Guidelines for Cancelling Under-enrolled Classes | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

The university has a policy on minimum course enrollment thresholds. These enrollment expectations are:

Minimum Enrollment Expectations:

001 through 399-level courses: 15 students;
400-level courses: 8 students;
500-level and 800-level courses: 5 students.

The table below shows the timeline for course cancellations in the College of Health and Human Development:


Semester	date when under-enrolled courses are identified	date of final review of enrollments
Fall	April 30	June 10
Spring	November 15*	December 10*
Summer	March 31	3 weeks prior to start of classes

Once under-enrolled courses are identified, instructors may work with the department head, PIC and advisors to increase enrollment in that class. If the course remains under-enrolled at final review, the course may be canceled by the department head after consultation with HHD Office of Undergraduate Education. The instructor and department head may need to make a workload adjustment. This can include replacing the cancelled class with a class to be taught during the same academic year or assignment to a departmental service project, as determined by the department head.

The decision to cancel a class needs to consider the impact on students, as well as on the College. Summer class cancellations can have an impact on every department’s budget and require careful consultation. Classes that are required for students or classes where graduating students are enrolled also require departments to identify how to accommodate student needs. Department heads should work with advisors, PICs, and the Office of Undergraduate Education to address student needs.