Navigating the UCF Grade Forgiveness Policy and Academic Regulations

The University of Central Florida (UCF) offers a multitude of opportunities for students to achieve their academic goals. However, navigating the various academic policies and regulations, including the grade forgiveness policy, can be complex. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of these policies, drawing upon information relevant to course repetition, financial aid, academic progress, and admission standards, particularly within specific colleges such as the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) and the College of Business.

Understanding Course Repetition and Financial Aid Implications

The US Department of Education has implemented a regulation that impacts students who repeat courses. Students may only receive federal financial aid for ONE repetition of a previously passed course. The regulations prohibit the University from paying for a course that has been passed more than one time. If a student enrolls in a course that has been previously repeated (at least twice) and received a passing grade, they will be ineligible for Title IV aid to cover the repeated class taken for the third time. The repeated course(s), including the original attempt, must be counted toward the maximum time frame and hours completion ratio requirements, which can impact a student's financial aid eligibility.

The CECS Progress Policy

The College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) adopted a new retention policy, the CECS Progress Policy, beginning with the Summer 2015 semester for students admitting to UCF in a CECS major. This policy also applies to students readmitting to UCF in a CECS major or changing their major to another CECS program beginning in Summer 2015. The CECS Progress Policy is designed to encourage successful completion of a degree at UCF. The college believes that the adoption of this policy will positively affect time to degree completion, excess hours, indebtedness, future employability, and congestion in key UCF courses. The policy measures the number of low grades, withdrawals, and repeated attempts of courses taken at UCF. CECS requires students who have been placed on probation to participate in an online workshop during their first semester on probation. Overrides for a CECS course are reviewed and processed by the CECS Academic Affairs office. Overrides are not permitted if a student has not met the UCF prerequisite requirements for a course or if a course is closed. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Transient Courses and CECS

Courses taken at another institution during a student’s UCF Career are called “Transient Courses”. The College of Engineering and Computer Science recommends that once admitted to UCF all math, science, engineering, computer science, and information technology classes be taken at UCF if the credits are being used toward a major within CECS. Students who are considering taking transient courses should work with a CECS academic advisor prior to taking the class. Taking courses as a Transient student will not allow you to enroll in future courses within the College of Engineering and Computer Science until the final grade in the transient course can be provided to UCF.

College of Business Admission Standards and Course Repetition

The College of Business Admission Standards have been established by the faculty to increase the likelihood of a timely program completion and post-graduation success. A student’s academic catalog year guarantees their graduation requirements, but not their admission requirements. Admission standards are subject to change without notice and all pre-majors are held to the current admission standards.

Primary Business Core Requirements

Completion of the Primary Business Core at UCF or an AACSB-accredited institution is essential. Successful completion of GEB 3006 Career Development and Financial Planning is also required. A “C” or better is required for Accounting, Economics, Finance, Marketing and Management.

GPA Requirements for Specific Majors

Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing majors must earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the Primary Core, and no grade less than a “C” in each of the five Primary Core classes. Additionally, Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing majors must earn a grade of at least a “B” in the first course in their chosen major. If any course in the Primary Core is repeated, either to earn the minimum required grade of “B” for a first course in the desired major, or to earn the minimum required grade of “C” for any other Primary Core course, both attempts will be counted in the calculation of the Primary Core GPA. However, the better attempt, not the average of both attempts, will be used to determine whether the student has met the minimum required grade sought through the repeated course. It is the student’s responsibility to thoughtfully consider the admission standards prior to electing to repeat a Primary Core course.

Integrated Business and Real Estate majors must earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the Primary Core, and no grade less than a “D” in each of the five Primary Core classes. Additionally, Real Estate majors must earn a minimum grade of “C” in the first course in their chosen major. If the first course in the major is repeated to earn a “C”, both attempts will be calculated in the Primary Core GPA. However, the best attempt, not the average of both attempts, will be used to meet the “C” admission requirement.

Economics majors must earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the Primary Core courses, and no grade less than a “C” in each of the five Primary Core courses. Students are allowed a maximum of one repeat attempt to meet the 2.0 Primary Core GPA and a minimum grade of C in the first course in the major. It is the student’s responsibility to thoughtfully consider the admission standards prior to electing to repeat a Primary Core course.

Admission Process

Admission into any College of Business BSBA program requires meeting the above admission standards. As long as a student meets the above admission standards, and is in the correct “Pre-major,” the student will automatically move into their major. This process will occur after official grades have posted at the end of the term.

