College-level academic terms and processes can be confusing. Below we've outlined the academic vocabulary and procedures you may need to know as an incoming student taking summer classes, which will hopefully help you manage any registration changes with ease. If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Office of Summer and Continuing Studies at oscs@rochester.edu.
Definition: Adding a course is used interchangeably with registering for a course. Both "add" and "register for" mean officially enrolling in a class where you will be expected to abide by the course rules set by the instructor and pay for the course. You can add or register for a class for credit or as an audit.
Process: In order to add a course, you need to complete the instructions below by the course's add deadline. We highly recommend adding a course BEFORE the first day of class (which is earlier than the add deadline) to avoid falling behind on course material, as summer courses are more fast-paced than academic year classes.
Financial impact: The additional tuition will be billed to your student account automatically, and the payment is due 16 days after your successful course registration or one week prior to the start of the class—whichever date occurs first.
This process can take up to 20 business days to complete, so we recommend completing step one at least four weeks before the first day of your desired course(s).
After selecting your course options, you are required to with an academic advisor in the College Center for Advising Services to get approval of your final course selections.
Once you meet with an academic advisor and finalize your summer course selections, the advisor will send you an email with a link to a registration form titled Non-Matriculated Registration Form: New Student Summer Opportunity.
Download the fillable PDF form, complete it (making sure to fill out all the details for your final summer course selections), and save the file. Email the PDF file to registrar@rochester.edu with your full name in the subject line or body of the email.
Within three to five business days of sending your email, the Registrar will send you a confirmation email with your course registration details and your next steps.
Definition: Swapping a course means removing a course from your registration and replacing it with either a completely new course or a different section of the same course. Swapping a course may affect your financial responsibility, based on the number of credit hours of each course, whether you are taking the courses for credit or audit, and when you complete the swapping process.
Process: In order to add a course, you need to complete the instructions below by the course's add deadline. We highly recommend adding a course BEFORE the first day of class (which is earlier than the add deadline) to avoid falling behind on course material, as summer courses are more fast-paced than academic year classes.
Financial impact: If your new course or new course section is the same number of credits as the course or course section you dropped, your financial responsibility should not change. If you are switching your grading basis (from taking a course for credit to auditing a course and vice versa), your financial responsibility will change.
This process can take up to 20 business days to complete, so we recommend completing step one as soon as possible.
To swap a course, you need to with an academic advisor to have them approve your proposed registration changes.
After your registration changes are approved, you will need to swap the course on your own in UR Student, the University’s student registration system. Follow the instructions below for swapping a course:
To swap a new course:
To swap a new course section:
Definition: Dropping a course means removing it completely from your summer registration. Each summer course has a drop deadline and this process must be completed by that deadline in order for the course to be considered a "drop" and not a withdrawal.
Process: If you no longer want to continue a summer class and the drop deadline for your course has not yet passed, you can follow the instructions below to drop the class on your own in UR Student, the University's student registration system. If the drop deadline has passed, you will need to follow the withdrawal process.
Financial impact: You may be eligible for a full or partial tuition refund based on when you complete the drop process. View the Summer 2024 tuition refund schedule to see what percentage of your tuition you can expect to be refunded. If you have any questions about refunds, contact the Office of the Bursar.
Expand the following item to learn how to complete the drop process by the drop deadline.
Definition: Withdrawing from a course means removing the course from your summer registration after the drop deadline. This notifies the University that you will no longer be attending class, but the course will remain on your transcript and a "W" will appear in place of a grade.
Process: If the drop deadline has passed and you would like to remove a course from your summer registration, you will need to complete the instructions below to withdraw from the course by the withdrawal deadline.
Financial impact: You may be eligible for a partial tuition refund based on when you complete the withdrawal process. View the Summer 2024 tuition refund schedule to see what percentage of your tuition you can expect to be refunded. If you have any questions about refunds, contact the Office of the Bursar.
Expand the item to learn how to complete the withdrawal process by the withdrawal deadline.
Definition: Auditing a course means that you can attend class meetings and have access to course materials, but you will not receive credit for the course. You will also be charged the audit fee instead of the tuition rate. Individual instructors may have specific requirements for auditors, so you are expected to follow any guidelines the instructor may have regarding class attendance and participation. In some instances, permission from the instructor may be required to audit a Summer Sessions course. Instructors may decline to give their permission. The drop and withdrawal deadlines and procedures for summer classes remain the same whether you are taking a class for credit or auditing a class.
Process: If you are interested in auditing a summer course, make sure to discuss it with the academic advisor during the registration process. If you wish to switch your grading basis for a summer course you are already registered for, you need to complete the instructions below by the add deadline for the course you are taking.
Financial impact
Before following these instructions, make sure to discuss changing your grading basis with your academic advisor.