GENERAL ACADEMIC REGULATIONS AND INFORMATION

Academic Renewal

University of Georgia degree-seeking, undergraduate students who have been readmitted after a period of absence of at least five calendar years from any postsecondary institution are eligible to petition for Academic Renewal. Exceptions may be made if the student requesting academic renewal was advised by his/her school or college to complete coursework elsewhere. If approved, Academic Renewal will initiate a new grade point average that will be used in the determination of a student's academic standing. This policy allows University of Georgia degree-seeking students who earlier had experienced academic difficulty (probation, continued probation, or dismissal) to make a fresh start and have one final opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree.

The following general statements will apply to students who seek Academic Renewal status:

  1. Students who wish to apply for Academic Renewal must submit a petition to the Educational Affairs Committee through the Office of the Vice President for Instruction. This petition may be submitted at the time of readmission but no later than the end of two semesters of re-enrollment or one calendar year following re-enrollment, whichever comes first. The Academic Renewal GPA begins the semester of re-enrollment. A student may be granted Academic Renewal status only one time.

  2. Former Developmental Studies or Academic Assistance students may apply for Academic Renewal only if they successfully completed all Developmental Studies or Academic Assistance requirements prior to the beginning of the five-year period of absence.

  3. The granting of Academic Renewal does not supersede institutional financial aid policies governing Satisfactory Academic Progress and does not supersede the admissions requirements of certain programs, e.g., teacher education, that require a specific minimum grade point average based on all coursework. Re-entry into any academic program is not automatic.

  4. Any scholastic dismissals that occurred in the past shall remain on the student's permanent academic record. If the student encounters subsequent academic difficulty after having been granted Academic Renewal, the next dismissal would subject the student to permanent exclusion.

Implementation Procedures

  1. Renewal Grade Point Average
    An Academic Renewal GPA (AR GPA) will begin when a student who has been granted Academic Renewal status resumes taking coursework. A statement will be placed on the student's transcript indicating that Academic Renewal status has been granted. All previously attempted coursework will continue to be recorded on the student's official academic record. The Renewal GPA will be used for determining academic standing and eligibility for graduation, although eligibility for graduation with honors will continue to be based on the student's overall grade point average.

  2. Degree Requirements for Academic Renewal Students
    Academic credit for previously completed coursework--including transfer credit--will be retained only for courses in which grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, S, or K have been earned. Courses with C- and D grades must be repeated if they are required in the student's degree program. Retained grades are not calculated in the Academic Renewal GPA but are counted in the Academic Renewal Hours Earned.

    To earn a degree from the University of Georgia, a student must meet the institution's residency requirement, i.e., the student must complete 45 of the last 60 hours in residence, plus 12 of the semester hours required for the major must have been earned in residence. Retained credit hours earned prior to Academic Renewal Status may be used in partial satisfaction of the residency requirement.

    General degree requirements satisfied prior to the granting of Academic Renewal, such as the U.S. and Georgia History and Constitution requirements, will remain on the student's permanent record even though the courses used to satisfy these requirements may not have been retained.

    The Academic Renewal Hours Earned, i.e., those hours retained prior to the granting of Academic Renewal status, plus any hours earned following renewal shall be used in determining the applicability of any requirements that specify a number of hours earned, such as the Regents Test, College Preparatory Curriculum, etc.