# Adding, Dropping, and Withdrawing from Courses ## expand\_more Students may add or drop courses according to the the deadlines listed in the [HDS Academic Calendar](https://www.hds.harvard.edu/academics/registrar/academic-calendar). ## Adding Courses Students add courses by using the Crimson Cart in my.Harvard. See [my.Harvard Student Registration, Cross-Registration, Validation, & Enrollment Guide](https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=6af11b09dbf94bc4a752f1a51d961984) for detailed instructions. In general, students must go through these steps to add courses in my.Harvard: 1. Ensure that all registration holds are clear. Many holds such as advising holds, balance due, and immunization holds will prevent enrollment. 2. Check that enrollment is open. It is not possible to add courses when enrollment is closed. Dates vary between schools and the dates are shown in my.Harvard. 3. Browse courses in my.Harvard course search. 4. Use the "Add to Crimson Cart" button to add courses to the Crimson Cart, which is a student's list of potential courses for a given semester. 5. Validate potential courses before enrolling. This allows students to submit petitions for limited enrollment courses as well as check for any other issues such as schedule conflicts. 6. Once a course in your Crimson Cart has passed validation or had its petition approved, **students must complete the process by finishing enrollment. By selecting the course and clicking "Enroll in Selected", students can finalize enrollment in a course.** Students are not considered enrolled in a course until they have completed the entire process. Having a course in the Crimson Cart does not equal enrollment, and students will lose access to courses that they do not finalize by the deadline. ## Dropping Courses The process to drop courses is similar to adding courses, and is completed in the my.Harvard Crimson Cart. See [my.Harvard Student Registration, Cross-Registration, Validation, & Enrollment Guide](https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=6af11b09dbf94bc4a752f1a51d961984) for detailed instructions. Cross-registered courses must be dropped both at HDS and at the host school, in accordance with the rules of both schools. If the drop deadline of the other school is earlier than the HDS drop deadline, it must be met. HDS students taking courses elsewhere, whether at Harvard or at an affiliated non-Harvard partner school, should know that the host school controls the final status of a course and that grades are recorded as they are reported to the HDS Registrar. For this reason, it is important to understand and follow the rules and deadlines of both schools. ## Withdrawing from Courses Courses dropped after the add/drop deadline and before the last day to withdraw from classes deadline will receive a grade notation of “withdrawn.” This notation will appear on an HDS student’s transcript, and the course will count toward the total number of courses attempted as part of their program. Students cannot withdraw from courses after the withdrawal deadline. After this date, any student enrolled in a course will receive a final grade. HDS students who wish to fully withdraw from their program should refer to the page [Withdrawal and Reinstatement](/academic-procedures/status/withdrawal "Program Withdrawal and Reinstatement"). ## Late Enrollment Changes: The HDS Course Change Form After the initial enrollment deadline each semester, the ability to self-enroll in courses in my.Harvard is closed and replaced with the HDS Course Change form. The HDS Course Change form allows students to request enrollment changes and send requests to their advisor for review. After the advisor reviews and approves the form, it is sent to the HDS Registrar's Office, where the staff make the enrollment changes on the student's behalf. After the initial deadline, the HDS Course Change form is used for all changes: - Adding a course - Dropping a course - Changing a course from credit to audit and vice versa - Changing the grading basis of a course (letter graded to satisfactory/unsatisfactory, or vice versa) To access the HDS Course Change form, navigate to your Student Home in my.harvard. Look for the "Forms and Documents" tab on the left hand side of the page. Click on "HDS Course Change Form". Fill out the form and click "submit". One form can accept multiple requests, and it is preferred that students submit all requests in one form. Once a student clicks "submit", the form is automatically routed to their academic advisor, who receives an email notification.