Students can drop individual courses or completely withdraw from the University as described below. Refer to the online Academic Calendar or to the online Class Schedule to identify the dates during which adds, drops, withdrawals, and pass/fail registration changes can occur.

Course Drops 

The policies below under "Course Drops" apply to withdrawal from individual courses but not withdrawal from the student's entire course schedule. For policies that pertain to complete withdrawal from all courses on the student schedule, please refer to the section titled "Complete Withdrawal From All Courses for the Semester" below.

Student-Initiated Drops

It is the student’s responsibility to officially drop a course that she or he no longer wishes to take. Failure to do so can result in a grade of F on the student’s academic record. Athletes must receive permission from the Miner Athletic Advising Center before dropping a course. International students with F or J visas must receive permission from the Office of International Programs before dropping a course.

In order to ensure that s/he is eligible for a grade of 'W," the student must initiate all drops prior to the "Automatic W Deadline" published in the Academic Calendar. The Academic Calendar is available on the Registrar's website.

Exceptions to this deadline will be considered if the student has a medical condition that would justify a request after the Automatic W Deadline. In order to petition for an exception, the student must submit a request with supporting documentation to the University Student Withdrawal Committee. Supporting documentation may include a letter from the attending physician, clinical psychologist, or licensed clinical practitioner on official letterhead with an original signature, stating the date(s) within the semester that the student was under medical care and that the student must withdraw because of the medical condition. Supporting documentation must be submitted within the semester or no later than 90 days after the end of the term for which the withdrawal is being requested. After 90 days, a full refund of tuition and fees will not be approved. If the student is unable to act on his or her own behalf, a representative can do this for the student.

Administrative Drops

During registration periods for upcoming semesters, students will be dropped from registered courses for failure to meet prerequisites or corequisites after final grades have been posted for the current semester and before the beginning of late registration for next semester. A student may petition their advisor for a prerequisite or corequisite waiver. The advisor will make this decision in consultation with the corresponding department or program. 

At the discretion of the instructor, a student can be dropped from a course because of excessive absences or lack of effort. A grade of “W” will be assigned before the course drop deadline and a grade of “F” after the course drop deadline. A grade of “F” received due to disciplinary action imposed by the University overrides a grade of “W” received through a student-initiated or faculty drop. Students will be notified of their drop through their UTEP e-mail account.

Students may also be administratively withdrawn from a course during the semester for other reasons, with the concurrence of the instructor and department chair, or dean. Approved requests will be forwarded to the Registration and Records Office for processing.

Students are responsible for checking their class schedules in Goldmine and for checking their official UTEP preferred e-mail accounts to determine if they have been dropped from a class.

Six-Course Drop Limit

Under section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, beginning fall 2007, all first-year students enrolled for the first time at any Texas public college or university are limited to six (6) course drops during their academic career. This includes student-and faculty-initiated drops and courses dropped at other Texas public institutions. This policy does not apply to courses dropped prior to census day or to complete withdrawal from all courses for the semester. Students are encouraged to discuss options with their professors and advisors and to make use of campus resources before deciding to drop a course. Once the six-drop limit has been reached, subsequent course drops will be recorded with grades of WF.

First-time, first-year students must meet with their academic advisor (or department chair of their major if they do not have an advisor) before dropping a course. The advisor will determine whether the drop will count toward the six-drop limit prior to the course drop deadline. After the course drop deadline, the faculty member will determine if the drop will count toward the six-drop limit.

There are exemptions that may allow a student to drop a course without having it counted toward the six-drop limit, but it is the student’s responsibility to demonstrate good cause. Exemptions for good cause may include and are not limited to:

1. A severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course.
2. The student’s responsibility for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person if provision of that care affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course.
3. The death of a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s death is considered to be a showing of good cause*.
4. Active duty service as a member of the Texas National Guard or armed forces of the United States of either the student or a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s active military service is considered to be a showing of good cause.
5. A change in the student’s work schedule that is beyond the student’s control and that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course.
6. Other good cause as determined by the University in consultation with the advisor; or
7. Other reason as described by the student.

*The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has specified “family member” to include spouse, child, grandchild, father, mother, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, first cousin, step-parent, step-child, or step-sibling. “Sufficiently close relationship” includes a relative within the third degree of consanguinity plus close friends including, but not limited to, roommates, housemates, classmates, or others identified by the student and approved by the institution. The importance of a relationship is both highly individual and highly subjective.

