Adding Courses
Note: All holds must be cleared prior to adding a course.
NEW - Add without Instructor Approval
Effective Spring 2025, the Add period extends 21 calendar days into each semester. From day 1 through day 7, students can add courses without instructor approval.
- Undergraduates: you may add most classes using BearPAWS until Monday, January 27th, 11:59pm. If you get an error message, submit an online Add/Special Drop request form as the instructor has opted to still require their approval for add requests.
NEW - Add with Instructor Approval
Effective Spring 2025, the Add period extends 21 calendar days into each semester. From day 8 through day 21, students must have instructor approval and are expected to have been regularly attending the class.
- Undergraduates: submit an Add Request using the online form to add class(es) after Monday, January 27th. Monday, February 10th, 11:59pm is the last day to submit an add request without a late fee. Online Add/Special Drop Form is available below.
Students must be officially registered for all their courses by the 21st day of the semester.
Getting a Course Override—Prerequisite or other Course-Related Registration Errors
If you are trying to enroll in a course for which you do not meet the prerequisite or are receiving any other course-related registration errors, you may be eligible for an override.
Consult with your academic advisor about the registration error that you are getting, to confirm that the course is something you should try to complete now.
Submit an email request to the instructor of the course in which you are trying to enroll, except for music courses. Your email should include: your name, P#, course name, section, CRN and reason that you need an override (course is full, you don’t meet the pre-requisite, major restriction, etc.)
For music courses, students should use this override form.
If the instructor approves the override, please forward the email to the Registrar's office the academic department secretary, or Crane School of Music Office for processing; you will receive notification from the instructor/Crane Staff if the request is denied.
If you have trouble reaching the instructor or your advisor in a timely fashion, please email the department secretary (search "Find an Office/Department" in Campus Directory.
Dropping Courses
Note: You CANNOT drop online if there is a hold on your account. You must either clear the hold or contact the Registrar's office to see if you are eligible to drop a course.
Students can drop courses on BearPAWS through day 21 of the semester. This feature will be shut off at 11:59 p.m. on February 10.
Important! If you are planning to drop and you receive financial aid, it's advisable to consult with a financial aid counselor first. You can email finaid@potsdam.edu or go to One Stop (4th floor Raymond Hall).
Certain courses cannot be web dropped via BearPAWS:
- Pre-Scheduled Crane Courses can only be changed or dropped by Crane using this form (PDF).
- Internships require approval from the Center for Applied Learning.
- Tutorials/Independent Study require the approval of the instructor
- Cross-Registration courses require the notification of the Registrar's office
ONLY use the online request form (below) to drop the following courses:
- a WAYS course
- a component of a linked course (for example, a linked Lecture/Lab); you should drop via BearPAWS if dropping both linked courses.
- a course within an Education Block
The special drop form is available until February 10 (11:59 p.m.).
Add/Special Drop
Late Add Request
Only under special circumstances may students apply to add classes after the Add deadline. Acceptable reasons for late add are:
- For classes with start dates after the start of the semester (e.g., partial term courses such as a 2nd half PE class).
- Circumstances that prevented you from adding/dropping ahead of the deadline.
If you missed the Add deadline due to special circumstances, complete this form.
Instructor Drops & Attendance Policy
Effective Spring 2025, students are responsible for meeting all academic requirements of a course and following the attendance policy set by the instructor. This policy must be announced during the first class meeting and must be explicitly stated in the course syllabus. For an online or hybrid course, the first class meeting is the first day of the semester or session or as defined for that course.
Important Note
If you fail to attend the first class meeting or log into the class by the 7th calendar day and do not contact the course instructor within 48 hours regarding the reason for the absence, you may be Instructor Dropped from that course. You will then need to re-register for the course if seats are available.
- For in-person and virtual courses, students are required to attend the first class meeting. By college policy, faculty can initiate an Instructor Drop for any student who does not attend the first meeting of a class and does not notify the faculty of the reason for this absence within 48 hours (2 days) of the first class meeting.
- For online and hybrid courses, students must log into the course utilizing the specified course management system (e.g. Brightspace, Zoom, Teams, etc.) by the 7th calendar day of the term. If a student does not meet the attendance requirements and fails to provide an explanation to the instructor within 48 hours, the instructor may drop the student from the course.
Instructors are not obligated to drop students from classes for non-attendance. It is the student's responsibility to drop sections which they do not plan to attend.
Applying for an Overload (taking more than 19 credits)
Crane School of Music
Undergraduate students in the Crane School of Music who wish to register for more than 19 hours (including P.E. experiences) in any semester, must fill out this form (PDF).
Additional Requirements
Students must be a Sophomore or higher and have a 3.0 GPA to qualify for an overload.
Students are not allowed to take more than 21 credits. (The Dean sometimes makes exceptions to the GPA or credit limit requirements if the student has very compelling reasons.)
Approved overload hours maybe added only after the end of the initial period of registration.
Please note: Even if approved for the overload, you’ll only be able to register for 19 credits during your registration time. You can register for the additional credits after that time.
School of Arts & Sciences
Students must be a Sophomore or higher and have a 3.0 GPA to qualify for an overload. Students are not allowed to take more than 21 credits. (The Dean sometimes makes exceptions to the GPA or credit limit requirements if the student has very compelling reasons.)
If you need to overload for the upcoming semester, please follow the steps below.
- Compose an email from your SUNY Potsdam email account containing the following:
- your full name
- the total number of credits you want to take
- a list of all the courses you plan to take
- a detailed explanation of why you need the overload
- Send this email to Assistant Dean Medo.
Please note: Even if approved for the overload, you’ll only be able to register for 19 credits during your registration time. You can register for the additional credits after the final day of registration.
School of Education & Professional Studies
Undergraduate students in the School of Education & Professional Studies who wish to register for more than 19 hours (including P.E. experiences) in any semester, must fill out this form (PDF).
Additional Requirements
- Students must be a Sophomore or higher and have a 3.0 GPA to qualify for an overload.
- Students are not allowed to take more than 21 credits. (The Dean sometimes makes exceptions to the GPA or credit limit requirements if the student has very compelling reasons.)
- Approved overload hours maybe added only after the end of the initial period of registration.
Please note: Even if approved for the overload, you’ll only be able to register for 19 credits during your registration time. You can register for the additional credits after that time.