Grade Substitution

A. Grade Substitution for Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students may repeat courses for grade substitution according to the following set of criteria. If these conditions are not met, the general policy governing repeated courses applies.

  1. Undergraduate students may repeat for grade substitution up to two GT courses with posted letter grades of D or F. These courses will be excluded from calculation of their cumulative grade point average.
  2. A course can be taken for grade substitution only once and must be repeated within one calendar year. Students who completed the Georgia Tech course prior to matriculating  as first-year, degree-seeking undergraduates (e.g., joint/dual enrollment or in a non-degree seeking status) have one calendar year from their matriculation date to repeat the course. 
  3. A course is not eligible for grade substitution if the student was found responsible for any academic misconduct in that course regardless of how many times it is repeated.
  4. Grades excluded under previous Institute rules (such as the Grade Substitution policy that was in effect up until 2019) count toward the maximum two courses allowed for substitution.
  5. Once a grade substitution is posted, the student cannot remove the exclusion or change it to another course at a later date. A student cannot request a grade substitution after they have graduated.
  6. The application for grade substitution must be filed with the Registrar's Office no later than the deadline for withdrawing from a course during the student's next term of enrollment after the course is repeated.
  7. Students should not submit the form during the term they are repeating the course.

The original grade and the repeated grades will all appear on the official transcript. Once a grade substitution is applied to a course, the credit hours attempted and earned on the course will be removed from the calculation of the cumulative grade point. Excluded courses and hours will continue to be counted in calculations of satisfactory progress, for financial aid eligibility, and for tuition.

Students should be aware that many graduate and professional schools recalculate grade point averages in the process of considering an applicant for admission to such programs. This recalculation may include restoring the grades of the repeated classes and their effects on the cumulative grade point average.

The grade substitution policy (including, but not limited to, course eligibility, number of courses, time limits, and deadlines) is not subject to exceptions and may not be petitioned to the Undergraduate Institute Curriculum Committee.

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Frequently Asked Questions about the Undergraduate Grade Substitution Policy

B. Grade Substitution for Graduate Students

Graduate students may repeat a course for grade substitution according to the following set of criteria. If these conditions are not met, the general policy governing repeated courses applies.

  1. All graduate students may repeat for grade substitution one GT course with posted letter grades of C, D or F. The course will be excluded from calculation of their cumulative grade point average.
  2. The one-substitution limit holds during the entirety of their time as a graduate student regardless of the number of degree programs that they might enroll in.
  3. A course can be taken for grade substitution only once. Since not all graduate-level courses are offered each term, the student should consult with their academic advisor about planning to retake the course. Due to course scheduling constraints, some courses may not be repeatable in a timely fashion. This assumes the course is offered again in a future term.
  4. A course is not eligible for grade substitution if the student was found responsible for any academic misconduct in that course regardless of how many times it is repeated.
  5. Once a grade substitution is posted, the student cannot remove the exclusion or change it to another course at a later date. A student cannot request a grade substitution after they have graduated.
  6. The application for grade substitution must be filed with the Registrar's Office no later than the deadline for withdrawing from a course during the student's next term of enrollment after the course is repeated.
  7. Students cannot submit the form until after the course is repeated.
  8. The original grade and the repeated grade will all appear on the official transcript. Once a grade substitution is applied to a course, the credit hours attempted and earned on the course will be removed from the calculation of the cumulative grade point. The excluded course and hours will continue to be counted in calculations of satisfactory progress, for financial aid eligibility, and for tuition.
  9. This policy cannot be used to extend the applicable dates of an I-20 or other type of visa.

The grade substitution policy (including, but not limited to, course eligibility, time limit, and deadline) is not subject to exceptions and may not be petitioned to the Institute Graduate Curriculum Committee.

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Applying for Graduate Grade Substitution