General Engineering Advising Newsletter

Course withdrawal is when you discontinue enrollment in a course after the add/drop period. It places a "W" on your academic transcript which has no weight so you avoid a poor grade and a negative impact on your GPA. A maximum of three (3) course withdrawals can be used in your undergraduate academic career. Virginia Tech does not have a grade replacement policy.

A grade of D- or higher is considered passing in the A-F grade system and a grade of D or higher is considered passing in the Pass/Fail (P/F) system; however, some courses have a higher grade requirement due to prerequisites or degree requirements. If you started at Virginia Tech in spring 2024 or earlier, use the checksheet of your intended major to verify requirements. If you started at Virginia Tech in summer 2024 or later, use the roadmap of your intended major. Check both the Program Requirements and Roadmap tabs. 

Calculators will help you in making the decision of whether to withdraw. 

• Course grades calculator (Excel download). Review your syllabi for assignment weights.
• Semester and overall GPA calculator (Excel download). If you already have a Virginia Tech GPA, your quality points and GPA hours are located on Hokie Spa > Transcripts and Certifications Menu > View Unofficial Transcripts > Transcripts Totals at the bottom. 

If you are currently enrolled in ENGR 1034 or 1054, you will receive a grade of I or Incomplete at the end of the fall semester. There is no weight associated with an incomplete grade. The incomplete grade will become a letter grade of A-F at the end of spring 2025.

The deadline to submit the required form and apply the policy is 11:59 p.m. on December 11. Be sure to review these important notes before submitting the form. When utilizing a W grade, you remain enrolled in the credit hours associated with the course so you cannot drop to part-time status. There are no refunds for tuition or fees for a course that is withdrawn. 

Contact your assigned advisor with any questions.

Winter courses are optional and not required. Contact your assigned advisor with any questions.

Here are a few considerations if you plan to complete a course at Virginia Tech: 

• Search the Timetable of Classes to confirm the course you want to take is being offered and its modality. MATH 1225, MATH 1226, MATH 2114, PHYS 2305, and PHYS 2306 are historically not offered in winter at Virginia Tech. There is no request period for winter courses. Add a course in real time using the Add/Drop system on Hokie Spa by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on December 26.
• Check the winter 2025 tuition and fee table to understand the financial commitment before enrolling in the course. You will be required to pay the engineering fee.
• Review the winter 2024-2025 academic calendar for important dates and deadlines associated with the session. Winter courses are fast paced - two or three weeks - so be sure you can commit the necessary time to successfully complete the course.
• Need to drop a winter course? Hokie Spa will not allow you to drop the last course in a session or semester so you’ll need to submit the Student Withdrawal/Resignation Form no later than December 26 for a virtual, blended, or winter experience course. Submit the form by January 2 for a residential/Blacksburg course. This process will not utilize a course withdrawal. Monitor Hokie Spa > Transcripts and Certifications Menu > View Unofficial Transcript for the removal of the course. Keep in mind university offices are closed December 24 through January 1 but the form submission date is the effective date for any refund.
• Final courses grades are scheduled to be available on January 24 and will not be available in time improve your overall GPA for the College of Engineering end of fall change of major cycle. 

Here are a few considerations if you choose to transfer credit from another institution:

• Winter sessions are not offered at every institution. Also, course options may be limited. You are responsible for working with the transfer institution in terms of admissions, course registration, and billing.  
• There are a few course options at select institutions in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Review and follow all steps in the appropriate section – transferring courses from the VCCS system. Pre-approval is not required. Otherwise, review and follow all steps in the appropriate section – transferring courses from a US institution not in the VCCS. Pre-approval is required, regardless of what is already listed in the Transfer Equivalency Database. 
• As soon as your final grade has been posted in the transfer institution’s system, submit a request to have an official transcript sent to Virginia Tech. Send through Parchment (online transcript services) if they utilize that service, otherwise, have your official transcript sent to the Office of the University Registrar.
• If the course you are completing in winter is the pre-requisite of a course you want to take at Virginia Tech in spring, the winter session end date will need to align for you to have proof of credit in time to add the Virginia Tech course. The spring 2025 semester begins on January 21. The last day to add a spring course is January 27. 
• To add a course in real time during Add/Drop, you must be enrolled in the pre-requisite at Virginia Tech or have credit showing for the pre-requisite on Hokie Spa > Transcripts and Certifications Menu > View Unofficial Transcripts. The credit will not show on Hokie Spa until your official transcript is received and processed by the Office of the University Registrar. 
• Keep in mind university offices are closed December 24 through January 1 for winter break and the new year holiday. Since the evaluation of transcripts is a manual process and may take time, you most likely will need to request a force-add due to unprocessed transfer credit to ensure timely enrollment. Review our force-add video followed by the engineering force-add webpage for instructions by department. Thoroughly read and follow all instructions.
• Proof of credit for any change of major course (ENGE 1215/1216 or 1414; MATH 1225; MATH 1226; ENGL 1105) is due by January 5 for the College of Engineering end of fall change of major cycle. 

