Repeat Course Policy

Repeating a Course You Previously Passed

Repeat courses in which a passing grade has already been received cannot be included in your VA enrollment certification. This applies to:

• Courses passed at APSU

• Courses passed at another institution that transferred to APSU

• Courses to which APSU's CARE or Fresh Start academic forgiveness policy has been applied

If you want to retake a course you already passed — even to improve your grade — the VA will not cover that enrollment. See Course & Degree Approval for more on what qualifies for VA certification.

Repeating a Course You Previously Failed or Received an Unacceptable Grade

The VA has specific rules for repeating failed or unacceptable-grade courses. These rules involve APSU's grade forgiveness policy and reporting requirements to the VA.

What is an "unacceptable grade"?

An unacceptable grade is defined by your program's requirements in the APSU Academic Bulletin. For example, the undergraduate Bulletin states that Nursing majors must have completed at least 30 hours with no grades lower than a C in nursing prerequisites and APSU general education requirements. A grade of D in that context would be an unacceptable grade for a Nursing student, even though D is technically passing.

Check your program's requirements to understand what grade threshold applies to you.

APSU grade forgiveness policy

APSU allows students to repeat failed or unacceptable courses. When a higher grade is earned on a repeat attempt, the earlier grade may be excluded from the GPA (made "non-punitive"). The VA must be notified when a grade becomes non-punitive, because the original enrollment may have been certified to the VA.

APSU's grade exclusion policy works as follows:

• 1st attempt — excluded from GPA calculation by the 2nd attempt

• 2nd attempt — excluded from GPA calculation by the 3rd attempt

• 3rd attempt and beyond — remain in the GPA calculation (punitive grades)

When must APSU report to the VA?

APSU is required to report a grade to the VA when it becomes non-punitive (excluded from GPA). The three scenarios below cover how this works in practice.

Scenario 1 — First attempt failed, second attempt passed

The first attempt is excluded from the GPA by the second attempt — but since the second attempt resulted in a passing grade, nothing needs to be reported to the VA. This is effectively a free pass.

Scenario 2 — First and second attempts failed, third attempt passed

The first attempt is excluded from the GPA (no report needed). The second attempt is excluded from the GPA by the third attempt — this becomes a non-punitive grade and must be reported to the VA, which may result in an overpayment.

Scenario 3 — First, second, and third attempts failed, fourth attempt passed

The first attempt is excluded from the GPA (no report needed). The second attempt is excluded from the GPA by the third attempt — non-punitive, must be reported to the VA. The third attempt remains in the GPA calculation (punitive) — does not need to be reported. The fourth attempt passes.

Examples

Example 1

• Fall 2021 — ENGL 1010: F (does not have to be reported — free pass)

• Spring 2022 — ENGL 1010: C

Example 2

• Fall 2021 — ENGL 1010: F (does not have to be reported)

• Spring 2022 — ENGL 1010: F (non-punitive — must be reported to VA)

• Summer 2022 — ENGL 1010: C

Example 3

• Fall 2021 — ENGL 1010: F (does not have to be reported)

• Spring 2022 — ENGL 1010: F (non-punitive — must be reported to VA)

• Summer 2022 — ENGL 1010: F (punitive — does not have to be reported)

• Fall 2022 — ENGL 1010: C

VA Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) Exception

Students using VA Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (Chapter 31) benefits may repeat a failed required course one time without documentation from their VA counselor. Additional repeats beyond one may require counselor authorization.