Repeating Courses at the Undergraduate Level Policy

Policy Statement

Repeating classes can have an impact on a student’s GPA and/or financial aid package. Before repeating a class, students should be aware of what the impact of repeating that class will have on their GPA and/or financial aid package. This policy explains the impact of repeating classes at the Undergraduate Level.

Definitions

There are no definitions for this policy at this time.

Policy Procedures

Students can repeat any course to attempt a higher grade. When repeating a course, only the grade earned in the most recent repetition will count toward the grade point average, whether it is higher, lower, or the same. There are several other important considerations that should be understood before actually registering for a repeat:

A. Usually students cannot receive credit for the same course more than once. The credits received in the final repetition of a course are also the only ones used to compute credits toward graduation. (There are some exceptions, such as certain courses that can be taken more than once for credit.) It is important for transfer students to note that if you take a course at Brockport that has been evaluated as equivalent to a course you have transferred from another college, the transferred course credits will be removed from your total credit calculation.

B. If you wish to repeat a course to improve your grade, you can only repeat the course at Brockport, and it must be the identical course (same course number), not simply an equivalent. Departments can accept an alternative course toward a degree requirement, but it won’t change the existence of the previous course on the transcript, and it won’t prevent that previous course from being counted in the computing of the overall grade point average. Courses taken at other institutions never affect your average, because only credits transfer, never grades.

C. Although only the most recent grade is used to compute grade point averages, all attempted courses remain on the transcript. The transcript is the University’s official record of a student’s academic history at Brockport and nothing is ever removed from it.

D. If a course changes in number or title before a student has the chance to repeat it, the student may still take it for a change of grade provided that the department offering the course certifies that it is still the same course in terms of content. It is important to get the department’s approval in writing in advance.

E. If a course is taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis, the student may repeat the course with the same option, or the student may opt for a letter grade. A course initially taken for a letter grade can only be repeated later for a letter grade.

F. Last, and very important to remember: New York state will no longer pay a student to repeat a course unless the course was previously failed (“E” or “U”), or unless the student did not attain the grade demanded by a given program. This pertains to all state aid including grants (TAP, APTS) or scholarships (Merit, etc.). This means that repeating a course with an original grade of “D-” or better for undergraduates or a grade of “C” or better for graduates won’t be counted as part of a full-time course load (for financial aid purposes) unless the major or certification program requires that particular course, and a higher grade than the last one. A student can still repeat the course if s/he wishes, but must make sure that s/he is enrolled for 12 other credits if receiving state aid as a full-time student. The Veterans Administration is also stringent and follows the same guidelines as the state of New York. It is imperative to understand which classes are repeatable.

Links to Related Procedures and Information

There are no links for this policy at this time.

Contact Information

For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid, Office of Academic Advisement, Office of Student Accounts or the Office of Veterans Affairs.

History (in descending order)

Approval

There are no approvals for this policy at this time.