Academic Forgiveness Policy

Fisk University recognizes that some potentially good students enroll in curricula for which they may not be suited or properly prepared, resulting in poor grades. Although these students may become academically successful after changing curricula or becoming better prepared for their course work, they often are unable to overcome a previously poor academic record, a problem that can lead to academic probation. To address this concern, the University has a policy by which students may petition the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for “forgiveness.” Appeals in relation to this policy may be directed to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, who will chair an ad-hoc committee, comprised of a representative from the Academic Administrative Council and a representative from the Division of Student Engagement. This committee will determine the student’s qualification for forgiveness.

I. Eligibility

Academic work attempted prior to acceptance under the Forgiveness Policy is reviewed at this time. Only the credit hours (not the grades) associated with courses in which the student earned a grade of C or better are applied to the academic program. Neither the hours, nor the grades for courses in which a student earned a D or F are applied towards graduation. Once academic forgiveness is granted, it may not be reversed.

A student may qualify for academic forgiveness provided the following conditions are met:

• Must submit Academic Forgiveness Request Form;
• Have a break in enrollment for a minimum period of two (2) consecutive academic years (four semesters, summer sessions excluded); or
• Have attempted at least 12 letter-graded hours during the first semester the student is readmitted with a minimum GPA of 2.5, and a 100% satisfactory completion rate (grade C or better) after being re-admitted to the University;
• Students who have been enrolled at another college/university since their last enrollment at Fisk must submit to the Office of Admissions official transcripts indicating that a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale has been earned in all transferable courses attempted; and
• Only transfer courses taken in which a student received a grade of C or better will be accepted for transfer credit at Fisk. The sole exception is that students may attend Fisk during summer sessions for credit, during the two academic years of non-attendance necessary for the policy to be applied.

Failure to meet the above requirements will result in a student’s ineligibility, except for summer school, until such a time as a cumulative GPA of a 2.5 is achieved.

II. Impact

Once a student’s eligibility for Academic Forgiveness is confirmed, the following adjustments will be made to the student’s academic record:

All grades earned at Fisk University prior to re-entry will be excluded from the calculation of the GPA (i.e., forgiven); The course title and grade for the first completion will be shown on the official transcript but will be noted as “forgiven”. The first grade, however, will be removed from the calculation of the cumulative grade point average. A statement on transcripts will explain which grades have been excluded from the program GPA calculation; and Only credit hours earned for courses prior to re-entry with the grade of at least “C” will be retained. A student who has been granted Academic Forgiveness must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours from the point of readmission to be eligible to receive a baccalaureate degree. A student is only eligible for academic forgiveness once during matriculation at Fisk University.