Six Course Drop FAQ

Students who enroll as entering freshmen or first-time in college students in undergraduate courses offered through a public institution of higher education for the first time during the Fall 2007 semester or any subsequent semester are subject to the six-course drop limit restrictions.

Students who enroll as an entering freshman at a Texas public institution during the Fall 2007 semester or subsequent semester are considered first time in college and are subject to by the six-course drop limit.

Students who enrolled at a Texas public institution before the Fall 2007 semester are exempt from this legislation. Students who elect to use the provisions of Academic Fresh Start who have coursework prior to the Fall 2007 semester are grandfathered and are not subject to TEC 51.907. Students who have completed a baccalaureate degree at any recognized public or private institution are not considered affected students whether or not they take additional courses.

A course drop, which will be recorded on the transcript, is defined as an affected credit course not completed by an undergraduate student who:

1. is enrolled in the course at the census date*, and
2. Will receive a non-punitive grade of W.

*The Census date varies according to the length of the course. The most common course lengths are listed below:

When determining a class schedule for a term, students need to choose carefully the courses they plan to take. When determining the proper course load for a term, students should take into consideration outside factors which may affect their performance such as their work schedule and/or their extra-curricular activities. Students considering dropping a course are to contact one of the following, preferably in the order listed: Instructor, Advisor, Division Director or Program Director.

Complete withdrawals are not subject to the six drop course limit.

Yes, some courses are excluded from the legislation. For example, developmental courses are excluded from the six-course drop limit.

Some drops may be eligible for exemption for certain situations as severe illness, responsibility for the care of a sick family member, death of a family member, or a call to active military duty. See attached policy for more information.

You must complete the Request for Drop Exemption Form and provide appropriate documentation. See attached policy for more information.

The state of Texas provides higher education institutions funding based on the total number of credit hours that students are taking at the institution. When a student drops a course from which the institution has already received funding, the state loses the investment it has made to the institution for that student in that course. In other words, the state will provide funding again for the second attempt by the student for the same course. So in a sense, the state has lost money by having to award funding to the institution for the repeated attempt by the student.

The state has partially addressed this loss in funding by restricting the funding awards to the institution for a course that a student has attempted three or more times. Although the state will not award funding, the state has allowed institutions to charge additional fees for students who attempt the same course three or more times.

By restricting the total number of drops a student can have in his/her academic career, the state will save funding dollars that would have otherwise been spent in multiple attempts of the same course.