The course request period has ended. Students are unable to submit a late request or adjust their submitted request. The next phase of registration, Add/Drop, is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on December 2. More on this in an upcoming advising news email.

Here is the final exam schedule, but verify dates, times, and locations using your course syllabi. Have two exams at the exact same time or three or more exams within a 24-hour period? Complete the exam change request form by 11:59 p.m. on November 20. You’ll need to discuss the conflict with your professors before submitting the form so plan in advance.

Need help with study strategies, time management, or perhaps light math tutoring? We have three Engineering Student Success Coaches who can help! Schedule an appointment with a coach using the Engineering Success Coach service on Navigate.

The first phase of course registration, Course Request, is scheduled to begin on October 22 and end on November 5. This is the process by which you will request your spring course schedule. Requests are processed by academic level, not by submission date and time, so you can submit your course request anytime during the two-week period. Add/Drop, which is phase 2 of the course registration process, will open in December. At that time you can make adjustments to your spring schedule.

How to submit your course request:

1. Watch this Course Request video as it will thoroughly guide you through the entire request process. You should watch the full video, though see the time-stamped sections below if there are parts you need to circle-back to.
2. If you started at Virginia Tech in summer 2024 or fall 2024, use the roadmap of your intended major to determine your course list. If you started at Virginia Tech in spring 2024 or earlier, use the checksheet of your intended major.
3. As of now, the spring 2025 timetable of classes is not available but it will post by October 22. Once available, you can create your preferred class schedule (days, times, locations, and modalities).
4. Submit the CRNs of your preferred schedule on Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Course Request between October 22 and 11:59 pm on November 5 using the above video as a guide. Spring CRNs begin with a 1 or 2, not 8 or 9.

Video timestamps:

• What is Course Request: 0:05
• Verify holds and transfer credits: 0:56
• Determine which classes to take: 1:55
• Change of major requirements: 3:20
• Pathways: 3:50
• How to select your course sections: 4:23
• How to request zero-credit labs (PHYS 2305/2306): 4:48
• Finding the Timetable of Classes: 5:04
• How to submit your Course Request: 5:51
• Course Request reminders: 6:42

Outstanding questions after watching the above video? Reference our Course Registration Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Need additional help? Contact your assigned academic advisor. 

Resigning means you will discontinue participation and enrollment in all of your courses after the first day of the semester. You will not receive final grades in any of the courses. With a standard resignation, “Student Resigned" will appear on your transcript but no courses will be listed. The resignation process does not use any of your three W grades.

Advisor approval is not needed to resign, however, please reach out to your assigned advisor if you are considering or have already submitted a resignation.

The deadline to resign from the fall semester without grade penalty is October 28 at 11:59 p.m., however, your tuition refund is based on your official resignation date. Go to fall 2024 > Refund Rules and Amounts > Withdrawals & Resignations table for details.

You will need to complete and submit the withdrawal/resignation request form which will be processed by the Office of the University Registrar. Please allow up to 5 business days during peak times for processing. Once processed, you can confirm you are no longer enrolled in courses on Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Classic Student Schedule.

Students living on-campus will be required to move out and check out of their on-campus residence hall room. Please contact Housing and Residence Life for more information.

Dropping a course means you will discontinue participation and enrollment, you will not receive a final grade, and the course will no longer be listed on your transcript. Canvas course page changes will occur within 24-48 hours of dropping a course.

Advisor approval is not needed to drop a course, however, you should connect with your advisor if you have questions on how dropping a course impacts your progress towards a degree. Please contact your advisor if you plan to drop MATH 1214 or an engineering change of major requirement course as it could impact your graduation timeline.

If dropping a course will cause your status to change to part-time (11 hours or less) and you are:

• receiving financial aid (loans, grants, scholarships), contact Financial Aid.

• on a SAP contract which states you cannot drop a course, contact Financial Aid.

• a GI Bill recipient, contact the Office of Veterans Affairs.

