Grade Forgiveness Policy
A new grade forgiveness policy was implemented during the Summer 2020 semester. As an adviser, you might have students who could benefit from this new policy, or your students may begin asking about it. This edition of the Advising Essentials highlights the must-know information about the policy.

For more clarification on the policy, attend our upcoming virtual Faculty Adviser Professional Development session. Join the DUS Advisers on Tuesday, October 20 from 3:00-4:00pm ET to learn more about the grade forgiveness policy. You can register for the session here.
What is the policy?
This policy was created with the goal of helping students achieve academic success. In instances where students may have faced academic difficulty, they are now better able to recover. Prior to Summer 2020, if a student earned a D or an F in a class and retook the class, both grades contributed to the student’s GPA. With this new grade forgiveness policy, if a student earns a D or an F in a class, they can choose to re-take it. If they earn a C or higher in their subsequent attempt at the class, they can request to forgive the previously earned grade. This means that while the first grade will remain visible on the student's transcript, it will no longer factor into the student's cumulative GPA or count as earned credit. The entire policy can be found here.

Here are some important points to consider:

  • Only D and F grades can be replaced by grades that are a C or higher.
  • A student is able to forgive up to 12 credits. (Or, if a student is in an associate degree program, they are able to forgive up to 6 credits.)
  • A student can use one grade of C or higher to forgive one D or F. (Example: If a student took ENGL 15 twice and earned a D both times, and then on the third attempt earned a B, the B can only be used to forgive one of the D grades.)
  • Grades that have been forgiven to not count toward Entrance to Major credit windows.
  • Transfer credits may not be used in grade forgiveness.
  • A student may not request grade forgiveness for a course in which they earned an academic integrity violation.
  • A student must take action by completing the Grade Forgiveness Form in order to forgive a grade.
Who does it apply to?
Current students are able to utilize this new policy, even if they took the courses prior to Summer 2020. However, grade forgiveness does not change prior academic decisions, such as Entrance to Major, scholarship eligibility, or academic standing.
Students who have graduated are not eligible for grade forgiveness.
What is the process?
  1. The student will complete the Grade Forgiveness Form, which can be found here. The student will send the completed form to their academic adviser. All students must speak with their adviser before they are able to complete this process.
  2. It is strongly encouraged that students meet with a representative from Financial Aid, as this could have potential implications for their Financial Aid.
  3. The adviser and student will meet to discuss the situation. The adviser will verify that the student is eligible for grade forgiveness, based on the criteria above.
  4. The adviser will send the completed form to the designated college representative for the major the student is intending. If you are working with a student who is planning to graduate from a Behrend major, you will send the form to Jane Brady, Behrend’s Registrar. If you are working with a student who intends a major in another college, a list of designated representatives can be found here.
  5. The college representative will process the request and the student will see the change reflected on their transcript. 
Example Scenarios
Alejandro took MATH 22 in Fall 2018 and earned a D, and he retook MATH 22 in Spring 2019 and earned a B. He has not forgiven any other courses.
  • Alejandro is eligible for grade forgiveness. He retook the same course, earned a C or better in his second attempt, and has not exceeded his maximum forgiven credits.
Hillary took ACCTG 211 in Fall 2017 and earned an F. In Spring 2018, Hillary earned a D in ECON 102, and F in ENGL 15, and a D in HIST 11. She has retaken each of those classes and earned a C or higher in each one.
  • Hillary is eligible for grade forgiveness BUT she will not be able to forgive all of those courses. She is hoping to forgive 13 credits, which puts her over the limit. She will have to choose which combination of courses she wants to forgive, without exceeding 12 credits.
Francis took CHEM 110 and earned in F in Fall 2019, and he took CHEM 1 in Spring 2020 and earned an A.
  • Francis is NOT eligible for grade forgiveness. While both classes are chemistry classes, they are not equivalent courses. Francis will need to retake CHEM 110 in a future semester if he wants the F to be forgiven and if it is appropriate for his intended major.
Camryn took COMM 150N and earned a D because she plagiarized her final and earned an F on the assignment, which brought her overall grade down to a D. She retook it the next semester and earned an A.
  • Camryn is NOT eligible for grade forgiveness. There was an academic integrity violation in the first attempt, so it cannot be forgiven.
Jinzhe earned an F in ENGL 15 but retook it at a local community college and earned an A. Jinzhe plans to have the course transferred to Penn State.
  • Jinzhe is NOT eligible for grade forgiveness. Transfer courses, no matter what grade was earned, cannot be used for grade forgiveness.
If you have questions about this policy, please do not hesitate to reach out to the DUS Advisers. You can also attend our upcoming Faculty Adviser Professional Development session. Join the DUS Advisers on Tuesday, October 20 from 3:00-4:00pm ET to learn more about the policy and ask your questions. You can register for the session here.