Message from: Rebecca Doerge, Provost
Over the past year, I took a deep dive into the Institute’s academic policies and procedures alongside student leaders and academic and administrative groups. Based on our findings, we are excited to announce the following changes effective Fall 2024.
Drop Period
(Implemented and evaluated as a one-year pilot with the opportunity to provide feedback for potential refinement.)
- Students will receive a two week timeframe to drop a course without receiving a “W” grade.
- Any course dropped from week three (3) through ten (10) will earn a “W” grade.
Refund Policy
- 100% refund: Two weeks from the start of the semester
- 75% refund: Third week only
- 50% refund: Fourth week only
- 25% refund: Fifth week only
- 0% refund: After fifth week
Undergraduate Course Repeat Policy
- Students may repeat a course up to two times, totaling three attempts. Further attempts require approval from the Dean of Undergraduate Education.
- All grades will appear on the transcript for the course repeated. The most recent grade received will be used to compute the GPA.
- Course credit will count once for courses repeated.
Additional information about these changes will be published online in the Rensselaer Academic Catalog 2024.
As we enter a new academic year, I wish you the best of luck and encourage you to reach out for help if you need academic assistance, are working to improve your health, or just need someone to talk to. For a full list of resources, visit: go.rpi.edu/student-resources.
