Types of Repeated Courses
Provide a personal statement that explains the reason for your request. Include why you want to repeat the course, evidence of changes in your academic behavior, and goals that will lead to academic success. When you’re finished, select Submit to send your request for approval.
A repeated course will result in a grade averaged and calculated in the GPA.
Undergraduate students may repeat 28 units over their entire CSULB undergraduate career, of which 16 units maximum can be for grade forgiveness, in which the grade in the first attempt is excluded from the GPA.
If the student earns a grade of D, F, NC, or WU on the second attempt, both grades will be averaged into their GPA. However, units earned will be applied only once and will count toward the 28-unit limit.
Grades Averaged (Undergraduate Students) Once a student reaches the 16 units for Grade Forgiveness and has not reached the maximum of 28 units, a repeated course will result in a grade averaged and calculated in the GPA.
Students may repeat an individual course only once for grade forgiveness.
Grades Averaged (Graduate/Credential/Certificate Students) Students pursuing second baccalaureates, credentials, certificates, masters or doctoral degrees may not repeat courses for grade forgiveness. Although these students may repeat courses for grades averaged, their courses are not subject to unit limits.
Also known as Grade Forgiveness , a course repeat is the repetition of a course for the sake of improving upon an earlier unsatisfactory performance in which the new grade replaces the old grade in the calculation of the grade point average (GPA). Course Repeats are allowed if the first attempt has an insufficient grade of one of the following: "C-," "D+," "D," "D-," "F," "WU," or "IC."
Undergraduate students may repeat an individual course for grade forgiveness no more than once or two (2)attempts total. Prior to Fall 2013, courses could be repeated more than twice in an undergraduate career.
An incomplete grade ("I") indicates that an extension of the assignment of a final grade from the professor has been approved because the student has not completed a portion of required course work. Reasons for the request usually indicate an unforeseen and justifiable interruption occurred during that course.
All students already enrolled in a class with an " I" grade will not be allowed to re-enroll in the class in a future term UNTIL the incomplete has been converted to a grade.
A repeatable course should not normally keep a student from enrolling as long as the student has not exceeded the number of attempts allowed in the catalog.
All attempts at repeating the failed course must be recorded with the correct units and grades earned each time because they are calculated into the GPA.
Taking classes for which you will not receive any credit will not help you in any way. Be strategic in your approach. Many students who have had to repeat classes have gotten accepted into medical school—it’s a matter of how quickly you can bounce back.
The most important information that you can take away from this blog post is that if you do need to retake a class, if at all possible, it is best to retake it at the same institution so that whether you apply to osteopathic or allopathic schools, it will be considered a repeat course and demonstrate your improvement. Before deciding to repeat a course, you will need to research your undergraduate institution’s policies on what they define as a failing grade and whether they have any rules about retaking classes or the number of times you can retake a class. Taking classes for which you will not receive any credit will not help you in any way. Be strategic in your approach. Many students who have had to repeat classes have gotten accepted into medical school—it’s a matter of how quickly you can bounce back.
It does not matter where you took the class or retook it as long as you designate it as an equivalent course by labeling it “Repeated.”. Withdrawals cannot be considered repeats. Classes that are designed to be retaken repeatedly, like PE classes, should not be listed as repeats.
While both of these application services request that applicants enter in the coursework to create a standardized approach and final calculation, each individual medical school has its own way of reviewing academic records. The individual schools may rely only on the official transcripts, the data entered and/or some combination of both or only a section of either. For example, some osteopathic medical schools only review the last 60 hours of coursework. Each school as well as each individual selection committee member has their own approach.
You can list classes as “Repeated,” even if you did not receive a failing grade in them, if you are allowed to take the class for credit again by your undergraduate institution.
Any classes that are repeated without receiving credit should be listed as “Exempt” courses and will not have any impact on your GPA totals. Withdrawals and incompletes should not be included as repeat courses. AMCAS will not consider courses retaken on other campuses as “repeats.”.