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Course Repeat

ASK A QUESTION OR SUBMIT FEEDBACK ON THIS POLICY

Effective Date: August 2019
Last Revises: February 2019
Next Review: February 2026

Policy Statement

Students must register and pay tuition and any applicable fees when repeating a class. All course attempts and grades appear on the student transcript, including grades not calculated in the GPA. A student’s Kent State GPA will not be affected by repeating courses at another institution. The university is not obligated to offer courses so that students can repeat them. If students plan to repeat a course, they are to work with their advisor to identify resources for academic support. Repeating courses could affect students’ financial aid, scholarships or other assistance. Students should consult the appropriate office prior to registration. Students may repeat courses taken at Kent State University subject to the following provisions:

Undergraduate Courses

Students may repeat undergraduate courses (00000-40000 levels) no more than two times (a maximum of three attempts per course). The university will use only the highest grade and the credit hours associated with that highest grade in all attempts of the same course in the calculation of the overall undergraduate GPA, program GPA, credit hour totals and requirements for students’ program.

Additional conditions for the repeating of undergraduate courses:

  • After the third attempt (second repeat), the student is restricted from registering for the course again.
  • Withdrawal from a course is counted as an attempt.
  • Courses designated as “repeatable for credit” (see section below) are exempt from the three-attempt limit.
  • Recalculation of the student’s GPA occurs automatically at the end of the semester in which the student completes the repeated course.
  • All grades for all attempts at a course are used in the GPA calculation for determining Latin honors (e.g., summa cum laude) and class standing (e.g., dean’s list). These GPA calculations are independent of the overall GPA as it appears on the student transcript.
  • All grades for all attempts may be counted for admission to or progression in specific programs, for admission to graduate programs or for admission to other institutions.

This policy is in effect for all undergraduate courses repeated in or after the fall 2019 semester.

Graduate Courses

Students may repeat graduate courses (50000-80000 levels), and the university will use all grades (passed and failed) in the calculation of the overall graduate GPA. Earned credit for a course applies only once toward meeting program requirements and credit hour totals.

Repeatable-for-Credit Courses

Some undergraduate and graduate courses are identified as “repeatable for credit” in the course description. Typically, a repeatable-for-credit course offers a different instructional experience and learning outcomes each time students take the course (e.g., internship, special topics, applied music). For those courses, students earn credit for each successful attempt, and the university uses all grades (passed and failed) for all attempts in the calculation of the GPA.

Students repeating a repeatable-for-credit course should consult the University Catalog and their advisor because some academic programs have a limit on the total number of credit hours that may be applied for these types of courses.

Reason for Policy

Students may need to repeat a course to fulfill a requirement to earn a degree or certificate. This policy outlines limitations when repeating a course and the effect of a repeated course on the student’s GPA.

Procedures

There are no procedures associated with this policy.

Forms/Instructions

There are no forms associated with this policy.

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What has changed with the course repeat policy?
    A major change is that, effective fall 2019, students may repeat any undergraduate course (00000-40000 levels), and the university will count only the highest grade from all attempts of the same course in the student’s undergraduate GPA. Before fall 2019, this policy extended only to lower-division (0000-20000 levels) courses.
  2. Will the revised course repeat policy affect current or returning students even if they are not in the 2019 catalog (or later)?
    The revised policy affects all students IF they repeat an upper-division course in fall 2019 or later. Below are some scenarios:
    1. Student repeated an upper-division course prior to fall 2019. Both grades (initial attempt and repeat) count in the student’s GPA under them previous course repeat policy.
    2. Student attempted an upper-division course prior to fall 2019 and repeats the course in fall 2019 or later. The highest grade from the two attempts counts in the student’s GPA.
    3. Student repeated an upper-division course prior to fall 2019. The GPA includes both grades. Then, the student repeats the course a second time in fall 2019 or later. The highest grade from the three attempts (initial attempt and two repeats) counts in the student’s GPA.
  3. If a student who repeated a course under the previous course repeat policy upgrades to the 2019 catalog, will the student be able to take advantage of the revised policy?
    No, the revised policy is enacted by a student’s course repeats in fall 2019 or later, and not by the student’s catalog year.

Additional FAQ: Course Repeat

Definitions

GPA (Grade Point Average): An indication of a student's academic achievement at Kent State University, determined by the number of credit hours attempted at Kent State University and the grades received. The Kent State GPA is calculated to three places past the decimal point and not rounded.

Related Information

Revision History

Amended August 2019: Revised policy allows all repeated undergraduate courses to be eligible for GPA recalculation for graduation.

Amended August 2015: Revised policy limits the number, to three, of overall attempts to an undergraduate course before a student can no longer register for that course. The student must then meet with meet with an advisor to decide next steps.

Amended August 2010: Revised policy clarifies that any student who has already received a bachelor’s degree from any college or university is ineligible to use a course repeat to remove a grade from the GPA.

Amended August 2008: Revised policy allows lower-division courses taken for an earned associate degree to be repeated for a GPA recalculation; but prohibits course repeats for GPA recalculation after conferral of the bachelor’s degree.

Amended January 2008: Revised policy counts only the highest grade earned in a repeated lower-division course in the GPA, subject to specific provisions.

Amended August 1987: Revised policy allows the grade in the second attempt of a passed undergraduate course (with approval) to count toward graduation.

Amended August 1980: Revised policy allows the grade in the second attempt of a passed undergraduate course (with approval) to count in the GPA, although the grade does not count toward graduation.

Amended September 1971: Revised policy limits the credit hours and grade in the second attempt of a passed undergraduate course (with approval) from counting toward graduation and in the GPA. Students may repeat courses that are identified as repeatable for credit.

Amended September 1970: Revised policy requires dean approval for students to repeat an undergraduate course in which the student already received a passing grade, and the credit hours and grade in the second attempt do not count toward graduation. All grades count in the GPA.

Effective September 1952: Establishes a formal course repeat policy that specifies that students are not eligible automatically to repeat an undergraduate course. However, under certain conditions and with dean and department head approval, only the grade in the second attempt may be used for the student’s scholastic standing.

Supersedes:
Rule for Recalculation of First-Year Grade Point Average (2008)
Freshman Rule for Recalculation of Grade Point Average (2004)