FAQs Regarding Recent Changes in the Forgiveness Policy and the Policy for Repeating a Course
Forgiveness Policy
What is the new forgiveness policy?
An undergraduate student may improve his or her overall GPA by invoking forgiveness or exclusion on a maximum of four courses (not to exceed 14 credit hours) in which the student received a grade of C-, D or F and requesting that the original grade be excluded from the GPA calculation. If the course has been repeated, the repeat must be in the same course and must be taken at The University of Mississippi in fall 1992 or later. Under the forgiveness policy, a maximum of two courses (not to exceed 7 hours) in which the student received a grade of C-, D or F may be excluded from the student’s GPA calculation without repeating the course.
The complete policy may be found within the Credits and Grades policy.
How do I actually request that a course be forgiven?
A student must file a Petition to Invoke Grade Forgiveness form with the registrar, stating which course is to be forgiven or excluded.
When should I submit the forgiveness form?
Forgiveness can be invoked at any time following the completion of a pair of eligible courses (prior to graduation). Once the student has declared a course to be forgiven, a different course cannot be substituted for it at a later date. Exclusion can be invoked at any time following the completion of an eligible course (prior to graduation). Excluded grades are removed from total earned hours and cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.
Exactly how are the total eligible hours determined?
The eligible courses must be taken at UM and must involve a repeated attempt of the same course. If a student takes the same UM course three times, forgiveness may be invoked for the two earlier attempts, provided the number of credits and hours is within the above limit.
How will the forgiveness appear on my transcript?
When forgiveness is invoked, the first attempt is shown on a student’s transcript with a notation of R (for repeated) beside the initial grade. This initial grade will not be counted toward a student’s cumulative GPA. A forgiven “C-“, “D” or “F” will not change the academic standing which existed prior to the repeated course.
When a course is excluded, the course is shown on a student’s transcript with a notation of R (for removed) beside the grade. Excluded grades are removed from total earned hours and cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.
How will the forgiveness or exclusion affect my GPA for graduation honors?
The recalculated GPA will be used for determining graduation honors.
Where do I get a Petition to Invoke Grade Forgiveness form?
Forgiveness policy forms may be found online at the Registrar’s website.
When does the new policy take effect?
August 2018.
Please be aware that forgiveness cannot be recognized for federal financial aid eligibility. Per Title IV regulations, the Office of Financial Aid must include all grades in the calculation of the GPA for federal aid purposes.
Repeating a Course Policy Changes
What is the policy on repeating courses?
The policy for repeating a course may be found within the Credits and Grades policy.
Can I repeat any course taken at the University of Mississippi?
Not necessarily, though the policies regarding repeating a course have recently been clarified. Individual schools and departments can establish more restrictive rules for courses they teach, but in general the following rules apply beginning with the 2013-2014 academic year.
A small number of courses are designated as being repeatable for credit. These tend to be special topics courses, where the content will vary from one offering to the next. The following rules do not apply to these “repeatable for credit” courses.
Most lower division courses (numbered from 100-299) may be attempted a maximum of three times, provided a grade of B or higher has not been achieved in the course. If a course is repeated, credit toward a degree will be counted only once and each grade in the course will count toward a student’s gpa (unless the student invokes forgiveness). For an exception to this maximum attempts rule, a student must seek approval by the chair of the department controlling the course.
Most upper division (300-499) and graduate (500-799) courses can be attempted a maximum of two times, provided a grade of B or higher has not been achieved in the course. If a course is repeated, credit toward a degree will be counted only once and each grade in the course will count toward a student’s gpa (again, unless forgiveness is invoked and forgiveness is not considered for graduate students or courses).
The above number of attempts applies to an individual course taken at the University of Mississippi. There is no specific limit to the number of different courses that can be repeated. A student should check with the Office of Financial Aid as to whether there is a consequence to repeating a course that has been previously passed.
Note that dropped courses do not count as attempts, whereas a course with a temporary Incomplete grade does count as an attempt. If a student has an Incomplete grade assigned for a course, the student cannot re-book the same course while the “I” is in effect.
If a student makes a lower grade on the second (or third) attempt, the highest grade is considered with respect to meeting pre-requisites and degree requirements.
What will happen if I am not sure whether I will make a B or higher in a course and I want to book it for an upcoming semester during priority registration?
A student may re-book a course in which he or she is currently enrolled, provided the maximum number of attempts has not been exceeded. A student will be booked into the course in a future semester in a conditional manner. If a student makes a B or above in the currently booked course, he or she will be removed from booking into the future semester (following the submission of grades). Note that this may result in a student falling below full-time status and it is the responsibility of the student to deal with any consequences of falling below full-time.