• attending Virginia Tech on a student visa and you are physically located in the United States, contact Cranwell International Center before dropping the course. Full-time status is typically required for your immigration record. 

• living on-campus, please go to StarRez > online forms > part-time status form. Complete the form after dropping the course.
  
  

Dropping a course may impact your financial aid if you are on a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) contract. Contact Financial Aid with your questions.

The deadline to drop a fall 2024 course without grade penalty is 11:59 p.m. on October 8. If you want to drop a course, you are responsible for doing so on Hokie Spa. If you need help dropping a course, watch 1:45 - 1:56 of our class registration video for instructions. Confirm the drop is complete and the course is no longer on your schedule by going to Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Classic Student Schedule.

Have you tried to drop a course using Google Chrome, but the registration system just spins? Open an incognito window to access the registration system!

Resigning means you will discontinue participation and enrollment in all of your courses after the first day of the semester. You will not receive final grades in any of the courses. With a standard resignation, “Student Resigned" will appear on your transcript but no courses will be listed. The resignation process does not use any of your three W grades.

Advisor approval is not needed to resign, however, please reach out to your assigned advisor if you are considering or have already submitted a resignation.

The deadline to resign from the fall semester without grade penalty is October 28 at 11:59 p.m., however, your tuition refund is based on your official resignation date. Go to fall 2024 > Refund Rules and Amounts > Withdrawals & Resignations table for details.

You will need to complete and submit the withdrawal/resignation request form which will be processed by the Office of the University Registrar. Please allow up to 5 business days during peak times for processing. Once processed, you can confirm you are no longer enrolled in courses on Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Classic Student Schedule.

Students living on-campus will be required to move out and check out of their on-campus residence hall room. Please contact Housing and Residence Life for more information.

Dropping a course means you will discontinue participation and enrollment, you will not receive a final grade, and the course will no longer be listed on your transcript. Canvas course page changes will occur within 24-48 hours of dropping a course.

Advisor approval is not needed to drop a course, however, you should connect with your advisor if you have questions on how dropping a course impacts your progress towards a degree. Please contact your advisor if you plan to drop MATH 1214 or an engineering change of major requirement course as it could impact your graduation timeline.

If dropping a course will cause your status to change to part-time (11 hours or less) and you are:

• receiving financial aid (loans, grants, scholarships), contact Financial Aid.

• on a SAP contract which states you cannot drop a course, contact Financial Aid.

• a GI Bill recipient, contact the Office of Veterans Affairs.

• attending Virginia Tech on a student visa and you are physically located in the United States, contact Cranwell International Center before dropping the course. Full-time status is typically required for your immigration record. 

• living on-campus, please go to StarRez > online forms > part-time status form. Complete the form after dropping the course.
  
  

The deadline to drop a fall 2024 course without grade penalty is 11:59 p.m. on October 8. If you want to drop a course, you are responsible for doing so on Hokie Spa. If you need help dropping a course, watch 1:45 - 1:56 of our class registration video for instructions. Confirm the drop is complete and the course is no longer on your schedule by going to Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Classic Student Schedule

Have you tried to drop a course using Google Chrome, but the registration system just spins? Open an incognito window to access the registration system!

Resigning means you will discontinue participation and enrollment in all of your courses after the first day of the semester. You will not receive final grades in any of the courses. With a standard resignation, “Student Resigned" will appear on your transcript but no courses will be listed. The resignation process does not use any of your three W grades.

Advisor approval is not needed to resign, however, please reach out to your assigned advisor if you are considering or have already submitted a resignation.

The deadline to resign from the fall semester without grade penalty is October 28 at 11:59 p.m., however, your tuition refund is based on your official resignation date. Go to fall 2024 > Refund Rules and Amounts > Withdrawals & Resignations table for details.

You will need to complete and submit the withdrawal/resignation request form which will be processed by the Office of the University Registrar. Please allow up to 5 business days during peak times for processing. Once processed, you can confirm you are no longer enrolled in courses on Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Classic Student Schedule.

Students living on-campus will be required to move out and check out of their on-campus residence hall room. Please contact Housing and Residence Life for more information.

Create weekly and semester schedules. It takes excellent time management to balance all your academic and personal responsibilities. Make copies of our weekly schedule and semester schedule files to create your own. You can also review written instructions on our time management modules (only accessible to GE students).

Classes are your top priority. Go to class, even if there is no attendance policy.  Every class you miss lowers your chances of achieving the best grades possible. If you need to miss class due to illness or an emergency, reach out to your professor as soon as you can.

