Late Change of Class Schedule

Late Change of Class Schedule Policy & Procedure

The following applies to requests for enrollment changes (add, drop, or grading option change) after the deadline dates for the current semester (posted on our homepage).

Policy

Effective Fall 2021, College of Letters and Science students will be allowed a total of two late changes to their schedule. A late change is one of the of following:

  • A late drop of an Early Drop Deadline (EDD) course after the second week deadline;
  • A late drop of a course after the fourth week deadline;
  • A late add of a course after the fourth week deadline;
  • A late change of grading option after the tenth week deadline.

Students may use both late changes in one semester or use one late change in two different semesters. Additional requests will not be considered.

This policy applies to Fall and Spring semesters only and does not include Summer late changes.

Late drops remove courses from your transcript with no notation.

*Beginning Fall 2021, every student’s number of late changes reset. This means that students are allowed two late changes from Fall 2021 onward, regardless of the number of late changes taken before Fall 2021. 

Please consider your request carefully and meet with a L&S College Adviser if you have any questions. Research the impact of late action on your financial aid, progress toward degree, or academic standing, understanding that these things will not be checked during petition processing.

Conduct Violations

If you are found responsible for academic misconduct in a course, you are not eligible to make late changes to that course. If late changes are made, they will be reverted (course reinstated to your record or grading option changed back).

Deadline for Submission

Fall/Spring semesters: Last day of classes (Friday before RRR week) at 11:59 P.M. Pacific (California) Time Zone

Summer Sessions: Last day of the session at 11:59 P.M. Pacific (California) Time Zone

Deadlines for the current term are listed on our homepage

No exceptions to the deadline will be considered, even for technical difficulties.

If your petition requires permission from an instructor or another office, their approval is required before the deadline or your petition will be denied. See more below. 

How to Submit Requests

Please read the criteria below and select the appropriate submission method for your situation. Allow three weeks for processing and check your CalCentral for enrollment updates.

Submission Methods for Fall/Spring

CALCENTRAL

You can submit a late drop, late add, late grading option change, or late variable unit change* by going to your CalCentral "My Dashboard" tab and selecting "Late Schedule Change Petition" in the Student Resources section. 

The CalCentral Late Schedule Change “eForm” will be automatically routed to the appropriate offices (Athletics, Berkeley International Office, instructors, etc.) for required signatures. See the FAQ at the bottom of this page for more information.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING GROUPS:

The following students must submit their Late Change of Class Schedule request through an alternate method. Please see further instructions listed in the tabs below. Plan ahead to get necessary approvals and request access to required forms. 

  1. Simultaneous degree students

  2. Students registered with DSP that have used two late change requests previously

  3. UCEAP Reciprocity students

CHECKING ON YOUR CALCENTRAL SUBMISSION

If your CalCentral Late Schedule Change Petition “eForm” isn't processed within 24 hours, it has likely been routed for permissions. Learn how to check on your CalCentral eform

*While you may request changes to units in variable-unit courses after the deadline on your CalCentral eform (ex: if a course is offered for 1-4 units, changing your units for the course from 2 to 3), these changes do not count toward the late change limit. Requests to change variable units are due by the same deadline as late change requests.

Submission Methods for Summer 

Policy

Late changes of class schedule during a UC Berkeley Summer Session do not count toward your limit. You will still be able to submit your two late change requests during Fall or Spring semesters. Similarly, if you have already used your two Fall/Spring Late Change of Class Schedule requests, though you can no longer submit the petition for Fall or Spring semesters, you may still submit a Summer Late Schedule Change Petition provided that the session has not ended.

CalCentral

You can submit a late drop, late add, late grading option change, or late variable unit change by going to your CalCentral "My Dashboard" tab and selecting "Summer Late Schedule Change Petition" in the Student Resources section.

If you cannot access the CalCentral Summer Late Schedule Change Petition “eForm”, please request a summer alternative Late Change of Class Schedule process.

The CalCentral Summer Late Change Petition “eForm” will be automatically routed to the appropriate offices (Athletics, instructors, etc.) for required signatures. Please plan ahead and allow enough time to get any approvals needed for your Summer Late Change Petition. Late submissions of the petition will not be considered, even if your petition is late due to delays in getting the required permissions.

