Changes to your Program, Plan or Certificate

For each course, there are two drop deadlines of which you should be aware. The first deadline is the date the course must be dropped on SOLUS to receive a full refund of the course fee (this is called the Financial Drop deadline). The second deadline is the last date to be able to drop the course on SOLUS (this is the Academic Drop Deadline); once this deadline has passed, you will not be able to drop the course. If you drop a course after the Financial deadline but before the Academic deadline, you will receive a partial refund; the earlier the date, the more the refund. Contact the Office of the University Registrar for details on fee refunds. See our Important Dates Calendar for both dates >

Adding a Course After the Last Official Date

Students wishing to add a course(s) after the last official published date for adding course(s) may appeal to the Associate Dean (Academic) to be granted permission to add the course(s). Students may not attend the desired course(s) unless and until the appeal to add the course is approved by the Associate Dean (Academic). Academic Regulation 6.1 states that a student "must be registered in a class(es) to be eligible to attend or otherwise participate in lectures, laboratories, tutorials, tests and examinations associated with the class(es)."

See Appeal Regulations Section 3 for more information on appealing matters other than those related to Academic Integrity.

The following material must be included as a part of the appeal:

• Submit an online Appeal
• A letter of explanation clearly demonstrating the significant extenuating circumstances, beyond the student’s control, which prevented him or her from adding the course(s) by the published deadlines.
• Written support from the course instructor and Undergraduate Chair from department offering the course that documents that both are aware of the student’s wish to add the course(s) late and that they do not expect that the student will have difficulty in catching up on missed materials. The course instructor and Undergraduate Chair may e-mail their statements to f2deans@queensu.ca.
• Supporting documentation/letter from an appropriate professional that clearly indicates ways in which the extenuating circumstances directly affected the student’s ability to add the course(s) during the published deadlines. Students are advised to submit an Off-campus Physician's Note [PDF] if requesting support from a medical professional outside of Health, Counselling and Disability Services.

TIME LIMIT: An appeal to add a course must be submitted to the Arts and Science Faculty Office within 21 calendar days of the first day in which the course is offered.

Dropping a Course After the Last Official Date

Students wishing to drop a course(s) after the last official published date for dropping course(s) may appeal to the Associate Dean (Academic) to be granted permission to drop the course(s). Note that courses in which a student has received a passing grade may not be dropped. Instead students should consider an appeal for CR standing (see Academic Regulation 10.2.2).  For more information about Absence and Missed Course Work, see Academic Regulation 6.3).

A Note on Extenuating Circumstances and Late Course Drops:
The Associate Dean (Academic) will grant appeals where extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control have prevented a student from dropping a course within the published deadline. The following examples illustrate what is or is not considered an extenuating circumstance for dropping a course or courses:

Circumstances not beyond a student's control include the following:
NO = You are an upper-year student and you have not received any type of verbal or written feedback concerning your performance in the course prior to the drop deadline.
NO = You have over-committed yourself by taking on additional work shifts, running for election, serving on student government or other committees, etc.
NO = You are ill earlier in the term (but not in the week or so preceding the deadline).

Extenuating circumstances beyond a student's control include the following:

YES = You or a family member suddenly became quite ill (near the deadline date), or have (has) been ill over a lengthy period of time making it impossible to continue your studies.
YES = You are in university for the first time and have not received any type of verbal or written feedback concerning your performance in the course prior to the drop deadline.
YES = You have suddenly developed a serious personal problem which is consuming much of your time and energy making it impossible to continue your studies.

Students may wish to take time away from school for a variety of reasons. If you make this decision before you have registered in the upcoming academic session, there are no forms to fill out to do this; you simply do not participate in the registration process. However, note that if you are in receipt of a scholarship or bursary, you may wish to speak to Student Awards to arrange a deferral of the funding until you return.  If you have participated in the course selection period in July but not yet made your tuition payment, you are still required to drop your courses.  These courses are considered active so tuition charges will apply and they will appear on your transcript with a failing grade, if abandoned.

There are times when a leave of absence from studies is unplanned. If, during the academic session, an illness or other extenuating circumstances will prevent you from attending class, attending an exam, or handing in an assignment, you must contact your instructor(s) and teaching assistants directly to make alternative arrangements. You should speak to an academic advisor in the Faculty of Arts and Science Student Services Office if you will need to be absent from your studies for a long period of time, or over a significant period of the academic session, such as midterms or final exams. Make sure to obtain doctors' notes or other relevant supporting documentation to verify that the time you are taking away from your studies is indeed medically necessary. Your instructors may wish to see your doctor's note upon your return, and it is within their rights to require you to provide that documentation.

If you have a parent or other representative call on your behalf, remember that they will not be able to discuss your academic or financial information with the University unless you have specifically designated access rights to them on your SOLUS account.

If you are away from your studies for an entire academic session or more, and have not attended another post-secondary institution during your time away, please notify the Faculty of Arts and Science Office by submitting a Return to Studies Form when you are ready to take classes again. No matter how long your leave of absence may be, you can resume your studies. However, along with all students registering in the academic session in which you wish to return, your record must be academically competitive and meet departmental requirements for proceeding in your concentration for that session.

Remember that you need to receive a Letter of Permission from the Faculty in order to take any courses at another post-secondary institution while you are away from Queen's. For more information download the PDF application for a Letter of Permission to take courses at a Canadian university or college. For international institutions, click here. Taking courses elsewhere without a Letter of Permission can jeopardize your status as an admitted student at Queen's.