The Course Drop Form contains the exemption request and should be submitted to the advisor no later than the last day of class for the semester in question. Appeals to the denial of exemption requests may be made to the student’s academic dean.

A UTEP drop that counts toward the six-course drop limit is noted on the academic transcript by a grade of WC. Transfer work that counts toward the limit is noted by a grade of TWC. The statement TEC 51.907 Undergraduate Course Drop Counter–(#) appears at the end of the UTEP transcript. This number reflects only UTEP drops.

For further information, contact the Registration and Records Office, 123 Academic Services Building, or call 915.747.5544.

Course Withdrawals

Complete Withdrawal From All Courses for the Semester

The policies below, under "Complete Withdrawal from All Courses for the Semester." apply to withdrawal from the student’s entire course schedule. For policies that pertain to withdrawal from individual courses, but not from all courses on the student schedule, please refer to the section titled "Course Drops," above.

Students who withdraw from all courses for the semester must do so in person through the Registration and Records Office. Students who cannot drop in person can submit a fax with signature to 915.747.8764 or an e-mail using their UTEP e-mail account to records@utep.edu. Athletes must receive permission from the Miner Athletic Advising Center before dropping all classes. International students with F or J visas must receive permission from the Office of International Programs before dropping all classes. Students receiving financial aid or student loans must clear through the Financial Aid Office.

Students who drop all courses for the semester and re-enroll the following semester are allowed to re-enroll based on their last academic standing as described in the Standards of Academic Performance section of this catalog. Students who were enrolled in professional programs such as Social Work, Clinical Laboratory Science, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology should check with their major department to determine their eligibility for re-enrollment in the program.

Complete withdrawal from all courses for a semester does not count toward the six-drop limit for first-time, first-year students who enter fall 2007 or thereafter. A student who withdraws from all classes for the semester immediately loses access to services and privileges available to enrolled students.

Financial information concerning drops and withdrawals can be found in the Refund of Tuition and Fees section of this catalog.

Student-initiated withdrawals that do not require a refund and that are submitted prior to the Complete Withdrawal deadline noted in the Academic Calendar may be submitted by the student to the Registrar's Office as described above. Complete withdrawal requests that require a refund or which are submitted after the Complete Withdrawal Deadline must be submitted to the University Student Withdrawal Committee. The Committee comprises one representative appointed by Vice President for Student Affairs and two faculty representatives appointed by the Faculty Senate. Additionally, the following officers will appoint ex-officio representatives to provide information that may be helpful to the Committee; the Registrar's Office, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and Student Business Services Office.

For certain complete withdrawal categories noted below, the student or his/her representative will be asked to present supporting documentation to the University Student Withdrawal Committee. The committee will meet as frequently as needed but no less often than once each month in order to provide timely response to requests for withdrawal.

The University Student Withdrawal Committee will review documentation as noted under each category below and will have the authority to: (1) grant a complete withdrawal with refund (if the request is within 90 days of the end of the term, as detailed below); (2) grant a complete withdrawal without refund; or (3) deny the student's request for a complete withdrawal. If the request for a complete withdrawal is denied, the Registrar's Office will request final grades from the student's instructors. As needed, the University Student Withdrawal Committee may solicit information from the student's instructors or other faculty members in order to make a decision. The Registrar's Office is responsible for collecting and storing all documentation associated with the student's request for a withdrawal. The student may appeal the Committee's decision by petitioning the Office of the Provost.

Requests for complete withdrawals, with the required documents, related to medical reasons, medical conditions of a family member, death of a family member, active military service, and death of a student, will only be accepted if received within 90 days of the end of the term for which the withdrawal is being requested. After 90 days, a full refund of tuition and fees will not be approved. 

Complete Withdrawal Due to Academic Performance

After final grades have been posted for the current semester, and before late registration begins for the next semester, students whose academic standing makes them ineligible to re-enroll will be withdrawn from all their classes for the next semester. For further details, refer to the  Standards of Academic Performance section in this catalog.

Complete Withdrawal Due to Medical Reasons

A student who must withdraw completely due to medical reasons must submit a  request with supporting documentation to the University Student Withdrawal Committee. Supporting documentation may include a letter from the attending physician, clinical psychologist, or licensed clinical practitioner on official letterhead with an original signature, stating the date(s) within the semester that the student was under medical care and that the student must withdraw because of the medical condition. Supporting documentation must be submitted within the semester or no later than 90 days after the end of the term for which the withdrawal is being requested. After 90 days, a full refund of tuition and fees will not be approved. If the student is unable to act on his or her own behalf, a representative can do this for the student.