*Summer drops vs. withdrawals

Withdrawing from a session

  • If you wish to drop your only course in a UC Berkeley Summer Session (or all of your courses in a single session), you must submit a withdrawal request for that session. 

  • You can withdraw from one session (ex: Summer Session A) without withdrawing from the entire summer. 

  • To withdraw from the entire summer, you will need to submit a withdrawal request for each session in which you are enrolled. Submit a withdrawal request by going to your CalCentral’s “My Dashboard” tab and selecting “Add a Withdrawal Request” under “Student Resources”.

The deadline for withdrawal is the last day of the session you wish to withdraw from. 

Dropping a course within a session

If you have multiple courses in a single session (ex: Summer Session A) and you wish to drop some, but not all of the classes in that session, check the deadlines for drops on the Summer Sessions website. If it is before the deadline, you can submit a drop through the CalCentral Enrollment block of your Academics tab. If it is after the deadline, then you should submit a Summer Late Change of Class Schedule petition (see the “How to Submit” above)

International Students

If Summer is your very FIRST or FINAL SEMESTER, consult with a Berkeley International Office advisor before making any schedule changes. If you have summer CPT work authorization, dropping the CPT units will result in cancellation of your CPT work authorization.

Technical Difficulties/Cannot access CalCentral eForm

Fall/Spring

If you cannot access the CalCentral Late Schedule Change Petition “eForm”, please request an alternative Late Change of Class Schedule process.

Summer

If you cannot access the CalCentral Summer Late Schedule Change Petition “eForm”, please request a summer alternative Late Change of Class Schedule process.

For live support, you may contact the L&S Advising Virtual Front Desk during business hours (9am - 4pm), Monday-Friday. 

Please plan ahead: L&S Advising will not provide support outside of business hours.

DSP Students

If you are registered with the Disabled Students' Program (DSP) and you are requesting a late change related to the impact of your disability that occurred after the regular add/drop deadline, you might be eligible for a late change of class schedule that is separate from the regular policy. In other words, a DSP late change does not use up one of the two late changes granted to all L&S students. DSP late changes of class schedule can only cover:

  • late drops and 

  • late changes of grading options to P/NP 

To submit a DSP-related late drop or grading option change, complete the following steps: 

  1. Contact your DSP Specialist to determine the options you may have to address your disability-related concern.

  2. If it is determined that a DSP late change of class schedule is appropriate, your DSP Specialist will write you a verification letter that will include your name, SID, action requested, and the course department and number. This letter is required in order for your late change to be considered a DSP late change. 

  3. Submit your request through the CalCentral Late Schedule Change eform*. Verification letters must be submitted along with your late drop or late grading option change request.

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY USED TWO LATE SCHEDULE CHANGES PREVIOUSLY

DSP students that have already used two late schedule changes may not be able to access the Cal Central Late Schedule Change eform.  Please request an alternative Late Change of Class Schedule process, or visit the Virtual Front Desk during business hours if you need assistance. 

Simultaneous Degree Students

The late change of class schedule policy is for L&S students only. If you are a simultaneous degree student, your other college will also have to agree to late changes to your schedule.

See your other college and if they approve: 

  • If you are a Simultaneous Degree student in L&S and College of Engineering, L&S and College of Computing, Data Science and Society, L&S and College of Environmental Design, or L&S and Rausser College of Natural Resources, you may submit your request(s) through the CalCentral Late Schedule Change petition “eForm”. Your late action request(s) will be routed to both colleges for final approval.

  • If you are a Simultaneous Degree student in L&S and any other UC Berkeley college, please request an alternative Late Change of Class Schedule process. 

International or UCEAP Reciprocity Students

International students

Submit the CalCentral Late Schedule Change petition "eForm". If you are requesting to drop below 12 units, your form will be automatically routed to the Berkeley International Office for required signatures.

UCEAP Reciprocity STUDENTS

UCEAP Reciprocity students will not be able to access the Late Schedule Change petition “eForm” in CalCentral.  To request late changes to your schedule, you may request an alternative Late Change of Class Schedule process or email Greg Cera, gregcera@berkeley.edu

If you are requesting to drop below 12 units, you will also need approval from Berkeley International Office. Make sure you consult with your home institution about your degree progress before you decide to late drop a course, or change a course's grading option to P/NP.

