Registration

Please pay specific attention to Add/Drop deadlines.

Students may add courses online for the first five days of classes only. In the second week of classes, a student must obtain the instructor’s permission via a course eligibility waiver to add, even if there are open seats in the class. Students may continue to drop courses online through the full two-week add/drop period.

You are responsible for the accuracy of course registration and for processing changes by the appropriate deadlines. You will not be permitted access to make changes online after the close of the add/drop period.

Permission of the Academic Board is required in order to add or drop a course after the deadlines by submitting a Petition. Visit The Academic Board section of the Class Deans webpage for more information and for a link to the Petition.

Please note; there is a $35 late fee charged for any approved petition to add or drop a course after the deadlines.

With permission of the instructor, a student may option to change a letter grade to Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) in a course, or use the option to change Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) course to a letter grade by completing the Change of Grading Option Form. You may change the grading option of a full semester Smith course until the end of the ninth week of the semester. 

Students wishing to change the grading option of a Five College course should follow the deadline of the host institution, following that college’s deadlines and procedures, the Smith deadline applies to Smith courses only.

You may drop courses through the add/drop period on Workday. After add/drop is over you may drop a full semester course until the end of the fifth week of classes by using the Drop Form found on the Registrar’s website. Deadlines for half semester courses are different. All deadlines are posted on the Registrar’s Office website. You will need approval from your adviser and the instructor of the course. 

You must remain in at least 12 credits for the semester and 8 of those credits must be on the Smith campus. For Ada Comstock Scholars, half of your credits must be on the Smith campus.

A free drop allows you to drop a full semester class from your record in the current semester up until the end of the ninth week of classes, see the Registrar’s Office website for half-semester course deadlines which are different. You are allowed two opportunities to free drop a course during your time at Smith: the first only during your first year (if you do not use it, it disappears), and the second may be used in any semester after your first year.

You can request to use your free drop via email. You only need the approval of your adviser (if you have two majors, then from both advisers) and the approval of your class dean. Instructor permission is not required.  

Here is what you need to do:

1. Send an email to your adviser/s and copy the class deans office on the email (classdeans@smith.edu)
2. Include your name, class year, and the words “Free Drop” in the subject line
3. In the body of the email, state the course you would like to free drop (for example MTH 100, Algebra) and the name of the instructor
4. Indicate the total number of credits you're currently enrolled in this semester and how many credits you'll be enrolled in if you're approved to free drop this course 
5. Ask your adviser/s to “reply all” back to the email with their approval so that we receive a copy of their response (it’s up to you to follow up with your adviser/s)

Once we receive a response from your adviser/s we will then forward it to your class dean for review and if approved, it will be forwarded to the Registrar’s Office for processing. Approval is not guaranteed.

You must request to use the free-drop option by the appropriate deadline posted on the registrar's website.

No late requests will be accepted. You may not free drop a course if it results in your being enrolled in fewer than 12 credits.