General Timeline and Procedures

During the first four weeks of fall and spring classes, you may adjust your schedule online in the self-service registration system. If at all possible, finalize your schedule during this time.

Please review What Do You Want to Change? for the details of each transaction. For example, permission is required to add all fall or spring classes starting with Week 2 of instruction.

Please make every effort to finalize your schedule by the end of Week 4, when recorded enrollments become official.

Adding Classes

If adding a class after Week 4 of fall or spring classes becomes necessary, approval is required.

• Starting Spring 2021, students may add a class only with instructor permission through Week 12 using self-service registration. No form is required. 
• For exact dates, see Late Schedule Change Deadlines.
• If you are a financial aid recipient, adding units after Week 4, the 20^th day of instruction, will not increase your financial aid award. Please see What Affects My Aid – Enrollment Requirements.
• You might owe additional tuition and other fees, including nonresident tuition if applicable. Always check your student financial account balance and the payment deadline after adding.

Withdrawing/Dropping Classes

Withdrawals after the fourth week and prior to the final three weeks (Last 20%) of fall and spring instruction may be assigned only for serious and compelling reasons. Equivalent deadlines and conditions apply to summer and winter terms.

If you think that your situation meets the criteria for serious and compelling circumstances for which there is no viable alternative, complete the appropriate Late Schedule Change Form(s).

• The student shall state the reasons for the late schedule change and provide relevant supporting documentation.
• To request permission to withdraw, route your completed form(s) and documents to the academic administrator(s) indicated on the appropriate Late Schedule Change Form. The approving administrator might be the associate dean of the student's major or the associate vice president of Undergraduate Studies based on the timing of the withdrawal request submission.
• Students who wish to be excused from obtaining faculty signatures or approvals due to Title IX matters, including sexual harassment and sexual violence, should contact the Offices of Undergraduate Studies or Graduate Studies based on their class level.
• A decision will normally be made within five (5) business days of receiving the request form and supporting documents. Students will be informed of the decision by email to their CSUN account.
• Students should continue attending class(es) while waiting for a decision.

Schedule changes are not permitted.

Withdrawals, whether partial or complete, shall not be permitted during or after the final three weeks (Last 20%) of instruction except in cases, such as accident or serious illness, where the cause of withdrawal is due to circumstances clearly beyond the student's control and the assignment of a grade of Incomplete is not practicable. A course grade and credit, or an Incomplete grade, may be assigned for one or more courses in which the student has completed sufficient work to permit its evaluation.

As explained at Guidelines for All Students:

• Courses associated with disciplinary action by the Office of Student Affairs will not be considered for withdrawal.
• Withdrawals are not permitted if the student has taken final exams.
• Petitions requesting retroactive withdrawals beyond 1 year of the conclusion of the semester for which the withdrawal is requested will not be considered.

Process:

• If you have completed most of the course work, ask your professor if a grade and credit, or a grade of Incomplete, is possible. Review Administrative Grading Symbols – Incomplete and the directions on the Request for a Grade of Incomplete (.pdf) form and contract.

  Helpful: How to File a Student Form

• If you withdraw, use the appropriate Late Schedule Change Form(s) for your class level (undergraduate or graduate).
• Requests to withdraw under the above circumstances shall be granted only with the permission of the approvers indicated on the form.

A decision will normally be made within five (5) business days of receiving the request form and supporting documents. You will be informed of the decision by email to your CSUN account. Please continue attending the class(es) while waiting for a decision.

A medical withdrawal usually constitutes complete withdrawal from the university for the academic period in question. Medical withdrawals may be granted solely for established medical purposes and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Learn more about medical withdrawals at Guidelines for All Students.

Process

Partial and complete medical withdrawals should be requested directly from the Offices of Undergraduate Studies or Graduate Studies. Please see instructions on the form(s).

IMPORTANT

So that the medical withdrawal can be recorded, do not drop courses online during the online self-service registration period

Students seeking a complete or partial medical withdrawal for themselves, or to care for a family member, must take these steps:

1. For all medical withdrawals at any time after classes begin, complete the “Student Consent and Health Care Provider Guidelines Form,” as explained at Late Schedule Change Forms.
2. If dropping for medical reasons in the first four weeks of classes (e.g., during self-service registration), you may request that a medical withdrawal be notated on your student record. Verify your situation by completing the appropriate medical withdrawal form(s) for your class level.
3. After self-service registration ends, also complete the appropriate withdrawal form for your student group, as explained at Late Schedule Change Forms.
4. Prepare required supporting documents and obtain all required approvals following instructions on the forms.
5. Your request must describe a direct correlation between the medical condition and the particular course(s) being petitioned.
6. Submit the completed, signed withdrawal and consent forms along with attachments, including the letter from your health care provider, to the Offices of Undergraduate Studies or Graduate Studies based on your class level as directed on the forms.

A decision will normally be made within five (5) business days of receiving the request form and supporting documents. Students will be informed of the decision by email to their CSUN account.