*Fees: See the Office of the Registrar's Enrollment page to learn about fees for adds and drops for Fall or Spring semesters. See the Summer Sessions Fees page to learn about fees related to Summer Sessions.

Late Change of Class Schedule FAQ and Tips

Please read the criteria below and select the appropriate submission method for your situation. Allow three weeks for processing and check your CalCentral for enrollment updates.

What are my options if I miss the deadline?

Petitions will not be accepted after the deadline. If you miss the deadline, alternative options to consider are repeating a course in a future semester, requesting an incomplete, or withdrawing if you are having challenges in all of your courses. Review Options if you are struggling in your courses and speak with an L&S College Adviser for further guidance.

What happens if my late drop puts me below 13 units?

L&S will automatically approve a reduced course load for you if your late drop puts you below 13 units. It is important that you check with other important offices if dropping below a full time load may impact your status with them, such as:

  • Financial Aid

  • Berkeley International Office

  • Athletic Study Center

I am a declared student that wants to request a late add or variable unit change that results in me going over 20.5 units. What steps do I need to take?

When you submit a late add or variable unit change request that results in going over 20.5 units, you will be required to provide an email attachment confirming your Major Advisor's approval to exceed the max units (20.5 units). If no attachment is included, your request will be denied.

If you are an undeclared student, you will not need to provide an email attachment.

Monitoring schedule and waitlists

Occasionally, students realize they are enrolled in courses they forgot were on their schedule or didn’t realize they were enrolled in. These cases do not receive exceptions to the deadlines or the Late Change of Class Schedule policy. Students are responsible for monitoring their schedules.

Note on Waitlists: After the add/drop deadline, departments are able to add students who are still on a waitlist into a course for up to two days. If you still hope to enroll in a course on your waitlist, keep the course on your waitlist at the add/drop deadline and monitor your enrollments. If you no longer wish to enroll in a course on your waitlist, drop the course from your waitlist before the add/drop deadline.

How to get permission for late changes

Certain late change requests require additional approvals from instructors or other campus offices. Please plan ahead and allow enough time to get any approvals needed for your Late Change of Class Schedule petition. Late submissions of the petition will not be considered, even if your petition is late due to delays in getting the required permissions.

Additional approval needed

How to get

Late adds or variable unit changes: instructor permission require CalCentral will route your request to your instructor. Discuss your late add or variable unit change with your instructor before submitting to ensure they will approve your request. 
Student athletes: faculty athletic representative approval required CalCentral will route your request to the Athletics Office. Discuss your late change with your athletics adviser before submitting to ensure they will approve your request.
International students dropping below 12 units: International Office (BIO) approval required CalCentral will route your request to the Berkeley International Office (BIO). Discuss dropping below 12 units with the BIO before submitting your request to determine if your request is possible and what additional paperwork will be required for your visa. See "International or UCEAP Reciprocity Students" under "How to Submit Requests" above.
DSP Students: DSP approval needed for change to count as DSP change See "DSP Students" under "How to Submit Requests" above.
Simultaneous Degree students: college adviser of other college See "Simultaneous Degree Students" under "How to Submit Requests" above. 
UCEAP Reciprocity students: extra permissions required See "International or UCEAP Reciprocity Students" under "How to Submit Requests" above. 

Late change of class schedule during an Academic Probation semester

If you are on academic probation, you are still eligible to submit a Late Change of Class Schedule petition for late adds, drops, or variable unit changes. However, you may not request to change a letter-graded course to Pass/No Pass during an academic probation semester. 

Students on a Continued on Probation status should check in with an L&S College Adviser before adjusting their approved schedule.

Late Adds or Variable Unit Changes that exceed the 20.5 semester max

Declared Students

When you submit a late add or variable unit change request that results in going over 20.5 units, you will be required to provide an email attachment confirming your Major Advisor's approval to exceed the max units (20.5 units). If no attachment is included, your request will be denied.

UNDECLARED STUDENTS

You will not need to provide an email attachment. L&S Advising will determine whether you will be approved to exceed the 20.5 unit maximum for the term. 

Is this the same as an "emergency drop"?

Students often use the term "emergency drop" to describe using the Late Change of Class Schedule petition in order to drop a course. However, this term doesn't represent the policy well as no emergency is required in order to use a Late Change of Class Schedule and the Late Change of Class Schedule covers multiple late actions, not just drops.