Academic & Student Affairs Handbook

Academics Affairs Division

2.5.1 Academic Renewal

2.5.1 Academic Renewal

(Last Modified May 19, 2025)   Report a broken link

Last reviewed: January 2010

SOURCES:
BoR POLICY 3.5.3, Grade Point Average Upon Academic Renewal

EFFECTIVE DATE: Posted May 2025 for Implementation no later than Fall 2026

2.5.1 Academic Renewal

I. Overview of Academic Renewal

A. Academic Renewal allows University System of Georgia (USG) degree-seeking undergraduate students who earlier experienced academic difficulty to have a one-time fresh start.
B. Academic difficulty is defined as a situation in which a student’s cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) is less than or equal to a threshold set by their institution.
C. Students granted Academic Renewal receive a new GPA to be used for determining their academic standing.

II. Eligibility for Academic Renewal

Each USG institution shall set a required Minimum Period of Absence for Academic Renewal of no less than three years and no more than five years. For returning students, the period of absence refers to the duration of time they have been away from the institution and impacts their eligibility for Academic Renewal. Refer to Section A below for additional information.

For returning and transfer students applying for Academic Renewal with transfer credit, the period of absence also refers to the duration of time since the coursework was completed and impacts coursework eligibility for Academic Renewal. Refer to Section B below for additional information.

A. Student Eligibility for Academic Renewal
  1. Students returning to a previously attended USG institution and students transferring into a USG institution may be eligible for Academic Renewal.
  2. Returning students must have been absent from the institution for at least the institution’s Minimum Period of Absence to be considered for Academic Renewal. The student’s period of absence is calculated based on the period of time between the date of last enrollment at the institution and the date of return to the institution.
  3. Only undergraduate degree-seeking students may be eligible for Academic Renewal.
  4. Students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree are not eligible for Academic Renewal.
  5. Students who have earned an associate degree may be eligible for Academic Renewal if they are now seeking a bachelor’s degree. Students pursuing a second associate degree are not eligible for Academic Renewal. Please see the “Coursework Eligibility for Academic Renewal” section below for additional information.
  6. Institutions shall set a GPA threshold to consider students for Academic Renewal at 2.5 or lower. No institution may consider Academic Renewal for students with a GPA higher than 2.5.
  7. A student shall only be granted Academic Renewal one time in the USG.
  8. If a student previously granted Academic Renewal by one USG institution is admitted or readmitted to another USG institution, the receiving institution shall honor the earlier Academic Renewal. Please see the “Coursework Eligibility for Academic Renewal” section below for additional information.
B. Coursework Eligibility for Academic Renewal
  1. Only coursework completed prior to the institution’s Minimum Period of Absence is eligible for Academic Renewal. If Academic Renewal is granted, all eligible coursework completed prior to the institution’s Minimum Period of Absence is renewed. Transfer coursework taken during the institution’s Minimum Period of Absence is ineligible for Academic Renewal. Please see the “Impact of Academic Renewal Approval on Academic Credit” section below for additional information.
  2. Students who have earned an associate degree and are now pursuing a bachelor’s degree shall only be eligible for Academic Renewal for their coursework completed after the award of their associate degree. Courses completed prior to the award date of the previously awarded credential are not eligible for Academic Renewal.
  3. The coursework for which Academic Renewal was granted at one institution shall also be granted Academic Renewal at any other USG institution the student subsequently attends.

III. Applying for Academic Renewal

A. Institutions shall establish criteria, procedures and deadlines for students to apply for and be awarded Academic Renewal.
B. Institutions must set a maximum period of time for students to apply for Academic Renewal upon their admission/readmission to, or enrollment/re-enrollment at, the institution.
C. Institutions may elect to allow students to apply for academic renewal during the admission or readmission process so that renewed courses are omitted from the GPA calculated for determining admissibility. Please see the “Academic Renewal and Admissions” section below for additional information.

IV. Calculating the GPA after Academic Renewal Approval

A. A renewed GPA is calculated upon approval for Academic Renewal.
B. The new GPA is calculated by excluding all grades awarded prior to the institution’s Minimum Period of Absence. While the credit for courses for which a grade higher than a “D” was earned is retained (see the “Impact of Academic Renewal Approval on Course Credit” section below), the retained grades are not included in the new GPA calculation. Such credit is considered in the same context as credit by examination and courses with “S”.
C. The renewed GPA will be used for determining academic standing and eligibility for graduation.

V. Impact of Academic Renewal on Academic Credit

A. Academic credit for previously completed coursework will be retained only for courses in which a grade of higher than “D” has been earned. Courses with grades of “D” or “F” must be repeated if they are required in a student’s degree program. Institutions have the discretion to determine how academic renewal is applied to pass/fail courses.
B. Coursework completed prior to the institution’s Minimum Period of Absence cannot be used to satisfy residency requirements (the number of credit hours applied toward the degree that must be earned at the degree-awarding institution). Residency requirements must be satisfied by coursework completed after the period of approved Academic Renewal.
C. Coursework completed by students who have attended other institutions during the Minimum Period of Absence is not eligible for Academic Renewal. Transfer credit for coursework taken during the Minimum Period of Absence shall be granted in accordance with the prevailing USG and institutional policies and procedures regarding the award of transfer credit.

VI. Impact of Academic Renewal on Financial Aid

A. The granting of Academic Renewal does not supersede financial aid policies regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress.

VII. Other Academic Renewal Considerations

A. Institutions will determine the eligibility for honors at graduation for those students granted Academic Renewal status based on their institutional policies regarding honors graduation.
B. If a suspension is on the record and the student encounters subsequent academic difficulty after having been granted Academic Renewal, the student may be subject to the academic standing policies and procedures at the institution.

VIII. Documenting Academic Renewal in Student Records

A. All previously attempted courses, including those for which Academic Renewal has been granted, shall be recorded on the student’s official transcript.
B. Scholastic suspensions that occurred in the past shall remain recorded on the student’s permanent record.
C. Institutions must document that Academic Renewal has been granted in student records and on student transcripts.

IX. Academic Renewal and Admission or Readmission

A. Institutions have discretion to allow students to apply for Academic Renewal prior to receiving an admission or readmission decision. If an institution allows Academic Renewal prior to admission or readmission and it is granted, the renewed coursework should be omitted from consideration when evaluating an applicant’s eligibility for admission or readmission to the institution.
B. Receiving Academic Renewal does not guarantee admission or readmission to an institution. All students, including those granted Academic Renewal, must meet Board of Regents and institutional admission requirements.
C. The granting of Academic Renewal does not supersede the admissions requirements of certain programs (e.g., teacher education and nursing) which require a specific minimum grade point average based upon all coursework. However, institutions have the discretion to consider Academic Renewal GPAs for admission to selective programs.
D. Some law schools, medical schools, and graduate schools calculate their own grade point averages for admission and are not subject to these rules on Academic Renewal.
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