UD Academic Policies - Registrar's Office

Grade Forgiveness FAQs

Undergraduate students (including Continuing Education students) may retake University of Delaware courses and have the lowest of the repeated course grades excluded from the GPA. Once the grade for the repeated course has been posted, the student may submit a webform to request grade forgiveness for the original attempt. It is very important for students to discuss their plans to seek grade forgiveness with an academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course. Please view the Loading... in the catalog and the FAQs below for information about eligibility requirements.

Basics

Eligibility

Special Interest Populations

Applying for Grade Forgiveness

1. If I am granted grade forgiveness, will the original grade still show on my transcript?

Yes. The grade for the original attempt will still remain on your transcript. Forgiveness does not remove the grade from the transcript, only from the calculation of GPA.

2. How many credits can I request forgiveness for?

Courses totaling a maximum of 8 credits can be requested for forgiveness.
For example, you can request forgiveness for two 4 credit courses or two 3 credit courses and the corresponding 1 credit labs. You are not eligible to request forgiveness for partial credits of a course to reach the 8 credit maximum.

3. Can I request grade forgiveness for any class?

Eligible courses are those taken through the academic term during which a student attains a total of 28 credits attempted at UD.
The repeated course must have been taken in Fall 2019 or later.
You can only repeat courses taken at UD.
Only courses in which you earned a C- or lower and subsequently repeat the course and earn a higher grade can be used for grade forgiveness.
Grade forgiveness cannot be applied to courses in which you were found responsible for an academic honesty violation.
A grade of "P" (Passing) can only be used to apply grade forgiveness to a course you failed in a course that was offered as pass/fail only (i.e. a standard A-F grade was not an option for the course).
A course that has decreased in credit hours (for example, a 3-credit hour course becomes a 2-credit hour course), is eligible for grade forgivenss. The credit hours awarded will be determined by the number of credits the student earned with the higher grade when applying grade forgiveness. In other words, the student may lose credit when applying grade forgiveness to a course that has decreased in credit hours.
A course that has increased in credit hours (for example, a 2-credit hour course becomes a 3-credit hour course), is eligible for grade forgiveness. The credit hours awarded will be determined by the number of credits the student earned with the higher grade when applying grade forgiveness.
Courses are no longer eligible if the student has graduated from their degree program. See Questions #28 and #29.
It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.
Courses that are no longer offered are not eligible for grade forgiveness.

4. If I receive grade forgiveness, do I still get credit for the original attempt?

No, once grade forgiveness has been granted, both the credit and the impact of the grade on GPA are removed, though the course and grade remains on your record.

5. Can I change which classes I receive forgiveness for if I later change my major? What if I just change my mind about what courses I want forgiven?

Once you have been granted grade forgiveness, you cannot change which courses the policy applies to. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.

6. Does grade forgiveness affect my bill or financial aid?

If you have questions about how grade forgiveness may affect your bill or financial aid please contact Student Financial Services prior to enrolling to repeat a course. You can contact Student Financial Services sfs-mail@udel.edu or 302-831-2126. You should also discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with an academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.

7. Will grade forgiveness affect my eligibility for Latin Honors for graduation.

Please contact your Academic Assistant Dean's Office to discuss how grade forgiveness will affect your final GPA to compare against the cutoff parameters.

8. Is transfer credit included in the first 28 credit hours attempted at UD?

No, those are not credits attempted at UD.

9. Do withdrawn courses count in the first 28 credits attempted at UD?

Yes, courses that are withdrawn (grade of W) will be considered in the first 28 attempted credits.

10. Do courses taken as auditor/listener count in the first 28 credits attempted at UD?

No, courses taken as auditor/listener will not be considered in the first 28 attempted credits. /p>

11. Do my AP, IB or other test credits count toward the first 28 credit hours attempted at UD?

No, those are not credits attempted at UD.
Special Considerations for Credit by Exam:
Students who earn a C- or better on a Credit by Exam will have that credit posted. Credit by Exam hours are counted as attempted credit hours at UD for the purposes of this policy. However, since Credit by Exam is not a UD course, you cannot request grade forgiveness for a grade received via Credit by Exam.

