Course Repeat Policy
Students may repeat courses at Dickinson State University to improve grades or to update knowledge of the course content. Students who are receiving financial aid must consider the impact of repeating a class(es) on their eligibility for financial aid. Students should seek academic advisement before deciding to repeat a course.
Repeating a Course:
- The initial grade and the new grade for repeated courses will appear on the student’s official and unofficial transcript.
- The grade earned during the last enrollment will be used in calculating grade point averages and degree requirements, even if that grade is lower.
- The initial grade will continue to be calculated in grade point average and in degree requirements, if the repeated course is dropped or withdrawn.
- Students who have earned a degree may re-enroll in a course but the repeat policy will not apply. Both courses will be included in calculation of GPA and total credits.
- The repeat policy is applicable to transfer credit if the transfer course is deemed equivalent to a Dickinson State University course.
- Courses that Dickinson State University has inactivated or discontinued may not be repeated.
- Repeats are not calculated on pre-college courses.
- Repeats of a course occur only if subsequent enrollment is on the same basis of grading as the first. (A course initially taken for a letter grade must be repeated for a letter grade).
- Repeating a course may improve the student’s academic standing. However, prior academic standing, as it has been recorded on the official and unofficial transcripts, will remain unchanged.
- The Department of Education has published regulations which impact students who repeat courses. These regulations may impact financial aid eligibility and awards, including Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Direct Loans, Federal Work Study, TEACH Grants, Perkins Loans, and Direct Loans.
The Department of Education regulations prevent the Office of Financial Aid from paying for a course that has been passed and repeated more than one time. In order for a repeated course to be counted towards enrollment status for financial aid purposes, students may only repeat a previously passed course once (a total of two attempts). If a student enrolls in a previously repeated and passed course for a third time, the course will not count towards enrollment for financial aid purposes. Unless, however, a specific course allows multiple enrollment then the initial course will not be recorded as a repeat (ex. THEA 200) on the student transcript or count for financial aid purposes. Further repeats may or may not count due to the nature of the course. Please contact the Office of Academic Records or academic advisor for clarification.
Examples of repeated courses:
- Repeated courses may be included if the student received an unsatisfactory or failing grade. There is no limit on the number of attempts allowable if the student does not receive a passing grade. Grades of A, B, C, D, or S are considered passing grades.
- Student is enrolled in 15 credit hours in which three credits are repeating a previously passed course. Because the student is enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits which are not repeats, the student's financial aid eligibility is not impacted by the repeat.
- Student receives a D in a course and decides to repeat the course to improve his/her GPA. The student may repeat this passed course one time, but if the student wants to repeat it a second time, the second repeat would not count for financial aid eligibility. For example, a student enrolls in 12 credits of which three of those credits are a second time repeat. As a result, only nine credits will count for financial aid eligibility.