Academic Forgiveness Provision

Circumstances may justify a student being able to recover from academic problems in ways that do not forever jeopardize his/her academic standing. The student’s academic transcript, however, should be a full and accurate reflection of the facts of the student’s academic life. Therefore, in situations which warrant academic forgiveness, the transcript will reflect all courses in which a student was enrolled and in which grades were earned, with the academic forgiveness provisions reflected in such matters as how the retention and graduation grade point average is calculated. Specifically, for those students receiving academic forgiveness by repeating courses or through academic reprieve or renewal, the transcript will reflect the retention/graduation grade point average excluding forgiven course(s)/semester(s). The transcript will also note the cumulative GPA, which includes all attempted regularly, graded course work.

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When Academic Forgiveness Applies

Academic forgiveness may be warranted for the currently enrollment undergraduate students in three specific circumstances:

• • Repeat: A student will be allowed to repeat a course and count only the highest grade earned, of up to 4 attempts, in the calculation of the retention/graduation GPA under the prescribed circumstances listed below.
  • Reprieve: There may be extraordinary situations in which a student has done poorly in up to two consecutive semesters due to extenuating circumstances which, in the judgment of the appropriate institutional officials, warrants excluding grades from those semesters in the calculation of the student’s retention/graduation GPA.
  • Renewal: A student may be returning to college after an extended absence and/or under circumstances that warrant a fresh academic start.

Repeated Courses

A student shall have the prerogative to repeat any courses up to 4 attempts,
including the initial attempt, to achieve a higher grade. Only the highest grade
earned of the 4 attempts will be used in the calculation of the GPA. Any attempt
after the first 4 attempts will be used in the calculation of the GPA. All attempts
shall be recorded on the transcript with the earned grade for each course listed in
the semester earned. Exceptions to the limit to the number of attempts may be
approved at the discretion of the Chief Academic Officer or their designee.

 

Academic Reprieve

Academic reprieve is a provision allowing a student who has experienced extraordinary circumstances to disregard up to two semesters in the calculation of his or her retention/graduation grade point average. A student may request an academic reprieve from OSU Institute of Technology using the following guidelines:

• • Prior to requesting academic reprieve, the student must have earned a GPA of
    2.0 or higher with no grade lower than a “C” in all regularly graded course
    work (a minimum of 12 hours) excluding activity or performance courses;
  • The request may be for one semester or term of enrollment or two consecutive
    semesters or terms of enrollments. If the reprieve is awarded, all grades and
    hours are included during the semester(s) for which a reprieve has been
    requested. If the student's request is for two consecutive semesters, the
    institution may choose to reprieve only one semester; 
  • The student must complete the Academic Forgiveness form (available in the Office of the Registrar)
  • All courses remain on the student’s transcript, but are not calculated in the student’ retention/graduation GPA. Course work with a passing grade included in a reprieved semester may be used to demonstrate competency in the subject matter. However, the course work may not be used to fulfill credit hour requirement.
  • Students who have been granted academic renewal are not eligible for academic reprieve.

Academic Renewal

Academic renewal is a provision allowing a student who has had academic trouble
in the past and who has been out of higher education for a number of years to
recover without penalty and have a fresh start. Under academic renewal, course
work taken prior to a date specified by the institution is not counted in the student’s
GPA

 

A student may request academic renewal from OSUIT using the following guidelines:

• • At least three years must have elapsed between the last semester being renewed
    and the renewal request or shorter time period as approved by the institution’s
    Chief Academic Officer;
  • Prior to requesting academic renewal, the student must have earned a GPA of
    2.0 or higher with no grade lower than a “C” in all regularly graded course
    work (a minimum of 12 hours) excluding activity or performance courses;
  • The request will be for all courses completed before the date specified in the request for renewal
  • The student must complete the Academic Forgiveness form (available in the Office of the Registrar)
  • All courses remain on the student’s transcript, but are not calculated in the student’s retention/graduation GPA. Neither the content nor credit hours of renewed course work may be used to fulfill any degree or graduation requirements
  • Students who have been granted academic reprieve are not eligible for academic renewal.