Before the spring semester gets under way, take a second to understand Penn State’s policy on dropping courses, and how it can affect your tuition.
- If you drop a course after the semester begins you will be assessed a tuition fee. If you replace it with another course during the drop/add period, you will not be assessed a tuition fee. It’s important to drop and add your course on the same day. The fee will be calculated based on how long you were in the course. You can see this cost on our Tuition Adjustment Policy page.
- If you drop a course which results in a change in your status from a full-time student (taking at least 12 credits) to part-time (taking fewer than 12 credits), you may lose some of the student aid for which you were previously eligible. In this situation, the aid would be returned to the lender, leaving you with a balance due on your tuition bill that you will need to repay.
With either of the above situations, you will receive a new tuition bill after your change is processed. This will happen even if you have already paid your bill during the semester.
It’s very important to try to finalize your course schedule before the semester begins! If you have questions, please contact your adviser. It’s important to discuss any changes to your schedule with your adviser before you make the changes.
Read more about dropping courses on the World Campus website.
