Academic Renewal

Academic Renewal is a plan of academic forgiveness that allows undergraduate students with previous academic difficulty to improve their academic record when they change programs of study (majors). Academic Renewal allows students to exclude a limited number of undergraduate courses in which they received a D or F at the University of Memphis from their GPA calculation. It is intended to forgive grades of D or F in courses that do not apply to the new major.

Student Requirements

To be considered eligible for Academic Renewal, a student must:

1. Be admitted as a degree-seeking student at the University of Memphis.
   
   
2. Have an institutional (University of Memphis) and/or overall GPA of less than 2.0 at the time of application for Academic Renewal.
   
   
3. Have their advisor/college submit an academic curriculum change indicating the change to a new program of study (major). The change of program should have occurred within six months at the time the Academic Renewal application is submitted.
   
   
4. Not have earned an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree previously or have been granted a previous Academic Renewal or Academic Fresh Start.
   
   
5. Complete an Academic Renewal Application in consultation with their new major advisor and signed by both the student and the new advisor. The student may apply to exclude a maximum of five courses with grades of D or F from their GPA calculation (an “X” will appear in front of the grade on the transcript). These courses must be required courses in the previous program of study (old major) and cannot be required for the new program of study (major). The application should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office, located in 003 Wilder Tower,  for review. Registrar’s staff will keep advisors from both programs informed of the status of the application and consult with them if needed. 

If the application is approved by the Registrar’s Office, to be granted Academic Renewal, a student must:

• Complete a minimum of 12 hours with a minimum GPA of 2.25 in courses that represent progress toward the new declared major. These 12 hours must be completed within one academic year of the application, and in consecutive semesters.
  
  

Terms of Academic Renewal

1. Academic Renewal is not a substitute for repeating courses to replace grades and should only be used as a final option. The student may be granted Academic Renewal only once during an undergraduate career.
   
   
2. Once a student has successfully fulfilled conditions for Academic Renewal, the GPA will then be re-calculated excluding the courses named in the application. Reminder: maximum of five courses with a grades of D or F may be excluded; the courses may come from any semester or combination of semesters; most importantly, all courses excluded must be required courses in the previous program of study (old major), and cannot be required for the new program of study (major). These courses will appear with an “X” in front of the grade on the transcript. Courses in which the grade was a result of academic misconduct are not eligible for academic renewal.
   
   
3. Courses chosen under this policy would not count toward the number of times that a course could be repeated, nor would it affect the grade replacement limit.
   
   
4. Academic renewal is independent of financial aid and scholarship regulations and requirements. The student should consult with the Office of Financial Aid, University & Student Business Services, Scholarship Office, and/or Veterans Educational Benefits & Certification in the Office of Registrar at the University of Memphis for proper guidance regarding federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs; collection of student fees and charges; payment plan options; scholarship eligibility; and/or educational benefits.
   
   
5. Students using this policy should understand that because the original grades remain on the transcript, they may be considered by other institutions when applying to graduate or professional school and by employers.