Considerations for Students Who Drop To Part-Time Status During The Semester

This information is provided to the student for general information purposes only. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the relevant departments for specific information pertinent to the student’s individual situation.

  • Students who carry 12 or more hours of resident credit in a regular semester or 6 hours in a summer term are considered full-time.
  • A student’s financial aid and/or scholarship or TOPS eligibility could be impacted by dropping to part-time status. Students receiving aid and/or scholarships are encouraged to consult with the appropriate departments on this form prior to dropping a class.
  • To graduate in four years, a student should complete at least 15 hours per semester.
  • Only full-time students will be approved for, or allowed to keep, work-study jobs through the federal work-study program. Students working in department funded student worker jobs should contact the department regarding continued work eligibility prior to dropping to part-time.
  • Only full-time students may represent LSU in any athletic, dramatic, literary, musical or other university organization.
  • Dropping certain courses during the semester may affect students’ Comprehensive Academic Tracking (CATS) status resulting in a mid or end of semester hold. Students should refer to their myLSU account to view their CATS status. CATS holds prevent students from registering for upcoming terms or making changes to a current schedule. Students must meet with an academic counselor to discuss and resolve a CATS hold. Students who receive two consecutive end of semester CATS holds must either change majors or appeal to the senior college offering their declared major to request to remain in the degree program.
  • The LSU W policy allows students a maximum of 10 course withdrawals during their academic career. Withdrawals cannot exceed this number unless authorized by the dean of the student’s college, in which case the student must then meet with an academic advisor to discuss progress toward the degree.
    • “W” grades earned via the following methods do not count in the number of drops permitted:
      • Resignation from the university.
      • Courses dropped during the summer term or wintersession.
      • Courses offered through the Division of Continuing Education that students drop.
  • Students who drop MATH 1550 should visit math.lsu.edu/ugrad/ALEKS to determine if they need to retake the ALEKS test prior to rescheduling the course for a subsequent semester as ALEKS test scores are only valid for a certain period of time.
  • Students who drop a course that is a prerequisite for a course scheduled in a future term may no longer be eligible for the course scheduled in the future. Students should revisit their schedule to determine if adjustments need to be made after dropping a course.
  • Admission to a senior college may be delayed if a course required for admission is dropped. Students should consult the admission requirements for their senior college in the LSU General Catalog prior to dropping a course.

 Departments That May Need to Be Contacted

Prior to dropping to part-time status, students utilizing any of the following resources on campus, should contact the appropriate offices
to determine how they may be affected.

Academic Common Market

University Registrar | 112 Thomas Boyd | 225-578-1686 | registrar@lsu.edu

Army ROTC

106 Military Science Building | 225-578-2371 | lsu.edu/hss/milsci/

Athletic Tickets

106 Athletic Administration Building, North Stadium Drive at Nicholson Drive | 225-578-2184 | tickets@lsu.edu

Tickets are affected by the actual date a student drops to part-time. If a student drops to part-time during a refund period and received a refund, they are not eligible to use their tickets and they must purchase tickets as the “general public”. If they drop down to part-time after the refund period, they can use their tickets. Dropping to part-time in the spring will not affect fall eligibility for football tickets as long student is full-time through the refund period in the fall. The University refund schedule can be found in the current Schedule Booklet on the Registrar’s website (lsu.edu/registrar - Quick Links - Schedule Booklet).

International Services

101 Hatcher Hall | 225-578-3191 | isograd@lsu.edu

In order to be considered for a reduced course load international students must meet with an IS adviser to talk about the process and associated risks.

Greek Life

472 Student Union | 225-578-2171 | greeks@lsu.edu

If a student drops to part time status it may impact their ability to be active in their Greek organization. Students are encouraged to contact their chapter leadership to determine part-time eligibility.

LSU Financial Aid & Scholarships

1146 Pleasant Hall | 225-578-3103 | financialaid@lsu.edu  | scholarships@lsu.edu  | lsu.edu/financialaid

Students receiving federal financial aid (loans or grants), institutional scholarships, or other forms of financial aid should contact the
LSU Financial Aid & Scholarships office to determine potential impact on award eligibility prior to dropping.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Federal regulations require all schools participating in Title IV financial aid programs to have a SAP policy. The requirements of this policy apply to all students as one determinant of eligibility for financial aid. Students can visit www.lsu.edu/sap for the full policy. Students must meet SAP policy requirements to continue receiving aid:

  • Students must meet SAP minimum GPA requirements at the end of each semester which are available at www.lsu.edu/sap.
  • Students must earn 67% of the credit hours they attempt. Courses which a student fails or withdraws from count as attempted
    but not earned.
  • Students must complete a bachelor’s degree within 160 attempted hours.

Students not meeting SAP requirements are notified by LSU Financial Aid and Scholarship. If extenuating circumstances prevented a student from meeting requirements, an SAP appeal may be filed. If a student has an approved appeal, their SAP plan must be followed. Students on SAP plans must contact LSU Financial Aid to determine if their SAP plan will be affected prior to dropping a course.

TOPS Scholarship

mylosfa.la.gov/students-parents/scholarships-grants/tops/ | 1-800-259-5626 | custserv@la.gov 

The TOPS scholarship is administered by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOFSA). Students should contact LOFSA with questions regarding TOPS eligibility.
TOPS calculations for GPA and number of hours earned varies from LSU calculations. Therefore, students should create a LOFSA student account at mylosfa.la.gov/applications/student-hub/ to review information on their TOPS status. The student’s account updates 2-3 weeks after LSU grades have posted.

TOPS Reminders:

  • Students must be full-time through the 14th class day each semester to remain eligible for TOPS. If a student drops to part-time status on or before the 14th class day, TOPS will be revoked. Students may drop below full-time status on the 15th class day or later.
  • Students must earn 24 credit hours by the end of summer intersession to remain eligible for TOPS.
  • Students must meet applicable GPA requirements and can contact LOSFA for information on these requirements.
  • TOPS does not honor plus/minus grading or grade exclusion.

Student Health Center

Infirmary Road | 225-578-6271 | studenthealth@lsu.edu 

If a student drops from full-time to part-time status during a semester and they receive a full or partial refund of the Student
Health Center (SHC) Fee, the student must repay the remainder of the SHC fee to continue to be eligible for services. Students who
drop to part-time status, but receive no refund of the SHC fee can continue to utilize services. The University refund schedule can
be found in the current Schedule Booklet on the Registrar’s website (www.lsu.edu/registrar - Quick Links - Schedule Booklet).

UREC

102 Student Recreation Complex / 225-578-8601 / urec@lsu.edu 

If a student drops below full-time status during a refund period, their UREC membership will stop once the refund has been
processed. If the student is still enrolled at the university, they are eligible to purchase a part-time student membership for $200 +
tax, which is equivalent to the full-time student fee. Students that drop to part-time status after the refund date and receive no
refund of university fees can continue to utilize their UREC membership until the end of the semester. The University refund
schedule can be found in the current Schedule Booklet calendar on the Registrar’s website (lsu.edu/registrar - Quick Links - Schedule
Booklet).

Veteran’s Affairs

1146 Pleasant Hall / 225-578-3103 / va@lsu.edu 

 

LSU