Grade Forgiveness Policy

Undergraduate Grade Forgiveness Policy

Effective Fall 2026, Southeastern Louisiana University enrolled undergraduates may exclude up to 9 credit hours of Southeastern courses with grades of “D” or “F” from their Primary Program, Southeastern, and Adjusted GPA calculations. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor and/or ACE Coach before taking action.

For the complete text, and full restrictions of this policy, please consult the 2026-2027 University Catalog.

Before You Request

Grade Forgiveness is a permanent decision that can affect your degree requirements, financial aid eligibility, scholarship retention, and future educational opportunities. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor and/or ACE Coach before submitting a request.

When to Request

Students may request Grade Forgiveness through their University Workday account during the following time frames within each academic period for grades earned during the previous academic periods:

Fall Semester – Early September  – November 1

Spring Semester – February 1 – April 1

Summer Semester – June 15 – July 15

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Grade Forgiveness allows eligible undergraduate students to exclude up to 9 credit hours of Southeastern courses with grades of D or F from the calculation of their Primary Program GPA, Southeastern GPA, and Adjusted Cumulative GPA.

  • An active undergraduate student who has earned a grade of D or F in a previous semester at Southeastern may be eligible for Grade Forgiveness.
  • The policy applies beginning Fall 2026 and may be applied to eligible coursework completed before Fall 2026, provided the student has not already earned a Southeastern undergraduate degree.
  • Any student who has applied for program completion is NOT eligible for Grade Forgiveness.
    • Students who have obtained 90 or more credits should complete all Grade Forgiveness requests PRIOR to applying for program completion. 

  • ACE Coaches are available by appointment to assist students in the Grade Forgiveness process.

  • This Student Resource Guide will assist a student in completing the Request form in Workday for Grade Forgiveness.
    • NOTE – only one course per request.  A student may submit more than one request on the same day.
    • NOTE: Requests for Grade Forgiveness should be completed before Applying for Program Completion.  Once an application for program completion is in process, a request for grade forgiveness will be denied. 
    • NOTE: Once Grade Forgiveness is applied, it cannot be removed or transferred to another course.

  • You may exclude up to 9 credit hours of eligible coursework.The 9 credit hours may be:
    • Applied to one course taken multiple times, or
    • Split among multiple eligible courses.
    • Southeastern courses ONLY, may NOT apply to transfer work

  • Only grades of D or F are eligible for Grade Forgiveness.
  • Grades assigned due to academic misconduct are not eligible.

  • Only Southeastern courses are eligible, including eligible dual enrollment courses that appear on your Southeastern transcript.
  • Individual colleges have identified certain courses that are not eligible for Grade Forgiveness. Those may be found on the Excluded Courses Document.

  • No, once Grade Forgiveness has been approved and applied, it cannot be reversed or transferred to another course.

  • No, the course and the original grade will remain on your academic transcript. Grade Forgiveness changes how the course is used in certain GPA calculations but does not remove it from your academic record.

  • No, any course excluded through Grade Forgiveness cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements, even if the original grade was a D.

  • Excluded courses will no longer be included in your:
    • Primary Program GPA
    • Southeastern GPA
    • Adjusted Cumulative GPA

  • It may. Grade Forgiveness can affect your:
    • Academic standing
    • Class standing
  • However, it does not change:
    • Tuition charges or provide refunds
    • Previous semester honors (such as the Dean’s List)

  • No, Forgiven courses are still included when calculating eligibility for Honors at Graduation.

  • Yes, it may. For purposes of:
    • Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
    • Scholarship retention requirements
    • TOPS eligibility
  • Forgiven grades are still included in cumulative GPA calculations.
  • Students should consult the Office of Financial Aid before submitting a Grade Forgiveness petition.

  • Yes, your original grade is reflected on your transcript.
  • Graduate schools, professional programs, employers, and other institutions may calculate GPA using all coursework attempted, including courses excluded through Southeastern’s Undergraduate Grade Forgiveness Policy.

  • Students should consult the program to which they are applying for specific admission requirements.

  • Yes, Student-athletes must obtain approval from the Athletic Compliance Office.
  • NOTE: NCAA eligibility rules do not recognize Southeastern’s Undergraduate Grade Forgiveness Policy when calculating GPA.

  • Yes, if Grade Forgiveness is granted and it is later determined that the grade resulted from academic misconduct, the Dean of Students (or designee) may notify the Registrar to revoke the Grade Forgiveness.

  • Possibly, Grade Forgiveness may affect your class standing because excluded courses no longer count toward earned credit hours used to determine classification. If your class standing changes (for example, from junior to sophomore), your priority registration appointment may also change.

  • No. The Grade Forgiveness Policy allows eligible D and F grades to be excluded from certain GPA calculations. However, if the course is required for your program of study (degree), you may still need to successfully complete the course to meet the requirement for your program of study (degree).

  • The course and the new earned grade are applied towards the requirements of your program of study (degree) and calculated in all grade point averages.

  • If a course is used to satisfy requirements in multiple programs of study, such as your primary program, minor(s), or certificate(s), the course will be removed from all applicable programs of study when Grade Forgiveness is applied. 

  • Students will receive an automated email acknowledging receipt of the Grade Forgiveness request.

  • Students will receive an email when their Grade Forgiveness request is DENIED.
    • A DENIED decision would be the result of meeting the 9 credit limit, selecting a course that is excluded from Grade Forgiveness, or selecting a course in which a grade of D or F was not earned.
    • Students will receive an email when their Grade Forgiveness request has been APPROVED.
      • An APPROVED decision will result in previous grades being changed to “GF D” or “GF F” on the student’s Academic History, unofficial, and official transcripts.  An additional Grade Forgiveness tab will also populate in the student’s Academic section within Workday.  This will reflect the Courses in which grades were forgiven as well as provide the Adjusted Cumulative GPA.

  • Questions about eligibility or the petition process: Your Academic Advisor and/or ACE Coach at [email protected]
  • Questions about degree requirements: Your academic advisor
  • Questions about financial aid, scholarships, or TOPS: Office of Financial Aid at [email protected] 
  • Questions about your academic record: Office of the Registrar at [email protected]

  • Yes. If you are a prospective Fall graduate and believe that forgiving an eligible course could improve your Primary Program GPA, your department advisor or ACE Coach can review your academic record and help determine whether Grade Forgiveness may be appropriate.
  • Note: Grade forgiveness is not applicable to students in pending completion status who maintain Academic Good Standing.
  • If it is determined that Grade Forgiveness would benefit your GPA, the student should contact the Registrar’s Office at [email protected] to withdraw their program completion application so that a Grade Forgiveness request may be submitted. Once the Grade Forgiveness request is submitted, the student will need to submit a new program completion application.
    • The November 1 final deadline to apply for Fall program completion remains in effect regardless of whether you complete the Grade Forgiveness process. Completing Grade Forgiveness does not extend or change the program completion application deadline. However, students who have applied prior to the September 15th late diploma fee deadline will not be charged a fee to resubmit.
  • Because a forgiven course cannot satisfy degree requirements, students should consult with their department advisor or ACE Coach before submitting a Grade Forgiveness Request to understand how forgiving the course may affect their overall degree progress.
  • Remember, once Grade Forgiveness has been approved and applied, it cannot be reversed or transferred to another course.