Dropping or Withdrawing Courses
Need to make changes to your course schedule? Dropping or withdrawing from a course can be a big decision. Understanding the deadlines, policies, and potential consequences is crucial. This page provides essential information to help you navigate the process and make informed choices.
Dropping Individual Courses
Each term has a designated course drop deadline to discontinue enrollment in individual courses. You can drop courses during the designated drop period using Hokie Registration.
When you drop a course, the course is removed from your schedule and transcript and your total credit hours are reduced for that term.
W Grades (Course Withdrawal)
If you are struggling in a course and are worried about your grade but the course drop deadline has already passed, you may be able to withdraw from the course by using a W grade.
You have three W grades to use during your time as a Virginia Tech student.
When you use a W grade, a "W" shows up on your transcript as the grade for the course, indicating you withdrew from the course.
A W grade does not impact your GPA, and you don't earn credit for the course.
You can submit a W grade request through the last day of classes each term.
Before you drop or withdraw from a course
If you are having trouble in a course, talk to your advisor and instructor about resources that might be available to help you succeed. If you do decide to drop a course, it's a good idea to talk to your advisor about how the drop or withdrawal may impact your academic plan.
Explore Academic ResourcesConsiderations for a Course Drop or W Grade
- How are your grades in the course so far? Is there still enough time to improve your grade?
- Does this course have a specific grade requirement? Many courses require a C- or better to count towards your degree.
- How much time/energy is this course taking away from your other courses? If you didn’t have this course anymore, could you do better in your other courses?
- Is this course a pre-requisite for any courses you need to take next term? Is it a required course for your major? Will this put you behind or can you rearrange to make it work with your graduation timeline?
Withdrawing/Resigning From All Courses
You may encounter a situation where you need to drop all of your courses for a term. However, you cannot drop yourself from all enrolled courses in HokieSpa.
To drop all courses, you must complete a withdrawal/resignation form.
If you need to disenroll from a term, It's a good idea to check in with your advisor to discuss your situation first.
Other Impacts of Dropping or Withdrawing Courses
In addition to potential impacts on your academic plan, dropping or withdrawing from courses could potentially have non-academic impacts.
Before you drop or withdraw from a course, you should make sure you understand how it may impact your eligibility for other programs or services at Virginia Tech (or beyond). Some examples include:
- Federal and University financial aid
- Veteran and military tuition benefits
- NCAA Athletic eligibility
- On-campus housing eligibility
- Visa eligibility for international students