Add/Swap/Drop/Repeat

Student seated outside on steps typing on a laptop

JAA advisors are here to help! Attend drop-in advising on Monday or Thursday 12:30pm - 4:30pm or make an appointment with an advisor at Jayhawk Academic Advising if you have questions about enrolling, dropping, swapping, or repeating classes or would like direct assistance. Sometimes dropping a course can negatively impact such things as financial aid, health insurance, or housing. Let us help you seamlessly add, drop, swap, or repeat classes to fully understand the positive and negative outcomes!

If you are ready to add, drop, or swap a class, visit the Student Information Systems how-to resource.

You may also want to access the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences policies and forms for more information.

Adding a Class

First, attend drop-ins or schedule an appointment with a Jayhawk Academic Advisor to discuss the class works with your degree plan and will not conflict with other classes in your schedule. Check the KU Academic Calendar to see if you can add a class online or if you must obtain written permission to join a class.

View instructions on schedule changes here.

Dropping or Withdrawing from a Course

What does it mean when I withdraw from a class?

When you withdraw from a class, a "W" will appear on your transcript, and you will no longer be enrolled in this class. There may be certain consequences for a  "W" on your transcript, and you should talk with an advisor to make sure that withdrawal will not negatively affect your housing, insurance, or financial aid. Be sure and check the KU Academic Calendar for deadlines and refund policies for withdrawal.

First period drop: This is the timeframe in which students can withdraw from a course(s) and not receive a "W" on their transcript.

Second Period Drop: See the Registrar’s official KU Academic Calendar to find out the last day to withdraw from a class.

Dates will also be modified for short courses still in progress. Check the KU Academic Calendar for the corresponding semester.

I need to drop a class. What do I do?

First, attend drop-ins or schedule with your Jayhawk Academic Advising advisor to talk about why you need to drop and to make sure that it will not negatively affect your degree progress, GPA, or financial aid.

The day in which you choose to drop a course also changes how much money you receive back from your student bill. KU has 100%, 50%, and 0% refund periods each semester. Always check your dates via the KU Academic Calendar!

Next, check the KU Academic Calendar to see if you can still drop a class online or if you must obtain written permission to drop or join a new class.  It is better to use the swap feature than to drop and add.



Notice: Short term/short courses have different academic deadlines than courses that meet for a whole semester. Keep track of those deadlines to make sure they don't sneak up on you.

What if I drop below 12 credit hours?

Dropping below 12 hours means that you are no longer a full-time student. This can have serious consequences for housing, scholarships, financial aid and grants, sports, and insurance coverage, among other things.

Please talk to a Jayhawk Academic Advising advisor or the appropriate academic department before dropping below 12 credit hours. Consider your options and the impact before dropping a course by accessing the withdraw considerations resource.

View instructions on how to drop a course.

Swapping Courses

I need to drop one class and get into another. How do I do that?

When you're switching from one class into another, do not drop a class and then add another. Instead, switch classes using the "Swap" function in Enroll and Pay. This guarantees that you are not blocked out of classes by keeping you in your original class as it switches you into a new one. It is always best to swap courses within the same refund period. Not doing so within the same refund period can affect your tuition amount and/or financial aid. Schedule an appointment with your JAA advisor for assistance.

What if the course I want to add is closed?

Attend a drop-in or schedule with your Jayhawk Academic Advising advisor to talk about this situation. There may be another course you could substitute, you might be able to wait until another semester to take the course, or there may be an additional strategy available. Every situation is different!

Repeating a Course

Can I repeat a course?

If a student takes a course at KU, receives a C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- or F in the course, enrolls in and repeats the course numbered 000-699 at KU, the new grade may be used in place of the original grade for purpose of GPA calculation, subject to the limitations herein. This Policy only applies to undergraduate students. Courses taken on a graduate career (any course number) and PharmD classes 500-699 are excluded from this policy. Students may only repeat a course for grade replacement a maximum of five (5) times. This means a student may only repeat five courses once, or repeat a combination of a single course or multiple courses for a total allotment of five grade replacement opportunities.  Multiple repeats for grade replacement of a course are discouraged, but not explicitly prohibited. The time and date of registration of the course repeat(s) enrollment will be used to determine the limit of five repeat courses for grade replacement. Please review the full policy linked below.

There are some restrictions and limits on the Course Repeat Policy. Talk with a Jayhawk Academic Advising advisor by appointment.