Academic Renewal

Academic Renewal, sometimes referred to as academic forgiveness, can assist a student, who for one reason or another, struggled academically, left an institution, and now hopes to return to that same or a different institution. This could be a student who attended college directly from high school and, unprepared for the academic rigor of college, left school. This student may decide to return later after he or she has worked for a few years, is more mature and is academically prepared. The returning or transfer student can apply to have this previous grade point average replaced with a “renewed” grade point average. Academic Renewal encourages students to return without fear of being continuously penalized for past mistakes in their academic career.

• Georgia Southern University will consider Academic Renewal on transferable courses that were taken three or more years prior to the term of enrollment.
• If a student receives Academic Renewal, they will no longer have grades for any transferable courses, pending those courses were taken three or more years prior to the first term of enrollment at Georgia Southern University. These courses and grades, along with Academic Renewal status, will still be printed on transcripts, however.
• Students may only be granted Academic Renewal once in their academic career.
• Academic Renewal granted at another University System of Georgia institution will be honored at Georgia Southern University.
• The granting of Academic Renewal will not supersede the admission requirements of certain programs.
• For additional information and guidelines on Academic Renewal, refer to the Georgia Southern University Undergraduate Catalog.
• The granting of Academic Renewal does not supersede financial aid policies regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).  All attempted hours will count in the SAP calculation for financial aid.

Steps for New Transfer Students to Request Academic Renewal

1. Apply for admission and submit transcripts for all college work attempted.
2. Once a decision has been made, you will receive a letter in the mail. You can also check your status online.
3. If you are denied admission, you may request to be considered for Academic Renewal. To do this, contact the Transfer team at transfers@georgiasouthern.edu.
4. Before Academic Renewal is granted by the Office of Admissions, you must speak with an Admissions Counselor and agree to the terms of Renewal.
5. You may request Academic Renewal after you enroll by contacting the Office of the Registrar. You only have one year to request Academic Renewal after enrolling.

Last updated: 10/4/2022