Course Equivalency for Transfer Students

Students entering UCF with business coursework previously taken at another institution may use the College of Business Course Evaluation system to request that a business course that was taken at another institution be reviewed for equivalency with a College of Business course. Submissions to the system are reviewed by faculty within the appropriate academic department to determine if the course taken at another institution is equivalent to the course taught at UCF by College of Business faculty. If the academic department determines that the course is equivalent, the transfer credit will meet degree requirements. If it is determined that the course is not equivalent, the transfer credit will not meet degree requirements and the course must be successfully completed at UCF. Submissions are carefully evaluated by discipline-specific experts within the academic departments; therefore, equivalency decisions are final and non-negotiable.

Student Responsibilities and Resources

All business students are expected to know how to find their degree audit (accessed through the MyUCF portal) and understand how to read the degree audit. It is the responsibility of each student to know the graduation requirements for their specific major and catalog year. If you have questions regarding your degree audit, you are encouraged to meet with an Advising Team member in the Office of Professional Development (BA2 101).

College of Business Student Code of Conduct

As a member of the UCF College of Business community, students commit themselves to act honestly, responsibly, and above all, with honor and integrity in all areas of campus life. Continued enrollment in the College is a privilege, not a right, and this privilege may be revoked if it is determined by the College of Business that a student is in violation of this Student Code of Conduct. Students are accountable for all that they say and write and will interact with faculty, staff and students in a polite and professional manner at all times. They are responsible for the academic integrity of their work and pledge that they will neither misrepresent their work nor give or receive unauthorized aid.

Transient Course Policy for Business Majors

Business majors are expected to complete their business coursework at UCF. Once a student has enrolled as a UCF College of Business major, the College does not approve transient requests for college of business courses, or any business major required course. Students must request consideration by the College of Business before taking a course at another institution or the course will not count towards degree progress. You may submit your request for consideration by applying online at: floridashines.org. Go to the drop down menu under ‘Succeed in College’ and select ‘Take a Course at Another School.’ Select the “Apply Now” button.

Graduation and Career Guidance

UCF is committed to provide you with guidance to help you stay on track to graduate and begin your career. Requests to add additional College of Business academic plan/s (majors, minors, certificates) will be reviewed in accordance with the requirements listed in the Undergraduate Catalog. Submissions from students with 75+ credits earned or those delaying timely degree completion. Students are expected to submit their intent to graduate (ITG) in their graduating semester through their myUCF Student Portal once they have completed degree requirements and by the university deadline for the associated term. The office can assist students in timely completion of their degree and post-graduation employment through early identification of major fit, connection with internship and employment opportunities, understanding degree requirements, and considering the opportunity costs of potential delays.

Read also: Navigating Sophomore Year

Grade Forgiveness Policy

The student must provide the appropriate documentation. Note: University requires that incompletes be completed within one year at which time a “F” is assigned. The policy does not require that students be given a year to complete the course requirements. If you are retaking a course for grade forgiveness keep in mind University and College of Business deadlines. Students apply for grade forgiveness in the term they are retaking the course. If you received a “C-” or lower in your initial attempt, you will apply for grade forgiveness through myUCF. You will need to complete the online application. If you received a “C” or better in your initial attempt, you will need college approval. Students will be contacted once their form has been signed and approved with instructions to submit this form to the Registrar’s Office by the university deadline. Students must adhere to the OPD and University deadlines outlined above.

Prerequisites and Registration

When registering for courses, it is the student’s responsibility to know prerequisite requirements. This includes both individual course prerequisites (e.g., Quantitative Business Tools I must be successfully completed prior to taking Quantitative Business Tools II) and program prerequisites (e.g., Primary Core classes must be successfully completed prior to enrolling in any upper-level courses in the major). College of Business prerequisites are updated annually by the faculty and are in place to increase the likelihood of student success. Students meeting the program prerequisites for a specific major may apply for admission to that major. Each business major has admission requirements unique to that particular major that have been established to increase the likelihood of a timely program completion and post-graduation success. Admission requirements must be met and an online ‘Change of Major Request’ must be submitted and approved in order to move from a ‘pre-business major’ status to ‘in the major’ status. When prerequisites are changed, they are enforced for all students. A maximum of 6 hours of coursework may be shared between programs in the College of Business. Registration for a course that has a time overlap with any portion of the dedicated class time of another course is NOT permitted. University policy allows students to enroll in a maximum of 17 credit hours per fall and spring term, and a maximum of 14 credit hours per summer term (14 credit hours for summer A, B, C, and D combined). The College of Business fully supports this policy. Exceptions to this University policy are rare. Please note that work-related time conflicts, personal schedule conflicts, financial constraints, etc.

