Retake a Course for Grade Replacement

Policy Overview

If you're a current student who previously earned a low grade in an eligible course, you may repeat that course in a later term for grade replacement. Grade replacement gives you the opportunity to improve your cumulative GPA. (Law students are not eligible for grade replacement.)

Effective Spring 2022, grade replacement is applied automatically at the end of each term for eligible courses and students. 

Under grade replacement, the grade you earned in the most recent prior attempt of a course will still appear on your transcript, but it will be replaced in your cumulative GPA and credit totals with the grade you earn in your current attempt as long as that grade is the same or better. If a lower grade is earned in the latest attempt, grade replacement is not applied and the grades from both attempts will be used in computing cumulative and major grade point averages, total credits and academic standing. 

Repeating a Course Without Grade Replacement

You can repeat courses at any point in your academic career without grade replacement by submitting an opt-out request by the last day of the semester.

If you retake a class and opt out of grade replacement, the grade and credits you earn in all attempts will be included in your student credit and GPA totals, and in calculations on your official academic record. 

Note: Some academic programs have limits on the number of course repeats allowed for specific courses or number of attempts for degree applicability.

Your Next Steps

  1. Contact your advisor to learn more and discuss your options.
  2. Review the grade replacement policy and eligibility requirements in full.
  3. Register for the class.

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General Eligibility Frequently Asked Questions
General Eligibility

Course Requirements

Only courses offered by and taken through CU Boulder are eligible for grade replacement. To qualify for grade replacement, the course also must:

  • Be taken for a letter grade (i.e., not taken pass/fail or for no credit).
  • Match the subject and catalog number or be cross-listed with the previously attempted course (e.g., WGST/SOCY 1016, CLAS 4091/5091).
  • Not be a special topics course or any other course designated in the catalog as repeatable for credit (e.g., independent study, field experience, dissertation hours).*

*WRTG 1100, 1150, 1160, 1250, 3020, 3030, 3035 and 3040 are eligible for grade replacement regardless of topic. 

Student Requirements

To be considered for grade replacement, you must:

  • Be enrolled in classes at CU Boulder (law students are not eligible). Students who have already graduated are not eligible for grade replacement for courses taken prior to earning their degree.
  • Have earned a C- or lower (undergrads), or a C+ or lower (grad students) in your most recent prior attempt of the course (W grades don't count against student eligibility).
  • Have completed your most recent prior attempt in the same career you're in now (e.g., if you took the class as an undergraduate, you must be an undergraduate now to retake it for grade replacement).*
  • Have not been found guilty of academic dishonesty in either the most recent prior attempt or the latest attempt of the course. If an honor code violation occurs or is reported to our office after grade replacement has been applied, it will be revoked.

If an incomplete-graded class is retaken within one year of the end of the term on the Boulder campus or through Boulder Continuing Education, the initial grade of I will not be removed from the transcript. Instead both class attempts will be displayed on the transcript. Please see . If your most recent prior graded class is an incomplete, you are ineligible for grade replacement as the incomplete grade does not apply to completed hours nor the GPA.

*Undergraduate nondegree and undergraduate degree-seeking students are considered to be in the same academic career. Graduate nondegree and graduate degree-seeking students are considered to be in separate careers, with the exception of special online programs. (CU on Coursera graduate nondegree and degree-seeking students are considered to be in the same academic career.)

How many times can I retake the same class using grade replacement?

You may enroll in the same class multiple times if you meet all the eligibility requirements. This includes having earned an eligible grade in the most recent prior attempt (C- or lower for undergraduate students; C+ or lower for graduate students). Some academic programs have limits on the number of course repeats allowed for specific courses or number of attempts for degree applicability

How will my GPA be updated once my grade replacement request has been processed?

After your grade replacement request has been processed at the end of the semester, our office will update your academic record to exclude the previous credit hours and quality points from your semester and cumulative GPA. The most recent prior attempt of the course will appear on your transcript with a note about the repeat and the GPA exclusion, as well as on your degree audit and major GPA.

I received a qualifying grade on my most recent prior attempt, but grade replacement wasn't applied. What happened?

It's possible that you received a low grade in either your previous attempt or latest attempt due to an honor code violation, which would make it ineligible for grade replacement. 

Additionally, if you ended up receiving a lower grade retaking the class than you did in your previous attempt, grade replacement wouldn’t be applied. 

If I retake a course for grade replacement, will it improve my academic standing for the semester of my most recent prior attempt?

No, retaking a course will not affect your academic standing for any prior terms, nor will it retroactively affect your eligibility for honors, athletics or financial aid.

The course I want to take is offered for a different number of units than my most recent attempt. Will grade replacement still apply?

If a course is offered under the same course ID then grade replacement will apply regardless of the number of units enrolled. (Check with the department offering the course to make sure the course ID is the same for both attempts.) The units on the most recent attempt will be included in your credit hours and cumulative GPA, and the units from the most recent prior attempt won’t. 

If a course is offered for variable units you should enroll in the same amount of units in both attempts.

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