Add, Drop, or Withdraw From a Course

This page includes information about how to add, drop, or withdraw from a course. The add, drop, and withdraw options outlined below may not always be available. You may not register for classes until the registration or add/drop period begins and strict withdrawal deadlines apply. Review the When to Register page for more information about the registration schedule.

All students register for classes through PATH. Select the Login button in the upper right corner of PATH and log in with your W&M credentials.

Undergraduate students: want information about how to build a primary cart and set registration priorities? Visit the Carts & Registration Priorities page.

Quick Navigation

How to Add and Register for a Course in PATH
How to Drop a Course in PATH
How to Conditional Add/Drop in PATH
How to Withdraw From a Course in PATH

How to Add and Register for a Course in PATH

Use the search panel to select the term and search for a course
When you have located the course you wish to register for, select the Add to Cart button and add the course to your Primary Cart by selecting OK
Select the Save Changes button to save the course to your Primary Cart
Select the Submit Schedule then Submit Registration buttons to attempt registration
Courses that you are fully registered for appear in your Primary Cart with a black check mark

The adding courses video tutorial below outlines how to: view your Primary Cart (0:16), search for a course (0:43), add a course to your Primary Cart (0:48), submit your registration (1:38), add co-requisite course groups (1:58), use the registration panel check boxes (2:33), and provides information for how PATH enforces registration holds (3:03).

{{youtube:large:center|czI537q6GGE, Add and Register for a Course in PATH}}

How to Drop a Course in PATH

Open your Primary Cart and select the course you wish to drop
When the course details panel opens, select the Drop button in the registration notes widget or at the bottom of the course details panel, and then select OK. Remember to drop any co-requisite courses simultaneously
Courses you are dropping appear with a red dash icon. Select the Submit Schedule and Submit Registration buttons to submit the drop
Dropped courses no longer appear in your Primary Cart

The dropping courses video tutorial below outlines how to: view your Primary Cart (0:12), drop a course (0:27), drop co-requisite course groups (1:03), and provides information for how PATH enforces registration holds (1:31).

How to Conditional Add/Drop in PATH

Conditional add and drop may be used when you wish to drop a course only if adding another course is successful.

Use the search panel to select the term and search for a course
When you have located the course you wish to add, select the Add to Cart button and add the course to your Primary Cart by selecting OK
When the registration options panel appears, use the drop-down menu next to Conditional Drop to select the course to drop, then select the Save Changes button. Only courses you are fully registered for appear in the drop-down menu
The course you have selected to conditionally add displays with a blue cart icon and a yellow triangle icon next to each other. The course you have selected to conditionally drop displays with a red dash icon and a yellow triangle icon next to each other
Select the Submit Schedule and Submit Registration buttons to attempt the conditional drop
If unsuccessful, PATH will display error messages to indicate why and no changes will be made to your registration. If successful, PATH will display that one course was added to your schedule and will remove the dropped course from your Primary Cart

Please note: conditional add/drop is not available with waitlisting. Students needing to drop a course to add a course they have received a waitlist notification for will need to do so in two separate registration transactions (add first, then drop or drop first, then add). Students unable to do so in separate transactions (due to corequisite, minimum hours, or other errors) should contact the University Registrar's Office before the notification expires.

The conditional add/drop video tutorial outlines what a conditional add/drop is (0:00), how to set up the conditional drop on the course you are adding (0:16), and how to submit your conditional add/drop and interpret the cart icons (0:45).

{{youtube:large:center|S8pGmvKIr-o, How to Use the Conditional Add/Drop Feature in PATH}}

How to Withdraw From a Course in PATH

For undergraduate students, withdrawing from a course in PATH starts with the same steps as dropping a course, but includes an additional step to accept the withdrawal at the end of the process. Graduate students should contact their Graduate Registrar's Office for assistance with course withdrawals. Note that withdrawing from a course results in a grade of "W" on your official academic transcript.

Open your Primary Cart and select the course you wish to withdraw from
When the course details panel opens, select the Drop button in the registration notes widget or at the bottom of the course details pane, and then select OK
Courses you are withdrawing from appear with a red dash icon. Select the Submit Schedule and Submit Registration buttons to submit
A message indicating "Drop Unavailable; Consider Withdraw" will appear in the Registration Results panel. Select the "Accept Withdraw" button
Select the Submit Schedule and Submit Registration buttons to affirm the withdrawal
The course will be removed from your Primary Cart. Review your unofficial academic transcript in your Banner Student Profile to view the "W" and confirm the withdrawal was processed
- If the course remains in your Primary Cart (and no W is assigned on your unofficial transcript), the withdrawal was not processed. Contact the University Registrar's Office for assistance

Related Information

Information about course registration waitlisting and building a cart and setting registration priorities is also available for degree-seeking undergraduate students. The Academic Calendar is available online and includes add/drop and withdrawal deadlines for most courses.

Always work with your Academic Advisor

You should always choose your courses with the assistance of your academic advisor. Before you begin, we suggest that you prepare a list of the Course Reference Numbers (CRNs) for the courses in which you plan to enroll. The CRN is the five-digit number listed in the course details panel in PATH and is unique for each section. Each course section has one CRN.

Questions about Impacts to Tuition and Fees?

Any questions related to tuition and fee charges should be directed to Student Accounts.

Questions?

If you have questions about how to add, drop, or withdraw from a course in PATH, contact the [[w|registrar,University Registrar's Office]]. Graduate students with questions should contact their Graduate Registrar's Office.

Strict add, drop, and withdrawal deadlines apply.