FAQs - Undergraduate Course Repeat and Academic Forgiveness Policy

1. What is the Undergraduate Course Repeat and Academic Forgiveness Policy?

Course Repetition

A student may repeat a course for which his or her highest earned grade is a C- or below. A student may also repeat a course, when approved by the appropriate academic dean, for which he or she needs to earn a higher grade in order to fulfill a prerequisite or a course requirement for a degree, major, or minor (see specific degree/major/minor requirements for policies governing minimum grades needed in those areas). A student will have a maximum of three attempts at any one course, where a class with a grade or a W notation counts as an attempt. Courses attempted at Baylor University, which includes courses for which a student received a W notation, may not be repeated at another institution for transfer to Baylor University. All grades earned at Baylor University will be calculated in the term and cumulative grade point averages (see Academic Forgiveness for exceptions).

Academic Forgiveness

A student may request to have the first grade earned (not a W notation) from a repeated course excluded from the calculation of the grade point average (GPA) for a maximum of three courses during one's undergraduate career, where the original grade earned was a C- or below. If a student attempts a course a third time and Academic Forgiveness is applied, then all grades except the first will be used to calculate the GPA. Once applied to a particular course, Academic Forgiveness cannot be cancelled or removed (this rule may not be appealed).

2. When did the current undergraduate course repeat and academic forgiveness policy take effect?

The undergraduate course repeat and academic forgiveness policy was effective with the Fall 2017 term.

3. Will the changes to the undergraduate course repeat policy in 2017 impact grades that have already been excluded from my GPA due to a repeat?

No. Grades that were excluded from GPA calculations under the previous course repeat policy will remain excluded.

4. How will students identify which class/grade that they want excluded from the calculation of their GPA under the course repeat policy?

Once the repeat of the course is completed, Bearweb will allow students to request for a grade to be excluded from calculation of their GPA and will enforce the rules defined in the Academic Forgiveness policy. Special provision will be made for students completing a repeated course in the semester they are graduating.

5. If a student has received a W notation as the result of dropping a class prior to Fall 2017, will he or she be able to take that class at another institution and transfer it to Baylor University?

No. Beginning in Fall 2017, if a student has received a grade or a W notation for a course taken at Baylor University, that student may not take the course elsewhere with the expectation that it may be transferred to Baylor.

6. The policy indicates that a student will only have a maximum of three attempts at any one course. What counts as an attempt?

For purposes of this policy, an attempt includes registration for any course that results in either a grade or a W notation on a student's record.

7. What if a student has already attempted a course three times prior to Fall 2017? Are those previous attempts grandfathered?

No. The limit of three attempts for any one course will include all attempts whether they occurred before the Fall 2017 effective date of the policy or not. Thus, if you have attempted a course three or more times before Fall 2017, you would no longer be eligible to register for that course beginning with Fall 2017.

8. If a student has already had three or more class grades excluded from his or her gpa under the former repeat policy, will he or she be eligible to have additional repeated grades excluded from his or her GPA under the new Academic Forgiveness Policy?

Yes. Each undergraduate student will have the opportunity to have three class grades excluded from the calculation of his or her GPA beyond those excluded prior to Fall 2017. Thus, the additional three would result from repeated classes occurring Fall 2017 or later.

9. If a student takes the same class three times and the resulting grades in order are F, D, and A, which grade or grades may be excluded under the Academic Forgiveness policy?

Assuming that a student has not already used his or her three grade exclusions available beginning Fall 2017 through the Academic Forgiveness policy, then the original earned grade of F may be excluded from calculation of the GPA upon the student's request. The grades of D and A would be included in the calculation of the GPA.

10. If a student takes the same class three times and the resulting grades/notations in order are W, D, and A, which grade or grades may be excluded under the Academic Forgiveness policy?

11. Is there an opportunity for Academic Forgiveness to be applied to a grade received prior to Fall 2017?

Yes. A student may use Academic Forgiveness to exclude a grade received prior to Fall 2017 if the second grade received for the course is for Fall 2017 or later.

12. May I request Academic Forgiveness for a course that was previously taken and has since changed numbers or been discontinued?

Maybe. If you complete a new course that is set as an equivalent course to one you previously completed, then the original completion would be eligible for academic forgiveness within the other standard parameters. For example, if you previously earned a grade that was eligible for forgiveness in "PSC 2302", and retook the course under "PSC 1387", the original grade in PSC 2302 would be eligible for academic forgiveness. However, some courses that are discontinued do not have a new equivalent replacement course. In those circumstances, previous courses will not be eligible for academic forgiveness. For further information, please consult with your academic advisor, academic dean's office, and/or the Office of the Registrar.

13. May a student request Academic Forgiveness after their undergraduate degree has been conferred?

Academic Forgiveness may not be requested once a degree to which the course applied has been conferred.

14. Are Credit/No Credit and Pass/Fail courses eligible for Academic Forgiveness?

No, courses taken for Credit/No Credit, or Pass/Fail are not eligible for Academic Forgiveness, as the final grades for those courses do not impact the student’s GPA.

15. If a grade is excluded under the Academic Forgiveness policy, will it be removed from my transcript?

No, grades for excluded courses will remain on the academic transcript but will not factor into the GPA. Excluded courses will be noted on the transcript by an “E” beside the grade.