Class Add, Drop & Withdrawal Process

Adding a Class

You may add a course online or in person up to the end of the first day of class, provided the class capacity has not been reached and all registration requirements have been followed. After the first day, you must contact the instructor and request authorization to add the course. Once Add Authorization is entered by the instructor, you must officially register for the class online or in person before the end of the Add/Drop period. Financial aid awards will not be adjusted if the class is added after the Census Date.

You are responsible for any and all missed coursework, materials and assignments. Refunds for students who enter a class late and subsequently drop will be calculated based upon the start date of the class, not the date the student registered for the class. Confirm your transaction by reviewing your class schedule.

You are not eligible to receive credit for the class if you are not registered; you may not attend a class unless you are officially registered for that class.

Dropping a Class

A class drop is student-initiated. You may drop a class without a grade up until 20% of the class meeting times have elapsed. In order to drop a class, a student must complete a drop via My Gateway | Registration and Schedule | Register and Drop Courses or submit a completed Drop Form to any Student Services Center. The drop process is not complete until the Drop Form is received and processed or until Self-Service processes the drop. After 20% and up until 80% of the class meeting time has elapsed, you must follow the "Withdrawing from a Class" procedure explained below.

Non-attendance or notifying the instructor that you will not be attending does not constitute a drop. When you register for a class you owe the corresponding tuition and fees. If you plan to drop a class you should do so immediately. A single day can make a significant difference in your refund amount. Drop deadlines are printed on your class schedule and are strictly enforced. Download instructions on finding the course drop refund dates for your courses.

For information regarding refunds, see Tuition Refund Policy. If you are a financial aid recipient you should be aware that dropping a class may affect your financial aid award and account balance with the college. Contact a Student Finance Specialist if you have questions about this.

Changes in Registration

Changes to your schedule may be made via My Gateway | Registration and Schedule | Register and Drop Classes or at a Student Services Center.  If using My Gateway, review “My Class Schedule” after conducting your transaction to verify that you are registered for the correct classes.

Financial Aid Census Date

Final eligibility for financial aid payments is determined by the number of fundable credits you are enrolled in and attending by the Census Date, which is defined as 14 calendar days from the start of each semester. After this date, adjustments will not be made if you add class(es). You are highly encouraged to register for all classes for the semester prior to the Census Date as no award adjustments will be made after the Census Date – class(es) added after the Census Date will not be funded by financial aid.

Drops with a 100 Percent Refund

If a class is removed from your schedule and you are not charged for the class, your financial aid must be recalculated with the remaining eligible credits on your schedule. Dropped classes will be monitored throughout the entire semester.

No-shows

If you do not attend class, you are not eligible to receive financial aid for the class. In a situation where an instructor drops a student from the class they are teaching, due to the student being a ‘no show’, there is no refund on tuition; however, the Financial Aid Office is required to adjust aid based on actual credits.

If you intend to withdraw from a class, please do so via the Course Withdrawal Form or in person at a student services center. Do not simply stop attending class.

Withdrawing from a Class

Withdrawals occur after the refund period; there are no refunds for withdrawn classes. You may withdraw from a class without an academic penalty up until 80 percent of the class time has elapsed. You can withdraw from a class by completing a Withdrawal Form for each class at any Student Services Center or online using the Course Withdrawal form. A grade of ‘W’ will be recorded on your student academic record. Download instructions on finding the course drop refund dates for your courses.

A student who stops attending a class after the refund period without withdrawing receives an F grade.

Withdrawal from classes does not imply withdrawal from your program. To withdraw from a program, access Withdraw From A Program via My Gateway or complete a Program Withdrawal Form at any Student Services Center.  

Class Cancellations

Gateway reserves the right to cancel any scheduled class or to combine class sections as a result of insufficient enrollment. If this does occur, every effort will be made to notify you prior to the start of the class, so check your Gateway Student Email account frequently. You are encouraged to work with your Academic Advisor to make alternative class selections. Refunds are issued for canceled classes.

Class Availability

If you are interested in registering for a class that is closed (full), you should try to register for a section with seats available. If there are none, many post-secondary courses have waitlists. If a waitlist isn't available, monitor the classes at My Gateway | Registration and Schedule | Search for Courses which is real time and will show immediate seat availability