Extended Course Drop
Students may drop a total of two courses in their Bowdoin career during weeks three through seven of a semester with the permission of their academic advisor only with one exception: students in their first and second semesters need permission of their student dean to drop below 4.0 credits per Bowdoin's course load policy. At no time may students drop below 3.0 credits during any semester without permission from the Recording Committee.
Students considering using an extended drop must meet with their academic advisor to consider their full slate of options. Using an extended drop is a serious decision that can impact degree completion and should only be made in extenuating circumstances.
To comply with federal law, courses dropped through extended drop or the Recording Committee will appear on the transcript as a W grade which indicates that the student withdrew with permission after the course drop deadline.
To request an extended drop in Workday, the advisor must speak to the student about the student's plan to make up the dropped credit. Examples are provided below with more information about the corresponding policies and procedures.
- Activating an AP/IB credit in a future semester.
- There are Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate deadlines for submitting official scores and regulations from the academic departments for each matriculating class to potentially earn credit.
- Transferring credit from a different college or university.
- Pre-approval is required and the policies and procedures around transfer credit are complex.
- Taking a credit overload (more than 4.0 credits) in a future semester.
- Note that enrolling in a 0.5 credit music ensemble or private music lesson is competitive and often requires an audition. Enrollment is not guaranteed, so alternative plans are strongly recommended to ensure timely progress to the degree.
- No plan is necessary because the student is still on track to earn 32.0 credits and complete all general degree and major/minor requirements by their expected graduation date despite this drop.