12. I took the class as pass/fail, can I request grade forgiveness?

You may request grade forgiveness for courses taken as pass/fail only. In only this case can a "P" (Passing) grade be used to forgive a failing grade in your GPA. A grade of "P" may not replace courses that are offered for a standard grade.

Classes that are offered as a standard letter grade, but taken as Pass/Fail Student Option (PFS) may be retaken if a grade of "F" is received and replaced with a standard letter grade (assuming all other requirements are met). A grade of "P" may not be replaced, however, "P" grades do not factor into GPA so there is no need to replace them.

13. Can I request grade forgiveness for a course in which I earned a Z?

If the course in which you earned a Z was taken through the term in which you attained in the first 28 credits attempted at UD, you can retake the course and request grade forgiveness.

NOTE: A grade of Z is applicable to students who stopped attending/participating in class and did not officially withdraw from the class. A grade of Z computes in the GPA calculation the same as a grade of F does.

14. Can I retake the course at another institution and request grade forgiveness?

No, in order to receive grade forgiveness, the repeated course must also be taken at UD.

15. I would like to retake a course for the purposes of grade forgiveness, but the seats are reserved, what do I do?

You should follow the normal procedure to request enrollment in a course reserved for a different population of students (see Registration Timeline – “Add a Course that is Full, has Seats Reserved or Permission Required”). Departments reserve seats for specific populations for a variety of reasons; a student’s intent to retake a course for grade forgiveness does not overrule a department's decision to reserve seats for those groups. Please note that if you submit a Course Permit Form, approval is not guaranteed.

16. I would like to repeat a variable-credit course so I can apply this policy. Do I have to retake the course for the same number of credits in order for it to be considered eligible for grade forgiveness?

No, but you will only earn credit for the number of credit hours associated with the higher grade. For example, if you originally took the course for 3 credits and repeat it for 2 credits, you will only earn 2-credit hours for the course. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.

17. The course I would like to retake and request grade forgiveness for is a topics course. I see the course is being offered as a different topic, can I retake it under this new topic and request grade forgiveness?

Yes. The policy requires you to retake the same class (same Course ID), but it does not have to be the same topic in order for it to be considered for grade forgiveness. Since repeating courses could have other academic considerations, it is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course. For example, if you took ENGL 381 Women in Literature: Women & British Theater 1880-1930, you can later take ENGL 381 Women in Literature: Women & literature of Illness, and request grade forgiveness, because they are offered as the same course (ENGL 381).

18. Can I use grade forgiveness if I do well in a higher level course?

No, grade forgiveness can only be applied when completing the same course. For example, if you take MATH 221, Calculus I, you cannot use this to replace a grade in MATH 117 which is a prerequisite for MATH 221.

19. Can I use grade forgiveness if I take a similar course?

No, grade forgiveness can only be applied when completing the same course. Courses that have overlapping content (but different course IDs) may not be used for grade forgiveness. Examples include courses such as CHEM 104 (General Chemistry) and CHEM 108 (General Chemistry for Life Sciences II); MATH 221 (Calculus I) and MATH 231 (Integrated Calculus IA).

20. If I am retaking the course for the third time, can I request grade forgiveness?

Repeated courses taken Fall 2019 or later are potentially eligible, if you are repeating a course that was originally taken through the term in which you attained 28 credits attempted at UD. Please see the Loading... for more information about eligibility requirements.
You are only able to request grade forgiveness for one attempt of a course. This means if you retake a course for a 3rd time, you can only request grade forgiveness for one of your previous two attempts.
The University does not have repeat limits, however, you should discuss whether or not repeating classes is right for you/your academic success with an Academic Advisor before retaking a class.

214. I earned a C- or lower in a course, but the course was taken in a term after the term in which I attained 28 credits attempted at UD. Can I retake that course and apply this policy?

Students may choose to retake a course for a variety of reasons, but only courses taken in terms through which 28 credits are attempted are eligible for forgiveness under this policy. The decision to retake a course should be made with an Academic Advisor.

Please note that if you have attempted more than 28 credit hours at UD, you will not be able to request grade forgiveness towards courses taken in later terms.

