It is your responsibility to be aware of all deadlines associated with add and/or dropping courses. Important add/drop dates you need to remember are located in the Western Academic Calendar
If you drop a course before the last day specified to add a course (the last day of the add/drop period in September or January), it will be deleted from your academic record. A course dropped after the add deadline but before the final drop deadline will be recorded as a "WDN" which indicates that a course has been withdrawn without academic penalty. A course dropped after the final drop deadline, will be recorded as a failure. This deadline is strictly enforced for students in FIMS. Exceptions to this policy may be considered if severe medical or compassionate grounds can be documented.
Common Questions/Concerns About Dropping a Course
Why drop a course?
- You’re having personal or medical problems that have prevented you from attending class for an extended period of time and are affecting your academic performance.
- You haven’t successfully completed the prerequisites and are required by university policy to drop the course.
- You have overextended yourself with extracurricular activities or working too many hours at a part-time job.
- You’ve made every effort to get help from your TA and Instructor to improve your grade without success.
Dropping a course before the deadline may give you a more manageable workload, reduces your stress level, and prevents failures from appearing on your academic record. It is important to note that failures may affect your admission to an Honors program in second year and your admission to professional programs in the future. Failures are a permanent addition to your transcript, even if you repeat the course. Be realistic about your workload and contact an Academic Counsellor if you have questions or concerns about your decision.
Why not drop a course?
- It may not be too late to make some changes to your activities and get back on track. It may be possible to work fewer hours or become less involved in extracurricular or volunteer opportunities and focus more time on your coursework.
- If you are interested in admission or progression to second year of an MIT program, preference is given to first-year students who have maintained a full course load (this doesn’t apply to the adjudication of part-time students in the program).
- Are you willing to make up a missed course during the summer session at Western or on a Letter of Permission at another university? There is no refund for dropping 1.0 or 1.5 courses so consider the additional cost of taking courses in the summer.
- Check to see if your OSAP funding will be affected? If you do not maintain a minimum course load of 60% (3 full-course equivalents per term), there are serious implications to your loan assessment.
- Is the course required for admission or progression for your desired program in second year? If it is required, will it be offered in the summer?
- Potential candidates for scholarships, gold medals, and students registered in the Scholar’s Electives program must take a full course load to qualify.
- Thinking about applying for a professional program? Check with the school to see if dropping a course will affect your competitiveness for admission.
- In order to live in residence at Western, you must be a full-time student with a minimum of 3.5 full-course equivalents.
- Are you playing on a varsity team at Western? Check with your coach if you’re concerned about course load requirements.
Have you explored all of your options to seek help in the courses? If not, don’t be afraid to ask for help from your TA, Instructor, peers or consider hiring a tutor. Take advantage of additional resources from Student Development Centre to help students with their study skills.