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Course Change Period

Note: This is the 2016–2017 edition of the eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or click here to jump to the newest eCalendar.

Course Change Period

You may make changes to your course registrations (add or drop courses), subject to the requirements and restrictions of your program and individual courses from the opening date of registration until the end of the Course Change period. The Course Change deadline coincides with the deadline for late registration. See www.mcgill.ca/importantdates.

If you drop all Fall courses before the end of August (or drop all Winter courses before the end of December), you will not be registered in that term. If you are a newly admitted student, you may be able to defer your admission (see Deferred Admission), or you may have to apply for a later term. If you are a returning student and want to register in a later term, you must follow the procedures for readmission (see Readmission).

If you drop all Fall courses after the end of August (or drop all Winter courses after the end of December) you are considered University Withdrawn and your transcript will display a notation in that term. Whether you are a newly admitted or returning student, you must follow the procedures for readmission. For more information see Readmission.

If you are registered in the Fall term, you may add and drop Winter term courses throughout the Fall term until the Winter term deadline for course change/late registration.

After the Course Change deadline, you may add courses only with written permission of the instructor, and the Associate Dean or Director of your faculty. A fee will be charged for each course you add.

Note for the Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.): Requests made after the Course Change deadline must be made at the Service Point (3415 McTavish Street). However, it is important that you also see a Faculty adviser in Dawson Hall to talk about your options and the effects that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/students/advising.
Note for Health Sciences: For information on readmission procedures, you should refer to your Faculty/School section in this publication.
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2016-2017 (last updated Feb. 23, 2016) (disclaimer)

Course Withdrawal

Course Withdrawal

After the Course Change deadline in the Fall and Winter terms, there is a period of a few days during which you may withdraw, with a grade of W, and receive a full refund of course fees.

After the Withdrawal (with refund) deadline, there is a period during which withdrawal from a course will also result in a grade of W but no course fees will be refunded.

Courses that Begin in the Fall Term

Courses that Begin in the Fall Term

Deadline for withdrawal (grade of W) with refund:

  • Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Deadlines for withdrawal (grade of W) without refund:

  • Single-term courses: Tuesday, November 1, 2016
  • Multi-term courses that begin in Fall term: Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Courses that Begin in the Winter Term

Courses that Begin in the Winter Term

Deadline for withdrawal (grade of W) with refund:

  • Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Deadline for withdrawal (grade of W) without refund:

  • Single-term courses: Tuesday, March 7, 2017
  • Multi-term courses that begin in Winter term: Monday, May 15, 2017*

* Note that if you are in multi-term courses with course numbers ending in N1 and N2 (course begins in the Winter term, skips the Summer term, and is completed in the subsequent Fall term) you may withdraw after May 15 and until the end of the Fall term Course Change period by contacting your Faculty Student Affairs Office.

After the withdrawal (without refund) deadline but before the end of term, and only under exceptional circumstances, you may be granted permission to withdraw from a course. Permission will not be granted merely because you are doing unsatisfactory work. A grade of W or WF, as appropriate, will appear on your transcript but will not be calculated in your GPA. For further information, consult your Faculty Student Affairs Office.

Note:
  1. To withdraw from required or complementary courses after the withdrawal (without refund) deadline, you may need to obtain permission from your adviser, and you must fill out and submit a course withdrawal form, available from your Faculty Student Affairs Office. Additional restrictions for Music courses are indicated in Schulich School of Music.
  2. It is solely your responsibility to initiate a course withdrawal on Minerva. Neither notification of the course instructor nor discontinuing class attendance is sufficient. The date on which you withdraw on Minerva is the official date of withdrawal, even if you had stopped attending lectures earlier.
  3. You may still withdraw from a course after the Course Change deadline without academic penalty provided that you do so within the appropriate withdrawal deadlines for the term. Otherwise, after this time, your name will continue to appear on the class list and grade reports and, in the event that you do not take the exam, you will be given a J grade.
  4. Fee refunds, if any, will be in accordance with Fees and Withdrawal from the University.
  5. Withdrawing from one or more courses during the semester may—where applicable—affect your government aid and/or ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ's Work Study Program eligibility. For international students, it may also impact your immigration status and/or permission to work in Canada. Please ensure that you are aware of any consequences related to the course withdrawal request; consult with the Scholarships & Student Aid Office, International Student Services, and/or your Faculty Student Affairs Office, where relevant.
Note for Dietetics: Intensive internship courses, like Professional Practice (Stage) in Dietetics, may have different start dates and withdrawal dates than other courses. Students should consult the course outline.
Note for the Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.): Requests are made at Service Point (3415 McTavish Street). However, it is important that you also see a Faculty adviser in Dawson Hall to talk about your options and the effects that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/students/advising.
Note for the Faculty of Law: Law students are encouraged to meet with a student adviser before withdrawing from a course (no refund).
Note for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies: To add/drop/withdraw a course after the deadline has passed, students must submit a Course Change Request form available at Student Records Forms to their department. If the department supports the request, the department will forward the request to the Management of Academic Records Office, Enrolment Services, along with the recommendation from the department Graduate Program Director (GPD).

Graduate students who wish to withdraw from ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ should consult University Withdrawal, and submit a Request for University Withdrawal form available at Student Records Forms. Please note that this form is sent to the Management of Academic Records Office, Enrolment Services.

Note for Health Sciences: Withdrawal (W) deadline dates are listed at www.mcgill.ca/importantdates. The health profession programs described in this eCalendar are highly structured and students should consult their adviser or Student Affairs Office to determine what course changes, if any, are allowed. Note 1 below is not applicable to Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing. For information, you should refer to your Faculty/School section in this publication.
  1. To withdraw from required or complementary courses after the withdrawal (without refund) deadline, you may need to obtain permission from your adviser, and you must fill out and submit a course withdrawal form, available from your Faculty Student Affairs Office. Additional restrictions for Music courses are indicated in the Schulich School of Music's Undergraduate section.
  2. It is solely your responsibility to initiate a course withdrawal on Minerva. Neither notification of the course instructor nor discontinuing class attendance is sufficient. The date on which you withdraw on Minerva is the official date of withdrawal, even if you had stopped attending lectures earlier.
  3. You may still withdraw from a course after the Course Change deadline without academic penalty, provided that you do so within the appropriate withdrawal deadlines for the term (see deadlines above). Otherwise, after this time, your name will continue to appear on the class list and grade reports and, in the event that you do not take the exam, you will be given a J grade.
  4. Fee refunds, if any, will be in accordance with Fees and Withdrawal from the University.
Note for Nursing: To withdraw from any courses after the withdrawal (without refund) deadline, you need to obtain permission from your Program Director. To do so, submit a formal request by email to your Nursing Faculty Student Affairs Office along with proper documentation to support this request.
Note for Physical and Occupational Therapy: The Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs are highly structured and students must receive the approval of the Program Director to determine what course changes, if any, are allowed. Students can consult the Student Affairs Office for information on policies and procedures.

If you are blocked from withdrawing from a required course on Minerva, and have permission to do so, you must contact the Student Affairs Office, who will provide you with the proper forms.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2016-2017 (last updated Mar. 10, 2016) (disclaimer)
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2016-2017 (last updated Feb. 23, 2016) (disclaimer)
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