Academic Forgiveness Policy

Purpose

The academic forgiveness policy allows forgiveness of D and F grades of a new or returning student for the purpose of calculating the Grade Point Average (GPA) required for graduation.

Academic forgiveness is available to any new or returning Fairmont State student who has not been enrolled as a full-time student (12-credit hours or more) in any higher education institution for at least four consecutive years.

Conditions

• A forgiven course cannot be used to satisfy any course prerequisite.

• Course substitutions are not permitted in situations where academic forgiveness has previously been applied.

• Any earned credits to be forgiven must not have been applied to a previously awarded degree.

• Academic forgiveness cannot be applied to courses taken on a Credit/No-credit basis.

• Academic forgiveness will not be applied to any course in which the student was found in violation of an academic integrity policy.

• Grades that are eligible for forgiveness will remain on the student’s transcript but will be excluded from the GPA calculation.

• Academic forgiveness is granted only once for any student.

• Fairmont State may accept academic forgiveness transferred from another institution if the student was in good standing when they left the prior institution. A student transferring academic forgiveness from a previous institution is not eligible for academic forgiveness again at Fairmont State.

• Fairmont State is not bound by the decision of any other institution to disregard grades earned in university-level courses. Similarly, students should be aware that academic forgiveness extended by Fairmont State many not be recognized by other institutions to which they may transfer.

Procedure After Returning or Transferring to Fairmont State for Eligible Students

• After returning to Fairmont State, a student must complete at least 12 graded credit hours with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA to be eligible for academic forgiveness.
• The student has the choice between requesting academic forgiveness for either all D and F grades or only F grades. The student’s choice is a final decision and cannot be subsequently reversed. A student no longer receives credit for any forgiven courses with a grade of D.

Financial Aid Statement: The Department of Education does not recognize academic forgiveness for Financial Aid purposes. Financial Aid must count all coursework that a student has attempted with the original grades to determine financial aid eligibility. Candidates for academic forgiveness may receive financial assistance during the readmission semester if under Financial Aid Probation and/or Academic Plan. If the student does not meet the financial aid standards of SAP or the requirements of their Academic Plan at the end of the readmission semester, student’s financial aid will be suspended as dictated by the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Candidates must notify Financial Aid Services once officially readmitted in order for financial aid eligibility to be determined at that time.

Academic Forgiveness Request Contact Information

Fairmont State University Office of the Registrar
1201 Locust Avenue
Turley Center Fairmont, WV 26554
Phone: (304) 367-4141
Email: registrar@fairmontstate.edu