Undergraduate Repeat Policy for Standard Graded Courses and Repeating A Course with Grade Point Average Recalculation Prior to Fall 2017

Students may repeat a course to increase their knowledge of the subject matter. There are circumstances under which repeating a course is advisable and to a student’s advantage. There are also circumstances where repeating a course may disadvantage a student and narrow a student’s options. Some colleges require students to discuss any plan to repeat a course with their academic advisor before they register to repeat the course.

Courses with A or B grades may not be repeated. Normally, courses with a C grade may not be repeated. Courses with D or F grades may be repeated once without written permission. In all cases, the original grade for the course and the grade for each repeat will appear on the transcript. The original grade will be calculated into the grade point average, unless the student initiates a request for Repeating a Course with Grade Point Average Recalculation as described below. Only one registration for the course counts toward the total number of credits required for graduation. A course cannot be repeated after receiving credit in a course for which the repeat course is a prerequisite.

To repeat a course more than once requires written permission from the student’s college dean. Students who have been dismissed may not appeal on the grounds of intention to repeat courses. Certain courses may not be repeated; students should consult their college before repeating a course.

Important Note: Grade point average recalculation for a repeated course is not automatic. The student must initiate a request in the college office as outlined below.

For the grade point average recalculation policy to apply, a student must declare to his or her college the intent to repeat a course for a change of grade. Students must submit this request to their college before the end of the official add/drop period, no later than the second Friday of the fall and spring semesters, the first Wednesday of Summer Session 1, or the first Friday of Summer Session 2. The course must be repeated within three semesters of the receipt of the original grade, and it must be taken at UIC. Only one registration for the course counts toward the total number of credits required for graduation.

Undergraduate students are allowed grade point average recalculation in up to four repeated courses. Under the course repeat policy, all courses taken and their grades appear on the transcript in the semester in which they were taken. Under the grade point average recalculation policy, the grade earned the first time the course is taken will be dropped from the calculation of the cumulative GPA and the grade(s) earned when the course is repeated will be used in the calculation. This rule holds, even if the second grade is lower than the first. If a course is repeated more than once, the first grade is not counted in the GPA, but all other grades for that course are calculated in the cumulative GPA.

Implementation

The new Repeating a Course and GPA Recalculation policies apply to all undergraduate students entering UIC in Fall 2009 or later. Continuing students who entered UIC before Fall 2009 may select one of two options. They may either follow the old Grade Forgiveness policy found under University Degree Requirements in the Undergraduate Catalog in effect at the time of their admission to UIC. Or, they may follow the new Repeating a Course and GPA Recalculation policies. Continuing students cannot follow both policies. The Repeating a Course and GPA Recalculation policies can be applied only to courses taken after the policies took effect, i.e. to courses taken during the Fall 2009 term or later.  For example, because the Repeating a Course and GPA Recalculation policies took effect in Fall 2009, Spring 2010 graded courses will be the first opportunity students will have to retake and exclude a Fall 2009 course from their GPA.