Adding and Dropping Courses

Students should:

• Use Self-Service system for all course changes.
• Use the Late Course Change Request to add a first-half semester class after the 5th day of classes.  First obtain approval from the  department offering the class, then meet with a College Advisor in Grainger Engineering.
  • Deadline: Requests to late add an 8-week course must be submitted no later than the end of second week of the course. 
• Independent Study credit defaults to 1 credit hour, if you are enrolling in more than one please follow the directions for Changing Variable Credit Hours.

Late Adding a Course:

Students who wish to late add a full-semester course must submit a Late Course Change Request form. Required approvals, as indicated on the form, must be obtained before the request can be processed. 

• Deadline: Requests to late add of a full-semester course must be submitted no later than the end of Week 3 of the semester. 
• Independent Study Reminder: Independent Study courses default to 1 credit hour. If you are enrolling in more than one credit hour, you must follow the directions for Changing Variable Credit Hours to ensure the correct credit is applied. 

Dropping a Course:

For most students, course changes can be completed directly through Self-Service.

However, in the following cases, students must submit a request through the Grainger Drop Portal and meet with a college advisor either via Express Advising or a scheduled appointment: 

• Students with College Holds: This includes students on academic warning, international students, graduating seniors, Engineering Undeclared students, and others with holds.
• ZJUI Program Students: ZJUI students may have a College hold. They must submit course change requests through the Grainger Drop Portal and indicate their ZJUI status when emailing the PDF form to engineering@illinois.edu.
• Dropping Below Full-Time (Underload): Dropping a class that reduces total credit hours below 12 requires additional review. International students and students receiving financial aid should consult with ISSS or OSFA before submitting their request.

Students are encouraged to verify all holds, review potential impacts on academic progress or aid, and consult an advisor before completing course drops.

Please note: All holds (besides a College Hold) will need to be cleared before requesting late schedule changes (add or section change). 

After the end of the 8th week of the term, students can no longer make schedule changes through Self-Service—with the exception of adding or dropping second-half semester courses.

Students seeking to make any other schedule changes after this deadline should review the procedures outlined below.

Late Adding a Course:

• Eligibility: Students who wish to late add a course (approvals required as indicated on the online form).
• Process: Submit a Late Course Change Request Form to obtain any required approvals.
  • Independent Study Reminder: Independent Study courses default to 1 credit hour. If wanting to enroll for more than one credit hour, please indicate in the notes of the Late Course Change Request Form. 
• Deadline: The last day to request a late add is the final day of instruction for the course.

Late Dropping a Course:

• Eligibility: Students may request a late drop only for extraordinary circumstances beyond their control (e.g., medical emergencies) that directly affected performance in the specific course (Student Code 3-311 Part d-2).
• Process:
  • Meet with a College Advisor (virtually or in person) to discuss your situation.
  • Advisor will submit a Late Course Drop Petition.
  • Students will provide a student narrative detailing the extenuating circumstances, the impact on their course, and any supporting documentation.
    • Narratives must be submitted within 5 business days; incomplete submissions will cancel the late drop request.
  • A College Committee reviews the petition and communicates the outcome via email.
• Deadline: The last day to request a late drop is the final day of instruction.
• Note:
  • Approval is not guaranteed. International students or those receiving financial aid should consult with ISSS or OSFA as applicable.
  • This process could take up to three weeks. 

Students should ONLY use the Grainger Drop Portal if Self-Service system cannot be used.  Students will use the Grainger Drop Portal to drop below 12 hours, if there is a college hold, or if graduating.  The Grainger Drop Portal will only be available through the drop deadline.  

1. Log into the Grainger Drop Portal to request a course drop.
2. Input the requested course information.
3. Once submitted, please schedule an appointment or stop by Grainger Express Advising to meet with a college advisor. 
4. Students can meet (virtually or in-person) with a College Advisor/Dean in The Grainger Academic Advising Center to discuss the situation.   The College Advisor/Dean will review and make decision about approval.   
5. Make sure to cancel any unwanted requests.

To determine if the request has been processed, visit UI-Integrate to view the schedule. The Grainger Drop Portal keeps track of the list of all requests made via the Grainger Drop Portal for the current semester, and their current status.

• Not all requested changes will be approved.
• Enrolling in extra courses with the intention of dropping some later is strongly discouraged. Drop requests under these circumstances may be denied after the tenth day of classes. Overload requests for this purpose will not be approved.

• When dropping a course, check the Class Schedule for co-requisites for enrolled courses. Drop requests of co-requisite courses may require additional documentation and may be denied.

• The Grainger Drop Portal is telling me to print a form and get signatures on the form; what do I do?
  No need to print a form. Simply generate a PDF version that you can send to the different units/Advisors for digital signatures, in the order specified on the form. On your last stop (College Advisors/Deans in 4th Floor of Grainger Library), the College Advisor/Dean you meet with will ask you to show the form with all needed approvals, other than the College Engineering Dean/Advisor (last step/signature).
• I want to drop a class "with W" after the drop deadline, will my request automatically be approved?
  Requesting a drop after the deadline is not guaranteed. You must have extraordinary circumstances beyond your control that affected your academic performance and are well documented. If your drop request is approved, you will get a 'W' on your transcript. 
• What is a 'W' and how does that affect me?
   A 'W' indicates that you registered and subsequently dropped the class and will appear on your transcript. It does not factor in your GPA. Some professional schools (such as law or medical) will evaluate 'W' grades as failing grades. 
• I have questions, where do I go?
  You may either email engineering@illinois.edu or ask to meet with an advisor. See go.grainger.illinois.edu/UPOAdvising. The advising team in the Undergraduate Programs Office handles all academic matters.  We are here to help, guide and assist. We will work with you and help you find solutions.
• I have been advised to "see a Dean", where do I go?
  We are in The Grainger Academic Advising Center (4^th Floor of Grainger Library, East Wing) or see go.grainger.illinois.edu/UPOAdvising.  We have a Dean on Duty Monday - Friday from 1-4pm. The advising team in UPO handles all academic matters for the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs.