So a student comes to you, concerned about that D… or that F… that they got in their class last semester. There are many reasons such a grade would cause them concern. It could be they’re worried it means they didn’t leave the class with an adequate understanding of the material. But if you’re hearing about it, it’s likely also attached to how it kept them off the Dean’s List or has jeopardized their eligibility to play a sport or is going to end their scholarship and they really need that money in order tot be able to afford school. So what are their options?
Repeating a Course for Grade Improvement
The student can Repeat the Course for Grade Improvement. Yup, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. The student can sign up to re-take the course and then whatever grade they earn when they retake it replaces the previous grade. This does come with a few caveats though…
- If the student does worse in the class when they repeat it? The newer grade still replaces the older grade. So if they were trying to do better than the D they previously earned and this time around they got an F? The F replaces the D.
- The student doesn’t get unlimited opportunities to retake the class. Without the instructor’s permission, the student cannot retake the course more than once.
- The replaced grade doesn’t “disappear.” The older grade will still appear on the permanent record with notation that indicates the course has been retaken.
Ameliorating an Unsuccessful Semester
What if it’s more than just one bad grade that semester? What if it’s several bad grades and this anomalous semester is really holding the student back? That’s what Ameliorating an Unsuccessful Semester is for.
Note: That’s anomalous, not chronic. If the student otherwise generally performs well, just has one bad semester and then for the next two semester shows acceptable academic work (so that it’s clear that bad semester was just an “off” semester), then this is the policy for them! Here are the rules:
- The student only gets one of these during their academic career.
- The student has to wait a year (approximately two semesters) past the “bad” semester before they apply for Amelioration.
- The student must be a currently matriculated, full time student when applying for Amelioration and must have received Ds and Fs in at least 65% of their courses during the “bad semester”
- Quick Math: If the student was enrolled in 5 courses, then 65% of their courses is 3.25 courses. So.. Ds or Fs in at least 3 courses out of the 5
- If Amelioration is granted, then all grades of C or above (and their corresponding credits) that the student earned in that semester are kept, the others are “removed from the index and graduation consideration.”
- However, much like with the replaced grades discussed above, those unwanted grades will still be on their record somewhere with appropriate notation.
Applying for Amelioration requires sending a written appeal to an Academic Dean (preferably the dean of the college that houses their program). Go read over the full Amelioration Policy in the Undergraduate Catalog for the additional specifications of what needs to be included in that appeal!
