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.

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 second grade earned 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 may repeat courses and have only the second grade earned, even if it is lower than the first grade, count in the calculation of the retention/graduation grade point average. A maximum of four (4) courses, not to exceed 18 hours, may be repeated in the courses in which the original grade earned was a “D” or “F”. Both grades shall be recorded on the transcript with the earned grade for each listed in the semester earned. If a student repeats an individual course more than once, all grades earned, with the exception of the first, are used to calculate the retention/graduation GPA. Grades of any courses repeated after the first four, or 18 hours, will be averaged with original grades.

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:

  • At least three years must have elapsed between the period in which the grades being requested reprieved were earned and the reprieve request
  • Prior to requesting the academic reprieve, the student must have earned at least 12 semester credit hours with a GPA of 2.0 or higher with no grade lower than a “C” in all courses
  • The request may be for one semester or term of enrollment or two consecutive semesters or terms of enrollment. If the reprieve is awarded, all grades and hours during the enrollment period are included. If the student’s request is for two consecutive semesters, the institution may choose to reprieve only one semester.
  • The student must petition for consideration of an academic reprieve according to institutional policy.
  • 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 not been academically successful previously and who has been out of higher education for a number of years to reenter college without penalty. Under academic renewal, course work taken prior to a date specified by OSU Institute of Technology is not counted in the student’s graduation/retention GPA.

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

  • At least five years must have elapsed between the last semester being renewed and the renewal request.
  • Prior to requesting academic renewal, and after the elapsed five years, 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 (totaling 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 requirement
  • Students who have been granted academic reprieve are not eligible for academic renewal.