During any full term, half term, part of term, January Session or Summer term, students may make registration changes to their course schedule prior to the deadlines published on the Office of the Registrar website.  

All registration changes are official on the date the student makes the change online or when a written request is submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Specific add, drop, and withdrawal deadlines are listed on the Office of the Registrar’s website. No registration activity is complete until the change is displayed on the student record. 

Adding A Course 

During any term (full term, half term, part of term, January Session, Summer Term), students may add courses prior to the published deadline.  

• For courses less than 5 weeks long, the add deadline is the 3rd calendar day of the part of term in which the course occurs.  
• For courses 5+ weeks long including full semester classes the add deadline is the 8th calendar day of the part of term in which the course occurs. The specific dates are posted on the Office of the Registrar’s website. 

Dropping a course 

During any term (full term, half term, part of term, January Session, Summer term), students may drop courses prior to the deadline listed on the  Office of the Registrar's Website. A course that is dropped by the deadline will no longer appear on the student’s schedule or transcript. 

• For courses less than 5 weeks long, the drop deadline is the 3rd calendar day of the part of term in which the course occurs.
• For courses 5+ weeks long including full semester courses, the drop deadline is the 8th calendar day of the part of term in which the course occurs

​Dropping a course could have an impact on the student’s bill and/or Financial Aid. Students should contact the Business Office and/or Financial Aid Office to determine the impact of dropped classes on their student bill.

Withdrawing from a Course

A student may withdraw from a course starting the day after the drop deadline.  Unlike dropping, a course withdrawal appears on the student’s transcript with a grade of “W.” The withdrawal deadline is approximately at the 60% point of the course. The specific dates are posted on the Office of the Registrar’s website. Course withdrawals are official on the date students withdraw from the course online or written notice is received by the Office of the Registrar.

The “W” grade does not impact the student’s GPA. However, it is taken into consideration as attempted credits when determining Financial Aid eligibility. Please see the Satisfactory Academic Progress under the Financial Aid section of this catalog. 

Charges Related to Registration Activities

The student is responsible for all charges incurred due to registration activity and for any loss of financial aid or change of loan deferment status as a result. Scheduled online sessions count as “class sessions” when determining tuition refunds and grades. Any refund due to a registration drop or withdrawal will be governed by the refund policy found in this catalog.

Exceptions to Registration Policies

Extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control may warrant exception to a registration policy. Such exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may require submitting a petition.

Administrative Withdrawal

The instructor may request an administrative withdrawal from a course if the student has consecutively ceased to participate in 20% or more of the course. (See Attendance Policy for information about what constitutes participation.) Requests are reviewed by the Registrar.  

For withdrawal from all courses and/or re-enrollment, please see Withdrawal from the University/Re Enrollment section of the policies.

Auditing a Course

Auditing a course allows degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students to benefit from the content of a course that is not graded or taken for credit. Please see the Finance section regarding the tuition charges. 

Auditors are required to meet any requirements set by the instructor. The grade of AU is given when a student audits a course. The course grade does not count towards the GPA. The credits are not counted as part of a student’s credit load. 

Students may change their registration from audit to credit or credit to audit only within the prescribed registration period for the course. Otherwise, the student can register for the course for credit in a subsequent term.

Courses that are experiential or individualized (for example music lessons, internships, etc.) are not eligible to audit.  

Instructors may decide not to allow auditors to take their course if they determine it is in the best interests of accomplishing the course objectives. Disruptive auditors can be removed at will by the instructor.

PSEO (Postsecondary Enrollment Options) students are not eligible to audit courses.

It should be noted that students seeking to enroll in a course for credit will be given priority over auditors when a class has reached its maximum enrollment. 

Repeating a Course

Students can replace a previously earned Bethel grade by repeating the same course in a subsequent semester or part of term. Grade replacement occurs when the grade is entered for the repeated course; the lowest grade is excluded and the highest grade is included in the GPA. The lowest grade earned grade and credits will show on the transcript, but will not be included in the GPA calculation or the cumulative credits earned.

If the repeated course is taken at a different institution, the new grade is not included in the GPA. Grades for all courses remain visible on the student's transcript.  

Courses that are designed to be taken multiple times (e.g., internships, music ensembles, topics courses, etc.) are excluded from this policy.