This page contains general information about academic advising regarding adding and dropping courses and designating courses as Pass/Fail for grading. See the Registrar's information on how to designate a course Pass/Fail here.
Adding a Course
- Courses can be added during the first two weeks of classes by using ESTHER.
- To add a course after the second week of classes, students must petition the Committee on Examinations and Standing (see Dean of Undergraduates website) and seek permission of the instructor.
Dropping a Course
- Courses can be dropped through the seventh week. Courses can always be dropped using ESTHER.
- In your first semester at Rice, courses can be dropped until the last day of classes. In the Spring semester of your first year at Rice, courses can be dropped though the tenth week of classes. Mid-semester grades are reported in the seventh week, allowing you time to consider dropping a class.
- To drop a course after the second week of classes, you should to meet with your advisor for a discussion of the potential impact.
Pass/Fail
- You can designate a class as “pass/fail” up until the end of the tenth week of classes.
- To designate a course pass/fail you first register for the class on ESTHER, then designate which course you'd like to make Pass/Fail in ESTHER too.
- You cannot take more than one pass/fail course in a semester.
- You are permitted to take one pass/fail course for each full-year of residence, up to a maximum of 4.
- You may not take more than a total of 14 semester hours as pass/fail.
- You may not take as pass/fail those courses used to meet major graduation requirements. If students take such courses pass/fail, the Office of the Registrar will replace the P with the grade earned during the final degree audit. This same rule and process applies to minors.
- Receiving a “Pass” in a pass/fail course does not affect your grade point average, but a “Fail” does. A "Pass" also awards credit for taking the course, whereas a "Fail" does not award credit hours.
- You may convert a pass/fail class to a grade after the semester until the end of the second week of the next semester.
- For more information on the pass/fail rules, see the General Announcements.