SECTION 4.9. Limitations on the Number of Courses that May be Dropped Under Certain Circumstances by Undergraduate Students

(a) Beginning with the fall 2007 academic term, and applying to students who enroll in higher education for the first time during the fall 2007 academic term or any term subsequent to the fall 2007 term, an institution of higher education may not permit an undergraduate student a total of more than six dropped courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education, unless:

(1) the institution has adopted a policy under which the maximum number of courses a student is permitted to drop is less than six; or

(2) a disaster declared by the governor results in cessation or limitation of in-person course attendance by students at the institution of a duration determined by the institution to significantly affect the student's ability to participate in course work with consideration of the length of time of the cessation or limitation of in-person course attendance, the type of courses, and the personal circumstances of students affected by the disaster; or

(3) the student shows good cause for dropping more than that number, including but not limited to a showing of:

(A) a severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student's ability to satisfactorily complete the course;

(B) the student's responsibility for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person if the provision of that care affects the student's ability to satisfactorily complete the course;

(C) 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;

(D) the active duty service as a member of the Texas National Guard or the armed forces of the United States of either the student or 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 active military service is considered to be a showing of good cause;

(E) the change of the student's work schedule that is beyond the control of the student, and that affects the student's ability to satisfactorily complete the course; or

(F) other good cause as determined by the institution of higher education.

(4) the enrollment is for a student who qualifies for a seventh course enrollment, who:

(A) has reenrolled at the institution following a break in enrollment from the institution or another institution of higher education covering at least the 24-month period preceding the first class day of the initial semester or other academic term of the student's reenrollment; and

(B) successfully completed at least 50 semester credit hours of course work at an institution of higher education that are not exempt from the limitation on formula funding set out in §13.104(1) - (6) of this title (relating to Exemptions for Excess Hours) before that break in enrollment.

(b) For purposes of this section, a "member of the student's family" is defined to be the student's spouse, child, grandchild, father, mother, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, first cousin, step-parent, step-child, or step-sibling; a "person who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student" is defined to include any other relative within the third degree of consanguinity, plus close friends, including but not limited to roommates, housemates, classmates, or other persons identified by the student, for approval by the institution on a case-by-case basis.

(c) For purposes of this section, a "grade" is defined to be the indicator, usually a letter like A, B, C, D, or F, or P (for pass) assigned upon the student's completion of a course. A "grade" indicates either that the student has earned and will be awarded credit, if the student has completed the course requirements successfully; or that the student remained enrolled in the course until the completion of the term or semester but failed to provide satisfactory performance required to be awarded credit. A "grade" under this definition does not include symbols to indicate that the course has been left incomplete, whether those symbols indicate a negotiated temporary suspension of the end-of-term deadline for completion of the course requirements commonly designated as "incomplete" status, a dropped course under the conditions designated for this section, or a withdrawal from the institution.

(d) An institution of higher education may not count toward the number of courses permitted to be dropped a course that the student dropped:

(1) while enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program previously earned by the student; or

(2) a dual credit or dual enrollment course that a student dropped before graduating from high school.

(e) Each institution of higher education shall adopt a policy and procedure for determining a showing of good cause as specified in subsection (a) of this section and shall provide a copy of the policy to the Coordinating Board.

(f) Each institution of higher education shall publish the policy adopted under this section in its catalogue and other print and Internet-based publications as appropriate for the timely notification of students.

Source Note: The provisions of this §4.9 adopted to be effective May 22, 2019, 44 TexReg 2451; amended to be effective November 11, 2021, 46 TexReg 7599; amended to be effective February 15, 2024, 49 TexReg 663