Policy Statement - 09-05 Repetition of Courses (Supersedes PS-91-08 and 99-17)

REPETITION OF COURSES

(Supersedes PS-91-08 and 99-17.  Consistent with Executive Order 1037)

This policy was recommended by the Academic Senate on April 30, 2009
and approved by the President on May 5, 2009.

Most courses at CSULB may be completed only once for credit.  Certain other courses (see below) may be repeated for additional unit credit.  Within limits (see below), any course at CSULB may be repeated for grade forgiveness or grades averaged but without additional unit credit.

Repetition of Courses with Grade Forgiveness or Grades Averaged

Undergraduate students (students who have not yet earned a baccalaureate degree) may repeat, for the purpose of excluding the grade from grade point determination (i.e., grade forgiveness), courses taken at California State University, Long Beach in which a grade of D, F, or WU was received subject to the limits established below.  Undergraduate students may repeat courses in which a grade of NC was received for grades averaged only subject to the limits established below.  Students pursuing second baccalaureates, credentials, certificates, or master's or doctoral degrees may not repeat courses for grade forgiveness, although they may repeat courses for grades averaged without limits.

Courses taken first at CSULB

Eligible students may repeat a course once for the purpose of grade forgiveness if the course was repeated only at CSULB.  The adjustment is automatically calculated at the end of the semester in which the course was repeated A,B,C or CR Although the first grade will remain on the student’s permanent record, only the grade and grade points of the repeated course on the second attempt will count toward the grade point averages and units earned, provided the second grade was A,B,C, or CR.  If the second grade was D, F, or WU, then both grades will count toward the relevant grade point averages (i.e., grades averaged), and the attempt will count toward the limits for grades averaged detailed below.  Students with extenuating circumstances may file a Petition for Exception to Academic Policy with Enrollment Services to repeat a course more than once if they fail to achieve a A, B,C, or CR. In such cases, the additional repeat  will not result in the forgiveness of a prior grade (i.e. grades averaged only).

Although there is no time limit for repeating a course, no student's permanent record may be altered after a degree has been granted based on attempts to successfully repeat a course in which a grade of D, F, or WU was obtained.

Undergraduate students may repeat up to 28 units they attempted first at CSULB in order to achieve a C, B, A, or CR in the course.  These students may repeat up to 16 of the 28 units for forgiveness of a prior grade in the calculations of grade point averages, subject to the provisions above.  Only courses attempted at CSULB count toward the unit limits.  The unit value of a course counts only once toward the unit limits regardless of the number of times the student repeats the course at CSULB.  Once a student reaches the 16 unit limit, the student may not repeat any additional courses at CSULB for grade forgiveness.  Students may repeat up to an additional 12 units at CSULB for grades averaged (i.e., not for grade forgiveness), after which they may not repeat any additional courses at CSULB for grade forgiveness or grades averaged.  No courses repeated prior to the fall semester 2009 count toward the 28 unit limit.  No courses for which a W was awarded count toward the 28 unit limit.  Undergraduate students may appeal these limits for such reasons as immediately impending graduation.

Grade forgiveness shall not be applicable to courses for which the original grade was the result of a finding of academic dishonesty.

Courses taken first at another institution

If eligible students wish to exclude from grade point determination a grade of D, F, or WU in a course taken at another institution, they may do so by enrolling in an equivalent course at CSULB and filing a Petition for Exception to Academic Policy with Enrollment Services.  The department in which the course is taught must indicate on the petition which particular course may be taken to replace the previous grade in the calculation of grade point averages.  An official transcript from the institution where the original course was taken must be on file at CSULB.  Only one repeat is allowed for the purpose of grade forgiveness, and only the repeated grade and grade points will be used in the determination of grade point averages, provided the second grade was A,B,C or CR.  If the repeat attempt at CSULB results in a grade of A,B,C or CR the units will not count toward the 28 unit limit.  If the repeat attempt at CSULB results in a grade of D, F, NC, or WU, the student may repeat the course one additional time but only for grades averaged, and the units of the first attempt at CSULB will now count toward the 12 unit limit.

A grade received in a course taken at another institution may not be used to replace a grade in an equivalent course taken at CSULB in the calculation of grade point averages but may be used to replace it for other purposes, subject to approval by the appropriate authority at CSULB, such as an advisor in the major.

Repetition of Courses for Credit

A student may repeat for additional units or credit toward a baccalaureate or graduate degree any course specified as repeatable for credit in the CSULB catalog up to the limits specified.  Each department determines the unit limits and any other limitations for its courses that may be repeated for credit.  Except for courses specified as repeatable for credit and upper-division courses in an undergraduate student's major completed more than ten years prior to graduation, an undergraduate student may not enroll in or receive unit credit for a course for which the student has already received a C, B, A, or CR , including a university-level course taken at a high school or another college or university.  Courses repeated for the purpose of validating major requirements will not count either as additional unit credit or toward the calculation of grade point averages.  If a student completes a course with a grade of C, B, A, or CR and wishes to register for the course again only to refresh knowledge, then the student may do so but only by enrolling with an audit (AU).

EFFECTIVE: Fall 2009