While you are in class, put your phone down and pay attention. Take every step to eliminate distractions which means you may need to take notes with paper and pen or sit in the front of the classroom.

Review each Canvas course page. Your professor may not utilize the Canvas calendar, so review each course page carefully for required assignments and due dates as well as the course policies for attendance and grading policy. Set aside time each week to check Canvas regularly for any updates.

Submit all assignments. Non-submits = 0. Missed a due date? Contact your professor immediately to explain why, but keep in mind they may or may not accept late assignments.

Study hours. You may have studied very little or not at all in high school, but in college most of the learning occurs outside of your class lectures. 

For every 1 hour of lecture in a course, you should be studying outside of lecture for at least 3 hours for STEM courses and 1 - 2 hours for non-STEM courses. For example: MATH 1225 (4-hour lecture) + study time (4x3 = 12 study hours) = 16 total hours per week should be scheduled for MATH 1225. Study time = homework, completing and taking notes on readings, completing practice problems, as well as attending office hours, review sessions, and tutoring. More on study hours.

Knowing how to study effectively is just as important as the number of study hours. Consider using the metacognitive problem solving technique and the frame routine!

Get help. A sign of strength is reaching out for help when you need it. Seeking tutoring resources and meeting with your professor during office hours is normal in college. College can be stressful so it is important to seek out resources especially if you need help securing basic needs and services, improving your sleep, or obtaining mental health support.

Create weekly and semester schedules. It takes excellent time management to balance all your academic and personal responsibilities. Make copies of our weekly schedule and semester schedule files to create your own. You can also review written instructions on our time management modules (only accessible to GE students).

Classes are your top priority. Go to class, even if there is no attendance policy.  Every class you miss lowers your chances of achieving the best grades possible. If you need to miss class due to illness or an emergency, reach out to your professor as soon as you can.

While you are in class, put your phone down and pay attention. Take every step to eliminate distractions which means you may need to take notes with paper and pen or sit in the front of the classroom.

Review each Canvas course page. Your professor may not utilize the Canvas calendar, so review each course page carefully for required assignments and due dates as well as the course policies for attendance and grading policy. Set aside time each week to check Canvas regularly for any updates.

Submit all assignments. Non-submits = 0. Missed a due date? Contact your professor immediately to explain why, but keep in mind they may or may not accept late assignments.

Study hours. You may have studied very little or not at all in high school, but in college most of the learning occurs outside of your class lectures. 

For every 1 hour of lecture in a course, you should be studying outside of lecture for at least 3 hours for STEM courses and 1 - 2 hours for non-STEM courses. For example: MATH 1225 (4-hour lecture) + study time (4x3 = 12 study hours) = 16 total hours per week should be scheduled for MATH 1225. Study time = homework, completing and taking notes on readings, completing practice problems, as well as attending office hours, review sessions, and tutoring. More on study hours.

Knowing how to study effectively is just as important as the number of study hours. Consider using the metacognitive problem solving technique and the frame routine!

Get help. A sign of strength is reaching out for help when you need it. Seeking tutoring resources and meeting with your professor during office hours is normal in college. College can be stressful so it is important to seek out resources especially if you need help securing basic needs and services, improving your sleep, or obtaining mental health support.

Email is an official communication method so plan to read and review your email daily to avoid missing important information from your professors and other university officials.

Organize the account. Leaving all your emails in your inbox can be overwhelming so create folders for emails you need to save. Delete emails you no longer need after you have read the message. You can also use email filters and rules.

Use your VT email account for academic and career purposes only. Avoid using this account for online shopping or other purposes as it clutters the inbox. 

Review our email module for more tips.

Always email university officials from your VT account with proper etiquette, including a greeting, your full name, and a closing. Remember, standard response time to email is 24 - 48 business hours. Business hours are generally Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (holidays are excluded). You are welcome to email outside of business hours, including Saturdays and Sundays, but please be patient as you may not receive a response until standard business hours have resumed.

If you need to email your professor, be sure to include the course subject and name (i.e., MATH 1225) as well as the CRN which is the 5-digit course section identifier (i.e., 90100).

Have you heard about the Frith First-Year Makerspace in New Classroom Building 170? The lab features over $150,000 worth of equipment that any GE student can use once they have completed the safety training required for a machine. The tools can be used for projects assigned in engineering classes, but students are encouraged to come and use the lab for the sake of learning

Check out GobblerConnect, the university’s online hub for involvement opportunities. There’s info on upcoming campus events and the approximately 800 student organizations, including the engineering orgs.