Academic Standing and Probation

The minimum UCF GPA required to be considered a student “in good standing” is 2.0. If a student’s UCF grade point average falls below a 2.0, the student is placed on Academic Probation. Students on academic probation are required to earn a minimum 2.0 UCF GPA during the subsequent semester. If the semester UCF GPA is above a 2.0 and is high enough to raise the cumulative UCF GPA back to a 2.0 or higher, then the student is placed back in “good standing” and is removed from academic probation. If the semester UCF GPA is a 2.0 but is not high enough to raise the cumulative UCF GPA back to a 2.0, then the student is placed on “Continued Probation” the next semester. A student on Academic Probation is disqualified upon failure to achieve a minimum 2.0 UCF GPA during the subsequent term. Students who have been disqualified from UCF will have a hold on their account from the Registrar’s Office. A Disqualified student seeking readmission to the University may submit an application for readmission to the Registrar’s Office. Meeting the admission standards for chosen major. A student readmitted following Disqualification who fails to achieve a minimum 2.0 UCF GPA is permanently excluded from the University. Students are not eligible for readmission after Exclusion.

Lack of Progress

Students failing to maintain the minimum required major GPA, per their declared major and catalog year will be placed on “Lack of Progress” in the major. If a student on “Lack of Progress” in the major fails to achieve the minimum required major GPA in the subsequent term of enrollment, including summer semesters, that student will be dismissed from the major and required to change his or her major. Students dismissed from their major are not eligible to declare a minor in the major they were dismissed from. For example: A student dismissed from Accounting is unable to declare an Accounting minor after dismissal. Students who change their major while on Lack of Progress in the Major and take courses in a subsequent term of enrollment are not permitted to return to the major or minor for which they were placed on Lack of Progress. Students failing to maintain a minimum College of Business GPA of 2.0 will be placed on “Lack of Progress” in the College. If a student on “Lack of Progress” in the College fails to achieve a cumulative 2.0 College GPA in the subsequent term of enrollment, including summer semesters, that student will be dismissed from the College and required to change his or her major to a major outside of the College of Business.

Appeals Process

Academic policies have been approved by university and College of Business faculty. These policies will be strictly enforced. It is rare that an exception would be made. If a student has documented proof of a university error or extenuating circumstances, the College may consider an appeal. Medical-related appeals (death of an immediate family member, medical or health issues, etc.) should be submitted through the Registrar’s Office, not our College appeal process. There is a university deadline for these appeals. Appeals based on disagreement or general dissatisfaction with a policy will not be considered. The appeal includes a formal typed letter directly citing the specific policy that the student is appealing, and clearly states the exception that the student is requesting. The letter must also include the student’s PID, declared major, College of Business GPA, and UCF GPA. The appeal package contains all the above-required information and should be addressed to: College of Business Academic Policy Review Board. Appeals are submitted through an online platform. Please review the above criteria carefully and proofread your packet thoroughly. Failure to meet all of the above criteria will result in an automatic denial. Appeals will be accepted throughout the semester, until the Monday before the start of classes as indicated on the Academic Calendar. The Academic Policy Review Board will convene once a month to review appeals.

Additional Information about UCF

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Admission to UCF

There are many reasons to apply to UCF, but only one way to do it. Get application information and deadlines, plus answers to all your questions. Admission to UCF is competitive, so we encourage you to apply early. As an incoming first-year student, you should apply between September and November of your high school senior year if you plan to enroll the following summer or fall semester. By applying early, you may benefit from scholarship consideration and housing availability. UCF has more than 245 degree programs in 12 colleges, plus a talented team of faculty and staff to help find what’s right for you.

Transferring to UCF

Whether you’re planning to complete your bachelor’s degree or are seeking a new college with bigger opportunities, get the tools and support you need to transfer and succeed. Plus, if you earn an A.A. or articulated A.S. degree from one of our partner institutions, DirectConnect to UCF guarantees* you admission. Reach out to the Office of Transfer and Transition Services to help make your transition smooth and seamless. *Consistent with community/state college and university policy.

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Repeat Checking and Degree Audits

Currently, UCF counts all attempts of a class equally. If you take a class three times, you will receive 9 credits for the class on your academic transcript even though only 3 credits count towards graduation on your degree audit. Your degree audit information will not be affected by this. Your progress towards graduation will not be affected by this change. The degree audit has always managed repeat checking. There are two reasons for this change. Since repeated courses will not count more than once as earned credits on your transcript, your total credits earned that appear on your transcript may change.

Grade Forgiveness Policy Remains Unchanged

The Grade Forgiveness policy remains unchanged. You will not receive credit for both occurrences of the same class on your transcript.

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