Adding a course at the beginning of the semester is the easiest and what we recommend. After the scheduled add period ends, an open add period starts. Many instructors will not allow a student to add a course they have not been attending. Details can be found in the Timetable.
Students are responsible for any work previously assigned in the class before they added.
Therefore, please consider if you can handle the work before adding a class late. Only during the Summer session are students allowed to withdraw from a CLAS course at any point through the last day of classes without permission. The Fall and Spring semesters are divided into three equal drop periods. The first period allows you to drop the class without any record on your transcript. Ther may be implications for health insurance, financial aid, etc.