TEC 51.907 Course Withdrawal Limit Provisions
Effective fall 2007, undergraduate students enrolled at UTHealth Houston are not permitted to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education, per section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code.
Admission Requirements
To complete admissions requirements and to ensure compliance with the Texas Education Code, final official transcripts from all institutions must be received before classes begin.
Institutions Affected
Texas public community college, technical institutes/colleges, health science institutions offering undergraduate course work, and universities must comply with the legislation of TEC 51.907.
Course Withdrawal Definition
The definition of a dropped course is one in which an undergraduate student has enrolled for credit, but did not complete, under these conditions:
- The student was able to drop the course without receiving a final grade or incurring an
academic penalty; - The student’s transcript indicates or will indicate that the student was enrolled in the course;
- The student is not withdrawing from the institution.
In determining the number of courses dropped by a student, a course, such as a laboratory or discussion course, in which a student is enrolled concurrently with a lecture course is not considered to be a course separate from the lecture course if:
- Concurrent enrollment in both courses is required, and
- In dropping the lecture course, the student would be required to drop the laboratory, discussion, or other course in which the student is concurrently enrolled.
Student Withdrawal Definition
A student is considered to have withdrawn from the institution when the student drops all courses during a semester.
Exempt Courses from Limit
The following types of courses are exempt and do not count towards the drop limit:
- Courses earned by the student before receiving a bachelor’s degree that has been previously awarded;
- Courses earned through examination or similar method without registering for a course;
- Hours from remedial and developmental courses, workforce education courses, or other courses that would not generate academic credit that could be applied to a degree at the institution if the course work in within the 27-hour limit at two-year colleges and the 18-hour limit at general academic institutions;
- Courses earned by the student at a private institution or an out-of-state institution; and
- Courses taken by students while enrolled in high school - whether dual credit, early college credit, or for college credit alone;
- Courses receiving grades of “W” when a student completely withdraws from all courses enrolled in a term.
Course Drop Exemptions
A student may be permitted to drop more than six courses if the student shows good cause for dropping more than that number, including but not limited to a showing of:
- A severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course;
- The student’s responsibility for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person if the provision of care affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course;
- The death of a person who:
- Is considered to be a member of the student’s family (spouse, child, grandchild,father, mother, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, first cousin, step-parent, step-child, or step-sibling);
- Is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student (roommate, housemate, classmate, or other persons identified by the studentand approved by the institution).
- The active duty service as a member of the Texas National Guard or the armed forces of the United States of:
- The student;
- A person who is considered to be a member of the student’sfamily;
- The change of the student’s work schedule that is beyond the control of the student, and that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course;
- Other good cause as determined by UTHealth Houston.
Course Drop Exemption Process
A student must submit a written request to the Office of Student Affairs. Once received, the Director, or his/her designated representative, will approve/disapprove the waiver and inform the student of the decision. The designated representative will forward the decision and completed documentation to the Registrar’s Office for final processing. The “drop counter”, will be updated if appropriate.
Students granted an Academic Fresh Start must adhere to this policy with respect to their enrollment beginning in fall 2007.