The following applies to requests for enrollment changes (add, drop, or grading option change) after the deadline dates for the current semester. See the Office of the Registrar’s Current Student Enrollment Calendar for the relevant dates for the current term.

Policy Details

Effective Fall 2023, Rausser College of Natural Resources (RCNR) students will be allowed a total of two late changes to their schedule over their entire career as an RCNR student; this is not two late changes per semester. A late change is one of the 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 only be considered if the student meets one of the exceptions outlined below.

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

A student's two late changes will be automatically approved if they keep the student above the 12 unit minimum for the college and below the 20.5 unit maximum and fall under the parameters listed above. Any late form submissions that will take the student below 12 units or above 20.5 units will be routed to the student's RCNR advisor for review.  

Students wishing to drop below 12 units must meet the RCNR criteria for reduced course loads and submit the necessary supporting documentation with their petition.  Students who do not meet these criteria are unlikely to have their late change request approved and should consider other options such as the P/NP grading option or withdrawal from the term if multiple courses are being affected.

Students wishing to increase their units above 20.5 must meet  RCNR criteria for exceeding maximum units. Students who do not meet the criteria are unlikely to have their late change request approved.

No retroactive schedule requests for terms prior to Fall 2023 will be considered. Changes may only take place in the current active semester.

Please consider your request carefully and meet with your Rausser College advisor if you have any questions. You can also use this "Should I use the RCNR Late Schedule Change Petition?" set of guiding questions to determine whether you are interested and eligible to use the late change petition for your intended schedule change. 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 this petition process. You are responsible for monitoring your class schedule and grading option prior to the appropriate deadline; you should drop any classes for which you are waitlisted and no longer intend to take. We advise all students to work closely with their advisor if they are considering a late change, especially a late drop, so that their advisor can answer any clarifying questions and offer additional perspectives on the student's options.

Deadline for Submission

Fall/Spring semesters: Last day of classes (Friday before RRR week) at 11:59pm PT

Summer Session: Last day of the session at 11:59pm PT

A reminder that late changes for Summer do not count toward your late change limit under this policy.

Deadlines for the current term are listed on the Office of the Registrar’s Current Student Enrollment Calendar.

If you are unable to access the CalCentral Late Schedule Change Petition eForm, please contact your Rausser College advisor.  No exceptions to the deadline will be considered, even for technical difficulties.  

If your petition requires permission from an instructor or another office, like the Berkeley International Office or Athletics, their approval is required before the deadline or your petition will be denied. If you are completing simultaneous degrees, you must receive permission from your second college prior to submitting the form by this deadline; your petition will be denied if you have not received permission from your second college by the deadline.  See more below.

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).

How to Submit Requests for Fall/Spring

Please read the criteria below to select the appropriate submission method for your situation. Allow up to three weeks for processing depending on how many approvals the form needs to process (ie. Berkeley International Office, Cal Athletics, instructor approval for late add, etc) and check your CalCentral for enrollment updates.

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. 

An image showing where on the Cal Central page to find the late schedule change petition

After you have clicked on the "Late Schedule Chaneg Petition" link, read through the instructions carefully, scroll all the way to the bottom, and click "Next" to move forward with the petition process.

The CalCentral Late Schedule Change “eForm” will be automatically routed to the appropriate offices (Athletics, Berkeley International Office, instructor, etc) for required approvals. Please note that if you are adding a course, your instructor will need to approve. You may want to follow up directly with the instructor to encourage them to take the necessary action in CalCentral. Please review the Additional Factors to Consider at the bottom of this page for more information.

Checking on Your CalCentral Submission

If your CalCentral Late Schedule Change Petition “eForm” is not processed within 24 hours, it has likely been routed for permissions. You can check the status of your eForm here on your CalCentral Dashboard: 

A screenshot showing where on the CalCentral page to view submitted forms

*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.

Special Instructions for the Following Groups:

The following students may face special circumstances to request a late change to their schedule. Please email your Rausser College advisor to inquire about your options. Plan ahead to get necessary approvals and request access to required forms. 

