Course and Credit Status Changes, Drops, and Withdrawals

You may add a course, change credit status, drop, or withdraw from a course via online services (see the deadlines below), with the following exceptions:

  • If you are an international student with an I-20 certificate from the Summer School, you can add courses online but you cannot change credit status, drop, or withdraw from courses online. All course drops and withdrawals, even those that are part of add/drop course changes, must be approved by the Registrar’s Office using the course registration changes and Summer School housing cancellation form. See enrollment requirements on the visas and I-20s page for more information.

If you register and pay in full by May 20, you are charged no fees to make these changes, but you must pay any additional tuition that is due. E-mail requests to make these changes are not accepted.

Stopping payment on checks or credit cards is not a valid method of dropping or withdrawing from courses.

Deadlines for credit status changes and course adds, drops, and withdrawals

Course adds and credit status changes (no late fee for these transactions) Monday, March 4–Thursday, June 27
Drops:  
100% tuition refund, course dropped from record Monday, March 4–Thursday, June 27
50% tuition refund, course dropped from record Friday, June 28–Friday, July 5
Withdrawals:  
No tuition refund, course remains on record with WD/WN grade Saturday, July 6–Thursday, July 25
No withdrawals, course remains on record, final grade assigned to students registered for undergraduate or graduate credit after Thursday, July 25

Note: Deadlines may differ for study abroad programs, MCHU S-A, and math for teachers courses. Refer to individual programs or course descriptions.

Drops and withdrawals

The amount of tuition refunded when you drop a course and how the course is reflected on your permanent record when you withdraw from a course depend on the date that your drop or withdrawal is submitted online or received at 51 Brattle Street, as described in the chart above. See Refunds for additional information.

If you are registered for credit and cannot complete the course, you will be assigned a letter grade reflecting your performance in the course if you do not drop or withdraw by the final deadline or you do not request an extension-of-time (EXT) grade. 

International students with I-20s from Harvard Summer School. To withdraw completely from the Summer School after classes have started, you must consult with the Harvard International Office advisor in person before submitting a course registration changes and Summer School housing cancellation form to the Registrar's Office. Withdrawing from Summer School constitutes a violation of your student visa status, and you will need to leave the United States or transfer to another school within the limited time period as advised by the Harvard International Office.

Campus access after dropping or withdrawing from all courses. Dropping or withdrawing from all your courses constitutes official withdrawal from the Summer School, and you no longer have access to Harvard University housing, libraries, athletic facilities, computer services, or health services. On-campus housing must be canceled according to the housing cancellation procedures. If you drop or withdraw from all your courses after moving into housing, you must vacate your room within 24 hours of doing so.

Submitting paper form

If you cannot make your course changes online, you must submit a course registration changes and Summer School housing cancellation form by the course change, drop, or withdrawal deadline.