments: The Tuition Adjustment Policy determines the percentage of tuition that you will be charged if you drop a course after the regular drop deadline. The longer you stay in the course, the higher the percentage of tuition that you will be charged.
- You can find tuition adjustment timing and percentages for your classes in LionPATH, by selecting Enrollment and then Drop Classes, and then selecting the $ symbol in the "Tuition Calendar" column for each class. View our video showing where to find the Tuition Adjustment Calendar.
- Full-time or part-time student status: Whether your bill is adjusted for a dropped course, and the amount it may be adjusted by, will depend on whether you are in full-time or part-time status.
- Financial aid: Dropping a course may affect your financial aid, which may then affect any adjustments to your bill.
Additionally, the University charges a $6 per course processing fee for any course that is late dropped.
You can find out more about your individual circumstances and the financial implications that dropping a course may have for you by contacting us:
- If you are using financial aid, you can contact the Penn State World Campus Financial Aid Office at 814-867-4244 or [email protected].
- For billing questions not related to financial aid, you can contact the Penn State World Campus Bursar Office at 814-863-8300 or [email protected].
How to Drop a Course
You can drop a course in LionPATH, until the late drop deadline for the semester. View a tutorial about dropping a course and other important actions.
Withdrawing from the Semester
If you are planning to drop your only course or all of your courses for the semester, you will need to withdraw from the semester. You will need to follow the withdrawal process and keep several considerations in mind, including the academic and financial impacts of a withdrawal. Find more information about withdrawing from the semester.