As an undergraduate student, you have the opportunity to participate in independent studies or undergraduate research.

The College of Engineering has a wide variety of student design teams. Involvement may be competitive. 

VT Engage is Virginia Tech's center for service learning, leadership education, and civic engagement.

Monday, August 26 is the first day of fall classes but you can add and drop courses until 11:59 p.m. on August 30. 

The General Engineering Advising Team recommends utilizing the Registration (Add/Drop) and Schedule system. This registration system will allow you to visualize your current schedule while adding each of your courses as you are trying to finalize your schedule. This registration system is the easiest to use when making adjustments to your schedule, and it is the best system to add any 0-credit labs you might need. Review our Registration (Add/Drop) and Schedule video.

Switching sections of the same course? Use the Conditional Add/Drop feature outlined on slide 22 of the university’s registration tutorial. We also have a Conditional Add/Drop tutorial video.

A credit hour is a unit of measurement for college courses. Courses will vary in credit hours based on the number of “contact” hours, or hours you spend in the classroom, each week. A 3-hour class will typically meet for three hours per week while a 4-hour course will meet for 4-hours per week 

The additional time associated with any course is required each week unless your professor tells you otherwise. For example, let’s say you are enrolled MATH 1225 with the following class times:

MWF 2:30 - 3:20 p.m. in Pamplin 3008
Additional Time: T 2:00 - 2:50 p.m. in Litton Reaves 1860

You will attend MATH 1225 four times each week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Pamplin 3008 as well as Tuesdays in Litton Reaves 1860.

Some engineering courses are major restricted, which means you cannot take the course if you do not declare a restricted engineering major by the start of the semester. Check course restrictions on Timetable of Classes > search for the course > CRN > Course Restrictions.

Some courses require enrollment in a 0-hour lab in addition to the lecture such as PHYS 2305 and and PHYS 2306. Please use the Add/Drop system to add any 0-hour labs you need. Watch our Zero Credit Labs video for instructions.

Force-adds are typically not considered for instructor preference or time convenience. A common reason to request a force add is due to unprocessed transfer credit for pre-requisite courses completed at another institution. Check out our Force-Add video and the force-add webpage for details.

Full-time status is important to avoid jeopardizing some types of financial aid, on-campus housing, NCAA eligibility, and visa status. Start the semester with more credits as a safeguard should you need to unexpectedly drop a course. Start with at least 16 hours, if your highest credit level course is four (4).  If your highest credit-level course is three (3) hours, start with at least 15 hours. Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets recommends cadets enroll in no more than 17 hours in their first semester. 

The College of Engineering change of major requirement courses are your first priority during course registration.  

1. ENGE 1215~: Foundations of Engineering
2. ENGE 1216~: Foundations of Engineering
3. MATH 1225: Calculus of a Single Variable
4. MATH 1226: Calculus of a Single Variable
5. ENGL 1105: First-Year Writing

~ These courses may be substituted with ENGE 1414: Foundations of Engineering Practice. ENGE 1414 is typically taught in the fall semester only. Only College of Engineering students are permitted to take this course (Pre-Requisite: ENGL 1105; MATH 1225; MATH 1226; 19 earned transfer hours)

Visit the College of Engineering Checksheet website for links to the checksheets for your date of entry year to ensure you are following the correct graduation requirements. We also have a resource on how to read a checksheet. 

Review the university catalog for your date of entry year to see the program requirements for your intended major. Go to 2024-2025 University Catalog - College of Engineering > select the department on the left side of the page > select Programs along the top to select your major of interest.

Pathways to General Education is the current general education program. Requirements for Pathways concepts 1,4,5 and 6D are traditionally fulfilled through courses required for a restricted engineering degree. You must choose courses or use transfer credit to fulfill the requirements for Pathways concepts 2,3,6A, and 7, however, some restricted engineering majors have specific course requirements which will also fulfill one or both of your Pathways 3 requirements. Review Pathways information on your checksheet or program requirements.

If you earned an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts and Sciences degree from a Virginia Community College, your general education requirements are satisfied for Pathways 2, 3, 6A, and 7 unless your intended engineering major requires a specific course for the Pathways requirement. You must complete the specific courses requirements for Pathways 1, 4, 5, and 6D as they are all required to earn a degree.

This does not apply if you earned an Applied Associate degree.

Registration (Add/Drop)
Adding Zero-Credit Labs
Conditional Add/Drop
Searching for Pathways Courses
Force-Adding Courses

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