Dropping a Course

Thinking about dropping a course?

This is a good time to ask questions, find information, and make a decision that’s right for you. 

It is important to know Academic Deadlines for each academic term; see the Important Dates section of the Academic Calendar for the Final Date to Withdraw from Courses. 

Dropping a course before this deadline prevents the course from appearing on your transcript. Note: Trent does not refund students for any courses dropped after the final date to register in a semester. 

Why are you considering dropping a class?

Grades

Are you worried you might fail this class? Or concerned how this course may affect your average? Have you already checked out of the course and stopped attending?

  • It’s worth calculating your current grade and the remaining grades in the course. You may find that you still have many opportunities to improve your current grade.  
  • You may also want to calculate how a poor grade in this course might affect your overall average and academic standing. One grade may not have a big impact on your cumulative average. See instructions here or use our downloadable grade calculator to calculate your cumulative average.  
    • Calculate your average by dividing the total grades by the total number of credits (not courses). Make sure to divide your half credit grades in half before adding them to your full credit grades. Please see the example below. 
      • You took one 1.0 credit course and one 0.5 credit course for a total of 1.5 credits and got the following grades: 1.0 credit 80% and 0.5 credit 70%
      • Divide the grade for your half credit course in half: 70 / 2 = 35
      • Add this number to the grade for your full-credit course: 80 + 35 = 115
      • Divide the total grades calculated by the number of credits: 115 / 1.5 = 76.67%
      • Please note that the Office of the Registrar does not round up. In the example above, the average of 76.67% will not be rounded up to 77%. Remember that the lower grade in a repeated course will not count towards your cumulative average. If you have questions about your grade average, feel free to contact the Office of the Registrar.
    • Download the GPA Calculator (Excel file) and follow the instructions to calculate your cumulative average (average of all classes completed); you can include potential grades for courses you are completing now to see how they may affect your cumulative average. 

Interested in exploring ways to improve your performance?

Personal Challenges and Stressors

Are you experiencing other challenges or do you have other commitments that make it difficult to attend classes or complete coursework? Is the stress related to this course impacting your work in other courses or negatively impacting your mental health?

Having difficulty completing course work because of factors beyond your control? Talk to an advisor to see if any of these options are appropriate for you.

Factors to Consider/Questions to Ask

Course Load Changes

How many courses are you currently taking? How would dropping this course affect your course load?

  • Will dropping a course change your status as a full-time student?
    • Full-time course load: 3.5 credits or more in the Fall/Winter session
    • Part-time course load: 3.0 credits or fewer in the Fall/Winter session
  • Refresher: one half course is equivalent to 0.5 credits; one full-year course is equivalent to 1.0 credit
  • Example: a student who successfully completes 5 half-credit courses in the Fall semester and 4 half-credit courses in the Winter semester will earn 4.5 credits for the academic year
  • Questions about your course load? Talk to an academic advisor about your courses and your questions.
    • Book a same-day appointment by calling 705-748-1011 ext 7333 (leave a voicemail) or by visiting your college office. 
    • Check the Student Experience Portal (www.trentu.ca/sep) for an open appointment. 

Course load and Renewable Scholarships

  • To qualify for renewal, students must achieve an average of 80% during the previous academic year (Fall/Winter/Summer) and complete a total of 5.0 credits at Trent.
    • A total of 4.0 credits must be completed during the Fall/Winter terms
    •  If you are on a reduced course load with Accessibility accommodations, these course load requirements may be different.
  • Review Undergraduate Scholarship Policy 
  • Contact Financial Aid with your questions

Course load and OSAP funding

Course load and Band funding

Course load and Study Permits for International Students

Course load and Accessibility Accommodations

Degree Plan Changes

How does dropping a class affect your degree plan? Will it take longer to complete your degree? Questions to consider for your decision-making:

  • Is the course you want to drop required for your degree?
    • Do you plan to take the course again? When is it offered again?
  • Is the course you want to drop a pre-requisite for another required course you plan to take next semester or next year? Check the academic calendar for your degree requirements and course pre-requisites
  • How does dropping the course affect your plan of study? When will you make up that half credit or full credit?
    • Options for making up a credit include taking additional courses over the summer or adding extra terms of study. Be sure to make a plan with the course load that is right for you. 
    • If the course is not required for your major, minor, specialization, what other course can you take in the future to support your degree progression

Academic Planning Tools & Information

Use one of these academic planning tools or guides to understand how your degree plan may be affected 

Dropping a Course in the Self-Service Registration System

Once you have considered all the factors and made a decision to drop the course prior to the drop deadline, you can use the Self-Service Registration system to drop the course.

The 'Self-Service' icon can be found under the 'Academics' tab on MyTrent.

Dropping a course: click on “Student Planning and Registration” from the home tab, then “Plan your degree and register for classes” at the top of the page. You can then scroll between your current or registered terms and click “drop” under the course you wish to drop.

Student Services and Information

Financial Aid & Course Drop Deadline FAQs

How will dropping course(s) impact my scholarship at this time?

To qualify for renewal, students must achieve an average of 80% during the previous academic year (Fall/Winter/Summer) and complete a total of 5.0 credits at Trent. A total of 4.0 credits must be completed during the Fall/Winter terms.

How will dropping course(s) impact my OSAP?

Full-Time Students: 
To be eligible for full-time OSAP funding, you must be registered in a minimum of 1.5 credits each term. If you drop below this in the Winter term, your OSAP could be re-assessed which may lead to overpayments, and a change in your academic standing with OSAP.

Part-Time Students:
If you receive part-time funding, you must pass all courses you’ve been funded for in order to be eligible for future part-time funding. If your course load changes and you are no longer considered part-time, your eligibility may be reassessed. 

How do I report changes to OSAP?

Most changes can be reported to OSAP through your myTrent. Please use the OSAP Change of information form under FINANCES. If our team needs further information, we will contact your Trent email.

I've dropped a course but I'm going to make it up in the summer. How do I get funding?

You should review our Summer OSAP webpage to see if you qualify for full-time or part-time OSAP. Deadlines approach very fast in Summer, review this information carefully!

How does registration with SAS and a reduced course load impact OSAP, Scholarships, and my account statement.

OSAP

Check to confirm your disability is on file with OSAP.  

Students with Disability on OSAP, must be registered in a minimum of 1.0 credits per term to be considered full-time. 

Scholarship Renewal

Complete 3.0 Trent credits with average of 80%. 

Account Statement

SAS has provided more information on Per-Course Billing and Reduced Course Load through their webpage

Who do I speak to with questions about finances?

Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishnaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

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