“Six-Drop” Rule per TEC 51.907 (SB 1231)

Effective with the Fall 2007 semester and thereafter, all undergraduate students enrolling for the first time in a Texas public college or university are not permitted to drop more than six courses throughout their undergraduate career. This policy does not apply to courses dropped on or before the census date for which a grade is not entered on the student’s transcript. All college-level courses dropped after the official course census date are included in the six-drop limit to include college-level courses dropped at PVAMU or another Texas public college or university unless the reason for dropping qualifies as an exception. The purposes of the rule are to motivate and encourage students to successfully complete their courses and degree in a timely manner, to minimize the cost associated with degree attainment. Students should carefully select their courses, with the assistance of an academic advisor, and minimize the likelihood of dropping a course.

For purposes of clarification, a course drop applies to college-level courses in which the student is officially enrolled in the course as of census date and the course will reflect on the student’s transcript with a non-punitive grade of W.

Once a student has six (6) course drops that do not qualify for an exception, the student may not be permitted to drop future courses and will receive the grade earned in the course.

Drops from the following types of courses are excluded from the six-drop limit:

  1. Courses taken at private and out-of-state colleges and universities.
  2. Remedial, developmental, or other courses such as continuing education courses that do not apply to a degree.
  3. Drops that require co-requisite enrollment, such as a lecture class with a required laboratory, are counted as one drop. This does not apply to accelerated instruction in which the student is enrolled in a co-requisite developmental course with an intensive reading, mathematics, or writing college credit course.
  4. Complete withdrawal of all courses in a semester in a single transaction, constituting withdrawal from the institution.
  5. Courses not submitted for state funding such as third-course repeats and developmental courses that exceed the 18-semester credit hour limit.
  6. Courses dropped as a result of documented university error.

There may be exceptions to the six-drop rule if a student can show documentation of the following:

  1. A severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course.
  2. The student is responsible for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person if the provision of that care affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course.
  3. The death of a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s death is considered to be a showing of good cause.
  4. An active duty service as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard or family member of the active duty service member or another individual who is otherwise considered to have a significant close relationship to the active duty member such that the person’s active duty military service is considered to be a showing of good cause.
  5. A change in the student’s work schedule that is beyond the control of the student and subsequently affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course.
  6. Other good causes as determined by the university such as Peace Corps or church mission service, institutional academic advisement error, or natural disaster that affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course.

Note: SB 165 of the 87R-2021 Legislature prohibits a Texas institution of higher education from counting courses toward the six permitted drops if the courses were dropped by a student during the 2020 spring semester or summer term or the 2020-2021 academic year because of a bar or limit on in-person course attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill is retroactive.

All questions regarding the Texas “Six-Drop” Rule should be directed to the Office of the Registrar at registrar@pvamu.edu.