Academic Forgiveness
Occasionally, during a particular semester, students encounter personal, emotional or financial circumstances so devastating that performing academically at a level approximating their usual record of achievement becomes impossible. Normally, these students realize their situations in time to take the advisable course of action and withdraw from the university. If that is not done, however, and a student’s grades for the semester are decidedly below that student’s normal record, the student can petition for academic forgiveness. Undergraduate Institutional GPA must be a 2.0 or higher to be eligible. There are two options for academic forgiveness:
- All course work taken, even hours completed satisfactorily during the semester for which forgiveness is requested, will be disregarded in the grade point average and as hours earned toward graduation or
- Select only specific courses from one semester to be disregarded in the grade point average and as hours earned toward graduation.
Academic forgiveness may be granted one time and is irreversible.
Procedure
Students may petition for academic forgiveness for only one semester (any fall, spring, or summer term) already completed at the university, provided the student has a GPA of 2.00 or higher in institutional coursework.
Forms and details of this policy are available from academic advisers.
After review of the petition by the dean of the student's college, or the dean’s designee, the Registrar’s Office will adjust the academic record and notify the student.
Once granted, academic forgiveness cannot be reversed. Students should be aware that graduate and professional colleges often compute grade point average over all hours attempted when considering applicants for admission.
A petition will not be considered if the student has received a degree subsequent to the semester in question.
Second Chance
Undergraduate students who have interrupted their college career for a period of at least two consecutive calendar years, at any point on their transcript, may apply for the second chance provision. Under this policy all course work completed at an earlier date will be eliminated from computation of the grade point average and cannot be applied toward a degree at Jacksonville State University. Such work will remain on the student’s academic record, but will not be used in the computation of the grade point average for degree requirements. Some undergraduate professional programs may require inclusion of all course work for assessment into, continuation in, and graduation from the program. Students should seek advice from the appropriate college dean or designated person.
Students on financial aid should consult with the Financial Aid Office prior to the request being processed.
Students seeking second chance status will be required to follow the catalog in effect at the time of re-enrollment. Second chance status may be granted only once and is irreversible. Second chance also applies to transfer work. Students seeking to apply for second chance can obtain a form in the Registrar’s Office.