Academic Forgiveness for Undergraduate Students

Policy

Academic Forgiveness gives an undergraduate student a one-time opportunity to establish a new Grade Point Average (GPA). An undergraduate student applying for Academic Forgiveness must meet the following conditions:

1. The student has not been enrolled in any Minnesota State Mankato courses for a minimum of 3 consecutive academic years prior to the “point of academic forgiveness;” or the student selected an unsuitable major leading to academic performance less than academic ability.
2. Upon reinstatement or change in major, the student must demonstrate adequate academic ability by completing a minimum of 12 semester credits with a minimum GPA of 2.00 (grade of “C” or higher in each class).

Procedure

1. Students must consult with an academic advisor to determine if Academic Forgiveness would be beneficial and to ensure all conditions are met prior to completing the application for academic forgiveness, which is available on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
2. Students may request to exclude all courses with grade of F, or all courses with grades of D and F prior to point of academic forgiveness unless previously used toward an earned degree.
3. Excluded courses cannot be used to satisfy any academic requirement including degree and graduation requirment.
4. Once academic forgiveness has been processed, all excluded courses (both transfer and Minnesota State Mankato) from post-secondary education will no longer be computed in the student’s GPA.
5. Academic forgiveness will be noted on the Minnesota State Mankato transcript at the time it occurs; and grades from excluded courses will be displayed on a Minnesota State Mankato transcript in brackets, though not included in GPA calculations.
6. Once academic forgiveness has been processed, all excluded courses (both transfer and Minnesota State Mankato) from post-secondary education will no longer be computed in the student’s GPA.
7. Students who are granted academic forgiveness due to change in major must then follow the undergraduate catalog and educational requirements in place at the time of declaration.
8. Students should ensure understanding of how credits and grades for which they have been granted academic forgiveness are treated when determining financial aid eligibility.

Rationale

Academic forgiveness provides students who have had academic difficulties at an earlier stage of their academic career, or those students who had selected an unsuitable major, an opportunity for academic success in earning a degree.