Academic Fresh Start

A student who is transferring to MSU or who has not attended for at least one semester may request academic forgiveness of previous poor academic performance under the academic fresh start policy. This policy provides for excluding all previous coursework for which a grade of D or F was earned from the calculation of the GPA. As a rule, a student is eligible only once for academic fresh start.

Eligible students must file a written petition for academic forgiveness with the Dean of Students and Campus Life. The Dean will present the petition to the Faculty Senate Academic Standards Committee. Upon approval of the request by the Committee, the Registrar will make the appropriate changes to the student's transcript.

To be eligible for academic forgiveness under the academic fresh start policy, the student must:

1. Enroll in and maintain a GPA of 2.0 or above in a minimum of 12 consecutive hours of required general studies courses and/or courses required in the student's program of study, with no letter grade earned below a C. Such 12 hours must be taken at Mountain State University.
   
2. Petition for academic forgiveness prior to the taking of the student's last 24 course hours before graduation.
   
3. Understand that such petition may be successfully granted only once during the student's academic career.
   
4. Demonstrate at least a one-semester break in MSU enrollment or transfer from another school before the period under evaluation, excluding summer hours.

The University cannot guarantee the transferability of the academic fresh start policy to another college or university. Students are responsible for checking the transfer policy of the college or university that they plan to attend.

Recipients of federal financial aid may not be eligible under federal guidelines and regulations. Students should contact the Financial Aid Office for information. If the request for academic forgiveness is approved by the Academic Standards Committee, the Student Affairs Office will take action so that:

1. "Academic Fresh Start Policy Applied" will be noted on the student's transcript.
   
2. The student will receive credit and a grade for all applicable previous coursework for which a grade of C or above was earned.
   
3. All previous coursework for which a grade of D or F was earned will be excluded in the computation of the student's grade-point average.
   
4. If the student's request for academic forgiveness is denied, the student may follow the academic appeal procedures