Add, Drop, and Withdraw Policy

Add, Drop, and Withdraw Policy

This policy applies only to students majoring in a College of Arts, Sciences and Education program.

Adding a Course

It is the responsibility of the student to adhere to the registration timeline provided to them on their Ferris360 account. To learn more about how to check your registration information please view the guide on Registration Status. Students may add courses through the first four days of the term via Ferris360. Before adding a course, you must determine if there are seats available. If the course is full, you may request to be placed on the waitlist, but that does not guarantee you a seat in the course. It is the student’s responsibility to accept waitlisted approvals in a timely manner if offered a seat. Please ensure there are funds or a payment plan in place for additional courses you may try to add.

Late Add Appeal

Under extenuating circumstances a student may request to add a course after the deadline. To request a late add, students must contact the professor that is instructing the course by email, in person or by phone. If the instructor approves of the late add, confirmation must be emailed to [email protected] withing 24 hours of the instructor approval that includes the reason for the late add, along with the Student ID number, course abbreviation, number, and CRN/section (full listing of College of Arts, Sciences and Education departments). The course will be late added once the student ensures funds are available or a payment plan has been agreed upon through Financial Aid and there are no additional no holds on the student's account.

Dropping a Course

During open course enrollment, students are able to drop a course through the first four days of the term for 100% tuition refund. After the fourth day, students must request to be dropped from the course. We encourage students to consider the implications of dropping a course and to seek guidance from the appropriate resources including Student Financial Services prior to dropping. Students must email [email protected] with their Student ID number, course abbreviation, course number and CRN along with their request to drop. To see the specific deadline dates for each semester and for partial terms, please view the Ferris Academic Calendar.

Dropping or withdrawing from a course, especially if it reduces your credit hours for a semester below 12 credit hours (full-time status) may have a significant impact on financial assistance, athletics, housing and other services. 

• Check with the Financial Aid Office at (231) 591-2110 if you receive any type of financial aid
• Talk to your course instructor
• Consult an advisor

Late Drop Appeal

If a student has extenuating circumstances that prevented them from dropping a course during the four day drop period, an appeal may be filed with the Dean's office requesting a review of the late drop request. Please email [email protected] with a formal explanation as to the reason for the late drop that includes the course abbreviation, number and CRN along with Student ID number. Appeals will be reviewed and students will be notified of outcome.

Withdrawing from a Course

If your class is a full semester class, please view the Academic Calendar for the last date to withdraw from a class and still receive a “W” grade.  Please reach out to Student Financial Services if your class is not a full semester class to learn about the withdraw date information. Students will be able to access a course withdraw on Ferris360 within the Student Academic Dashboard. We encourage students to consider the implications of withdrawing and seek guidance from the appropriate resources prior to withdrawing.

Guide on how to submit a course withdrawal request

Dropping or withdrawing from a course, especially if it reduces your credit hours for a semester below 12 credit hours (full-time status) may have a significant impact on financial assistance, athletics, housing and other services. 

• Check with the Financial Aid Office at (231) 591-2110 if you receive any type of financial aid
• Talk to your course instructor
• Consult an advisor

Late Withdrawal Appeal

Under extenuating circumstances, students may appeal for a late course withdrawal after the withdrawal deadline. Late withdrawals are NEVER granted due to poor performance in a course. If you think that your situation warrants a late withdrawal, discuss it with your instructor and/or advisor as soon as the situation becomes apparent. For late withdrawal requests, please email [email protected] with a formal explanation as to the reason for the late withdrawal that includes the course abbreviation, number and CRN along with Student ID number. Appeals will be reviewed and students will be notified of outcome.

Complete Withdrawal from Courses

Before electing to completely withdraw from courses, please consult with your advisor and the financial aid office. Please see the academic policy letter referring to medical withdrawals and complete withdrawals (non-medical) before making a decision. If you feel you may qualify for a medical withdrawal and want more information please reach out to the Birkam Health Center. If you should need to complete a total withdraw you may do so on your Ferris360 account under the Registrar’s Forms for Students Page.

Dropping or withdrawing from a course, especially if it reduces your credit hours for a semester below 12 credit hours (full-time status), can significantly affect eligibility for financial aid, athletics, Greek life housing, etc. Before dropping a course, be sure to:

• Check with the Financial Aid Office at (231) 591-2110 if you receive any type of financial aid
• Talk to your course instructor
• Consult an advisor