Changes in Registration, Petitions for Late Changes

Changes in Registration

Students may drop, add, or make changes to the grading option of their courses until the deadline published on the registrar’s calendar posted on the Registrar's Office website. Registration changes are submitted by students via the Student Information System(SIS) or via email to the Registrar's Office in certain cases. An unreported drop or withdrawal results in an F in the course. Being on a closed course waiting list does not negate the deadline for adding a course. 

Performance studies (music lessons) must be added and dropped through the Music Department Office. If a student drops a performance studies course after the sixth day of the semester, no refund of music lesson fees is given.

Changes to registration after the posted deadline are allowed only by petition. Please use the Petition form found on the Registrar's website under Forms & Requests. The date the Registrar's Office is notified of a change in registration, rather than the date the student received instructor permission, determines if the request meets the deadline. The student may appeal the registrar's decision on a petition to the Planning, Policy and Accessibility subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee, whose decisions are final. Students are notified of the decision by email, usually the day the decision is made.

A petition to add or drop a course or to make a change in the grading option is not considered beyond one year following the end of the relevant term. (This practice is consistent with the statute of limitations on notification of a grade error; see grade changes.)

Adding Courses

A student may add a course until the deadline specified on the registrar’s calendar. No course addition that creates an overload for the term is permitted unless the student submits a petition to overload in SIS and the petition is approved.  Additional tuition charges apply for overloads.

A student who has been placed on an instructor’s waiting list, and who subsequently gains entry into a previously closed course, must officially add the course in SIS by the posted add deadline.

Note that first-half and second-half semester courses have posted deadlines different from those for semester-length courses. Consult the registrar’s calendar.

Dropping Courses

With the exception of cases involving possible honor code violations (see below), a student may drop (withdraw from) any course for which they are registered until the deadline for dropping a course posted on the registrar’s calendar. An unreported drop results in an F in the course.

Note that first-half and second-half semester courses have deadlines different from those deadlines for courses that last the entire semester.

If a student drops a performance studies course after the sixth day of the semester, no refund of music lesson fees is given.

A student must be registered for at least three (3.00) credits in order to retain full-time status and to receive veteran’s benefits. Four (4.00) full credits are required to maintain certain forms of State of Minnesota financial aid. Degree seeking students dropping below the three credit (3.00) minimum during a semester may lose housing (residence hall) privileges and financial aid. In this situation, students who are considering dropping a course should consult with the Dean of Students Office before taking final action.

Students dropping a Carleton College course for which they are registered should consult Carleton Inter-Registration in this catalog.

Honor Code/Plagiarism Exceptions

A student under review for an honor code violation may not drop the course in question unless a withdrawal is authorized by the student honor council. A student who is assessed a penalty of failure in a course as a result of an honor system violation or a plagiarism offense is not permitted to drop the course in question.

For more information about the St. Olaf honor system and its procedures and about academic integrity, see The Book. Questions about the honor system should be directed to the Dean of Students Office.

Late Add

Deadlines for adding a course are designated on the registrar's calendar. A course may only be added after the posted deadline via a petition form. The petition form can be found on the Registrar's website under Forms & Requests. The petition form must be signed by the instructor of the course being added, the advisor, and the student.

A student who mistakenly attends a different section of a course from the section registered must petition for a change in registration. The instructor for both sections must verify the error.

A student may not request an incomplete grade for a course added late because of insufficient time to complete the assigned work.

The registrar will deny any petition to add a course after the scheduled final exam period for that course. The student may appeal to the Planning, Policy and Accessibility subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee by resubmitting the original petition to the registrar. Decisions of the committee are final.

A petition to add a course is not considered beyond one year following the end of the relevant term. (This practice is consistent with the statute of limitations on notification of a grade error; see grade changes.)

Late Drop (Withdrawal)

Deadlines for dropping a course are designated on the registrar’s calendar. A course may be dropped after the posted deadline via a petition form. The petition form can be found on the Registrar's website under Forms & Requests. The petition form must be signed by the instructor of the dropped course, the advisor, and the student.

If a student is dropping a course they never attended, the instructor must verify the absence from the class. 

An unreported withdrawal results in an F in the course. A course from which a student successfully petitions to withdraw following the last day to drop is not removed from the student's record; rather, a notation of withdrawn (W) will be made on the student's transcript.

The registrar will deny any petition to drop a course after the scheduled final exam period for that course. The student may appeal to the Planning, Policy and Accessibility subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee by resubmitting the original petition to the registrar.  Decisions of the committee are final.

A petition to drop a course is not entertained beyond one year following the end of the relevant term. (This practice is consistent with the statute of limitations on notification of a grade error; see grade changes.)

Changes in Grading Option (Graded to S/U, S/U to Graded)

Deadlines for changing courses from Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory to graded or from graded to S/U are designated on the registrar’s calendar. A course may be changed from S/U to graded or from graded to S/U after the posted deadline via a petition form. Petition forms can be found on the Registrar's website under Forms & Requests. The petition form must be signed by the student and the student’s advisor, but a signature from the course instructor is not required. The date the Registrar's Office is notified of a change in grading option determines if the request meets the deadline.

A course completed on an S/U basis may not be assigned another type of grade at a later date.

The registrar will deny any petition to change a course's grading option from graded to S/U after the scheduled final exam period for that course. The student may appeal to the Planning, Policy and Accessibility subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee by resubmitting the original petition to the registrar. Decisions of the committee are final.

A petition to make a graded to S/U change is not entertained beyond one year following the end of the term in which a course was taken. (This practice is consistent with the statute of limitations on notification of a grade error; see grade changes.)

Petitions for Waivers

Graduation requirements are not subject to petition or waiver. See The St. Olaf Curriculum, Graduation Requirements, and Degrees.

Students may petition for waivers to academic regulations, fees, and college deadlines at any time during the regular academic year, but see Late Add, Late Drop (Withdrawal), S/U Changes. Petition forms are available from the Registrar's Office and on the Registrar's website under Forms & Requests. A student will be notified by email when a petition has been acted on. The petition remains in the student’s file in the Registrar's Office.

In cases where a petition is denied, the student may appeal to the Planning, Policy and Accessibility subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee by resubmitting the original petition to the registrar.

Decisions of the committee are final. If the student submits an appeal after the committee has finished business for the semester or year, a decision may be delayed until after a vacation or summer break.

Appeals to Curriculum Committee

The Curriculum Committee is a standing faculty committee. In addition to its curricular policy responsibilities, the Curriculum Committee:

1. Establishes academic regulations, recommends procedures, and sets policy for the academic calendar.
2. Hears and acts upon student petitions for exceptions and adjustments to academic regulations, deadlines, and fees. Students have the right to appeal petitions denied by the registrar to the committee by re-submitting the petition to the registrar. If the committee has completed business for the semester or year, decisions may be delayed over a vacation break or summer. Decisions made by the committee are final.