  1. Simultaneous degree students who share a Rausser College major with College of Environmental Design, College of Chemistry, or the Haas School of Business will need to petition through their Rausser College advisor. All other Simultaneous Degree students (Rausser major with L&S or College of Engineering major) should be able to utilize the late change eForm for their request and the form will be routed to each of their respective colleges accordingly.  You must rececive permission from your second College prior to submitting the form by the deadline; your petition will be denied if you have not received permission by your second college by the deadline.
  2. Students registered with DSP and approved for a reduced course load, students accessing support through Path to Care, and students making a late change due to a documented departmental or administrative error, please see below for additional information. These special circumstances will still allow the student to make the change through the Late Schedule Change eForm if they have not already made their two late changes, and a change for one of these reasons which is approved by the advisor based on documentation from the student will not count as one of the two allowed late changes.
  3. International Students will submit the CalCentral Late Schedule Change eForm as instructed. If you are requesting to drop below 12 units, your form will be automatically routed to the Berkeley International Office and your Rausser College advisor for required approvals. Please note that BIO has different guidelines for approval for reduction in units. There may be situations where BIO will approve a student to go below 12 units for alternate exceptions, but Rausser College will still require DSP, Path to Care, or employment verification in most cases.
  4. UCEAP Reciprocity students will not be able to access the Late Schedule Change eForm in CalCentral. To request late changes to your schedule, please email advising.rcnr@berkeley.edu for additional information. If you are requesting to drop below 12 units, you will also need approval from the 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.
  5. If you are on academic notice (formerly academc probation), you are still eligible to submit a Late Change of Schedule eForm 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 their Rausser College advisor before adjusting their approved schedule.
  6. Graduating seniors in a spring or fall semester who are in good academic standing and on track to complete remaining degree requirements in their final term may be approved for a reduced course load. Graduating seniors who wish to go below 12 units for their final semester must be approved by the Add/Drop Deadline; they will not be eligible to submit a late change eForm for a senior reduced course load later in the term.

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 related late change does not use up one of the two late changes granted to all Rausser College 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 concerns.
  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. Proper documentation from DSP will ensure that this late change request does not count “against you” as one of your two, free late changes.

Approved late drops of course work will not result in a tuition reduction since that process has a firm deadline of the Wednesday of the fourth week of the semester.

Students Accessing Support through Path to Care

If you are a student who is working with the Path to Care office and their office supports a late change of schedule, the process is similar to the DSP process for requesting a late schedule change:

  1. Contact your Path to Care advocate to determine the options you may have to address your personal circumstances. 
  2. If it is determined that a Path to Care late change of class schedule is appropriate, your Path to Care advocate 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 Path to Care exception and will not include any details of your personal circumstances beyond the Path to Care recommendation of the late schedule change. 
  3. Submit your request through the CalCentral Lat Schedule Change eForm. Verification letters must be submitted along with your late drop or late grading option change request. Proper documentation from Path to Care will ensure that this late change request does not count “against you” as one of your two, free late changes.

If You are Requesting a Change Due to Documented Department or Administrative Error 

If you can demonstrate that your request for a late change is the direct result of a documented department or administrative error, including a late start date or late enrollment action from the department, your late change petition may allow you an exception outside of your two free late changes. You will have the opportunity to select this as an option within the form and submit any supporting documentation. If approved as an exception, a departmental or administrative error does not count “against you” as one of your two, free late changes.

If You have Already Used Two Late Schedule Changes Previously

DSP students, those students working with the Path to Care office, and students who are requesting petitions due to administrative error who have already used two late schedule changes may not be able to access the CalCentral Late Schedule Change eForm. Please contact your Rausser College advisor to request the drop. If you have already used your two late schedule changes and are trying to make a third change without a DSP, Path to Care, or administrative error exception, you will not be eligible to petition for the change. 

Submission Methods for Summer 

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. To request the late change of an individual course in a Summer Session in which you are enrolled in multiple courses, email your Rausser College advisor to request the change while the session in question is still in progress.

Summer Individual Drop vs. Withdrawal 

  • 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. Submit a withdrawal request by going to your CalCentral “My Dashboard” and selecting “Add a Withdrawal Request” under “Student Resources”. 
  • You can withdraw from one session (ex. Summer Session A) without withdrawing from the entire summer.
  • To withdraw from the entire summer (all sessions in which you are enrolled), you will need to submit a withdrawal request for each individual session. Submit a withdrawal request by going to your CalCentral “My Dashboard” 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 Summer 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 the drop through the CalCentral Enrollment block on your “My Academics” tab. If it is after the deadline, then you should contact your Rausser College advisor to request the drop. 

Additional Factors to Consider

  • Courses numbered 97, 98, 99, or 197, 198, 199: students cannot earn credit for more than four units of this independent studies coursework per term
  • Only ⅓ of your total Berkeley units may be taken on a P/NP basis. This includes units in the Education Abroad Program and UC Intercampus Visitor or Exchange programs.
  • Students may not repeat a course on a P/NP grading basis in which they previously received a letter grade.
  • Courses that are offered exclusively for a letter grade (ie. all Reading and Composition courses) or exclusively for P/NP may not be changed.
  • You will not be allowed to late drop or change the grading option for a course in which you have been found guilty of a student conduct violation. If you use the Late Change eForm to late drop or change your grading option and you are later found responsible for a violation, the course and grading will be reinstated to your record.
  • As of Fall 2016, Academic Senate Regulations prohibit processing retroactive grade changes.
  • Fees for late adding ($5) and late dropping courses ($10) are automatically charged and reflected on your billing statement for schedule changes not approved by DSP, Path to Care, or departmental error exception.

Technical Difficulties/Cannot Access CalCentral eForm

If you are unable to access the CalCentral Late Schedule Change Petition eForm, please contact your Rausser College advisor.

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