22. I have already repeated a class, with both attempts taken before Fall 2019. Can I request grade forgiveness?

If you repeated the class before Fall 2019, you cannot request grade forgiveness for the earlier attempt.

23. I am a senior, can I request grade forgiveness?

Yes, you can pursue grade forgiveness, as long as the original course was taken through the academic term during which you attained a total of 28 credits attempted at UD, and meets the other eligibility requirements, including that your repeated attempt of the course must have been taken in Fall 2019 or later. Seniors that have already earned an Associate's degree from UD are not eligible to alter that part of their academic record (see Question #29).Please see the Loading... for more information about eligibility requirements. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.

24. Can I retake a class I took in the World Scholars program? Are those covered under grade forgiveness?

Yes, World Scholars courses are UD courses, so you could request grade forgiveness for a course taken through the World Scholars program if it was taken through the academic term during which you attained a total of 28 credits attempted at UD. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.

25. Can I retake a class taken through Delaware in DC and apply for grade forgiveness?

UD-enrolled courses appearing on your UD transcript, taken during your Delaware in DC semester, may potentially be repeated to request forgiveness under this policy; American University courses, which later appear as transfer credit on your UD transcript, may not. The UD-courses must have been taken through the academic term during which you attained a total of 28 credits attempted at UD, and retaken in the Fall 2019 term or later in order for you to apply this policy. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.

26. If I took classes through the English Language Institute, can I request grade forgiveness for those classes?

The English Language Institute (ELI) is an independent program with its own grade forgiveness policy, and therefore, ELI courses are not eligible for grade forgiveness under the UD policy.

27. I am a Continuing Education student, can I request for grade forgiveness?

Continuing Education students are potentially eligible for grade forgiveness, if they meet the other conditions of the policy. Please see the Loading... for more information about eligibility requirements. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.

28. I am an International Foundation Year or Accelerate UD student. Can I pursue grade forgiveness?

Yes, as long as the course was taken in your first 28 credits attempted at UD, and meets the other eligibility requirements. Please see the Loading... for more information about eligibility requirements. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.

29. My degree has been conferred, can I request grade forgiveness?

No, once your degree is conferred, the academic record cannot be altered. Read section Degree Conferrals & Commencement of the Loading....

30. I earned an Associate in Arts degree with UD; can I receive grade forgiveness now that I am pursuing a bachelor's degree with UD?

No, once your Associate's degree was completed and awarded, no changes can be made to that part of your academic record. Since you've earned your Associate's degree, you cannot request forgiveness. Read the Degree Conferrals & Commencement section of the Loading....

31. I think I am going to be academically dismissed. Can I apply for grade forgiveness and avoid dismissal?

Grade forgiveness cannot save you from academic dismissal. Please see our Academic Dismissal Webpage for more information about the dismissal process.

32. I have a Modified Pass/No Credit grade for a course taken during the Covid-19 Pandemic (NC, LP, MP, or HP). I successfully retook the course, can I request Grade Forgiveness for the Modified Pass/No Credit grade?

a. The Modified Pass/No Credit grades (NC, LP, MP, or HP) do not calculate into the grade point index. Since Grade Forgiveness only removes the impact of a grade on the GPA, it is not necessary to request Grade Forgiveness for Modified Pass/No Credit grades.
b. See the Transcript Legend on our Website for more information about the Modified Pass/ No Credit grading basis and how it appears on your transcript.

33. How do I apply for grade forgiveness? Will grade forgiveness be automatically applied to my student record?

You must request grade forgiveness, it will not be automatically applied to your student record. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course. Once you have completed the second attempt of the course, and your grade is posted in UDSIS, please fill out the Grade Forgiveness Web form in order to make your request. There are links to the form in UDSIS, and the form is available in the "blanks" folder in Web forms. You can also access the form by clicking here.

34. How do I figure out which credits are potentially eligible for grade forgiveness?

Please review the sample transcript below to see how you can determine which credits may be eligible for grade forgiveness. It is very important for you to discuss your plans to seek grade forgiveness with your academic advisor or academic assistant dean's office before registering to repeat a course.