Policies & Procedures

Grading System

Grade Replacement Policy

Any undergraduate student may retake a course for which he/she received a grade below an A during the first 45 hours of course work. A student may exercise this option for no more than three courses, totaling no more than 10 credits. A student may use this option only once for a given course.

The student’s transcript shall record both grades. For the course retaken, only the second grade shall be counted in the determination of the student’s grade point average (GPA). Any GPA calculated in accord with this policy shall be marked with an asterisk, denoting that a lower grade has been replaced by a second grade in the course. Note: This policy was implemented first semester 2001-2002. Courses taken prior to that term do not apply.

The following is a statement of the decision made by the Bloomington Faculty Council in March 2001, with regard to initial implementation of the new Bloomington campus grade forgiveness policy. A statement of the policy appears above.

  1. Only courses attempted during or after the fall 2001 term will be eligible for replacement under the new policy.
  2. Through summer 2004, students enrolled at IU prior to fall 2001 may replace courses under the new policy or under the grade replacement policy; the total of replaced courses may not exceed three courses (maximum of 10 credits).
  3. Students may replace any course taken before or during the term in which their 45th credit hour is earned.
  4. All IU course work and any transferred course credits earned at another institution will be included in calculating the first 45 hours.
  5. The following grades cannot be replaced under the expanded grade replacement policy: S, P, W, I, R, NC.
  6. GPA credit hours for the replaced course will be removed at the point at which the course is replaced.
  7. Courses repeatable with different content are not eligible for replacement under this policy unless a unit chooses to permit this by means of a specific authorization procedure.
  8. A student may not request reversal after asking for and applying for the GPA exclusion.
  9. A student may not replace a grade with a second grade of W, I, R, or NC.
  10. Students who re-enroll in a course must indicate to the school of their major or to University Division, as appropriate, their intent to apply the GPA exclusion policy to a specific course by the date of automatic withdrawal.
  11. Initially, the extended-X policy will adhere to grade replacement policy administrative practice and guidelines regarding exceptional cases, where these are not in conflict with the provisions of the extended-X policy nor with these implementation policies. A statement of the applicable practices has been compiled and is on file with the Dean of Faculties and with the Office of the Registrar.
  12. In initial implementation of the extended-X policy, as under the grade replacement policy, Bloomington joins all other campuses in honoring the principle that the grade forgiveness policy on the degree granting campus is applicable for each student. Hence, if an IUB student transfers to another campus with more liberal grade replacement policies, IUB will honor requests from that campus, on behalf of the student, to replace an IUB grade that may not be replaceable under IUB policy. Were the student to return to IUB for graduation, however, that course exclusion would not apply.

Students in education must gain approval of a grade replacement petition form before the grade replacement policy can take effect. Forms are available in the Office of Teacher Education.

For more information regarding the extended-X policy, see the Office of the Registrar’s Web site at www.registrar.indiana.edu.

Academic Bulletins

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