Complete Withdrawal Due to Medical Conditions of a Family Member

A student who must withdraw completely because of a medical condition of an immediate family member must submit a request with supporting documentation to the University Student Withdrawal Committee. Supporting documentation may include a letter from the family member’s attending physician, clinical psychologist, or licensed clinical practitioner confirming that the student’s immediate family member was under medical care, and confirm that the student must withdraw to attend to the immediate family member’s medical condition. This letter must be submitted within the semester no later than 90 days after the end of the term for which the withdrawal is being requested. After 90 days, a full refund of tuition and fees will not be approved. If the student is unable to act on his or her own behalf, a representative may do this for the student. “Immediate family member” can be defined as a husband, wife, parent, sibling, child, legal guardian, or grandparent; other relationships can be considered on a case–by–case basis.

Complete Withdrawal Due to Death of a Family Member

A student who must withdraw because of the death of an immediate family member must submit a request with supporting documentation to the University Student Withdrawal Committee during the semester or no later than 90 days after the end of the term for which the withdrawal is being requested. After 90 days, a full refund of tuition and fees will not be approved. Supporting documentation may include a death certificate. “Immediate family member” is defined as a husband, wife, parent, brother, sister, son, daughter, legal guardian, or grandparent; other relationships can be considered on a case-by-case basis. Once documentation has been received, the student will be withdrawn.

Complete Withdrawal Due to Death of Student

Upon the death of a student, the student’s parent, spouse, or legal guardian must submit a request with supporting documentation to the University Student Withdrawal Committee within the semester or no later than 90 days after the end of the term so that the student can be withdrawn from all classes. After 90 days, a full refund of tuition and fees will not be approved. Supporting documentation may include a death certificate. 

Complete Withdrawal Due to Active Military Service

Students who have to withdraw because they have been called to active military service submit a request with supporting documentation to the University Student Withdrawal Committee. Supporting documentation most often includes a copy of the student's military orders. Grades will be assigned as described below. Military personnel can select one of the withdrawal options below according to the Texas Education Code, Sec. 54.006:

1. Receive a refund of the tuition and fees paid for the withdrawn semester (see NOTE below);
2. If eligible, receive grades of Incomplete (I) from instructors, with the notation “Withdrawn – Military” appearing on the academic transcript (see the section on Incomplete or In-progress Work in this catalog); or
3. Receive an appropriate final grade or credit if the instructor determines that a substantial amount of coursework has been satisfactorily completed and sufficient mastery of the course material has been demonstrated. With this option, the student will not be eligible for a full refund of tuition and fees.

Requests for complete withdrawals, with the required documents, related to medical reasons, medical conditions of a family member, death of a family member, active military service, and death of a student, will only be accepted if received within 90 days of the end of the term for which the withdrawal is being requested. After 90 days, a full refund of tuition and fees will not be approved.

Complete Withdrawal Due to Other Extenuating Circumstance 

Students with extenuating circumstances not specifically outlined above may submit a request for a complete withdrawal and supporting documentation to the University Student Withdrawal Committee. 

Grade Assignment for Drops and Withdrawals and Complete Withdrawals

Grades will be assigned as follows when a student drops a course or completely withdraws from the University:

1. If a student drops a course or all courses before the official census date of a semester, neither the course nor a grade will appear on the student’s academic record.
2. If a student withdraws from a course after the census date, but before the student-initiated course drop deadline listed in the online Class Schedule, a grade of W will be assigned.
3. With the exception of complete withdrawals and student-initiated drops for medical purposes that are approved by the University Student Withdrawal Committee, if the student drops after the student-initiated course drop deadline, instructors will determine a grade of “W” or “F” for each course. A grade of W will be considered only under exceptional circumstances and must be approved by the instructor and department chair for the course. A student may need to petition the instructor for a grade of “W” in writing with the necessary supporting documentation.
4. In the event of a complete withdrawal due to medical reasons, medical conditions of a family member, death of a family member, death of the student, or military service, and in the case of student-initiated drops for medical purposes that are approved by the University Student Withdrawal Committee, grades of “W” will appear on the student's academic record.