Occasionally, departments and programs may need to cancel courses or course sections after students have enrolled. This may be because of low enrollment or a sudden and unanticipated staffing issue. Below are the policies and procedures for cancelling courses.
Canceling courses directly affects individual students and an unexpected reduction in credits will cause problems for some students. For example;
International students must be enrolled full-time enrollment to maintain F-1 visa status.
Students with scholarships or loans need to maintain full time enrollment to retain their scholarships or defer their loans.
Students on academic probation may have made specific plans with their advisor to remediate performance problems or to make progress relative to identified performance milestones
Athletes must meet credit limits to remain eligible to compete.
Students may be taking required courses that are offered in a particular pattern, and which can only be taken in a particular sequence.
Summer term students may be completing degree requirements prior to entering graduate school or a post-baccalaureate professional program.
Because of these potential effects, and effects on instructors who were assigned, departments must request permission from L&S to cancel classes once we are past certain enrollment dates. L&S will confirm that:
All possibilities have been exhausted before canceling a high-enrollment course
The Department Chair/Program Director, unit-level Curriculum Committee, and/or Undergraduate or Graduate Program administrators and program advisors have been consulted as decisions are made.
the workload of the instructor has been adjusted accordingly (especially for low enrollment cancellations
L&S Human Resources, the Divisional Associate Dean, or the Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning Administration have been consulted, as necessary.
Fall & Spring Terms: Procedures for canceling a class with enrollments
Classes with no enrollment: Courses without any enrollment may be cancelled without further permission. Depending on instructor’s the obligations to their payrolling department, the department may need to be reassigned to other courses/duties.
To cancel a class section with student enrollments:
Prior to July 15 (Fall term) or January 1 (Spring Term), follow the steps below:
Notify students, as soon as possible. See the "Departmental Messages" section for expectations.
Email Associate Dean Shirin Malekpour about the department's plans.
After these steps are completed you may work with Registrar’s Office to cancel the class. (They will ask for evidence you have completed these two steps)
After July 15 (Fall Term) or Jan 1 (Spring Term): If enrollment is sufficient to offer a course, departments should make every effort to do so. Otherwise:
Request permission from L&S, via the Course Cancellation form or by contacting L&S Associate Dean Shirin Malekpour. Your request should include your plan for notifying students, moving students to other sections or courses (if possible), and reassignment of the instructor (if appropriate).
After approval, you may communicate with students and work with the Registrar's Office to cancel the class (the Registrar's Office will not cancel a class until it has approval)
Departments are responsible for notifying students. Please see the expectations for departmental messages to students below.
Summer Term: Procedures for canceling a class with enrollments
Cancellation of any Summer Term Class section requires L&S TLA approval. Submit all cancellation requests using the Course Cancellation & Non-standard Times form.
Important: Monday May 5, 2025 is the deadline to cancel an appointment for Faculty or Renewable Academic Staff instructors.
Process for canceling sections
Courses without enrollment: Notify L&S by Tuesday April 29, 2025.
Courses with enrollment: Contact Rob Schultz as soon as you think a course with enrollment needs to be canceled.
After approval for course cancellation, please:
Notify students as early as possible to inform them of the cancellation.
Prompt notification is particularly important for international students who must maintain enrollment to maintain their visa status.
Include appropriate alternatives for students who are enrolled in year-round graduate programs, who need to maintain their progress toward completion of their degrees.
Contact the curricular contact to get the class roster with certain information that is not directly available to the department.
Forward the course cancellation approval from L&S TLA to the RO Curricular Services team.
Follow up with HR to address the instructor's appointment.
Departmental Messages to Students about Class Cancellation
Messages to students about class cancellation should include the following information:
A clear statement that the course has been canceled.
Offer alternatives (if any exist).
Offer departmental contact information for questions.
Encourage students to reach out to their advisor if they need assistance selecting and enrolling in another course.
Remind students that cancellation may affect their full-time status, and depending on their individual circumstances, may affect athletic eligibility, financial aid, veteran's benefits, visa status, or progress to degree.
L&S Contact
For more information about the L&S course cancellation policy, please contact Shirin Malekpour, Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning Administration.
