Executive Policy 5.233 Executive Policy 5.233

Aligned Course Repeat Policy

Executive Policy Chapter 5, Academic Affairs
Executive Policy EP 5.233, Aligned Course Repeat Policy
Effective Date:  Fall Semester 2026
Prior Dates Amended:  N/A
Responsible Office:  Office of the Vice President for Academic Strategy
Governing Board of Regents Policy:  None
Review Date:  August 2031

To create consistency in campus undergraduate course repeat policies to provide clarity to students, advisors, and faculty. This policy establishes a unified approach across all ten campuses to clarify when and how repeated courses affect grade point average (GPA), credit, and transcript records.

1. Repeatable Course: A course that, per the catalog description, may be taken more than once for additional credit.


2. Course Attempt: Any course registration appearing on a transcript, inclusive of all grading modes. Courses resulting in no credits earned (e.g., F, I, NC) are considered course attempts. (Withdrawals shall not count as course attempts for the purposes of grade replacement.)


3. Grade Point Average (GPA): The average of grade points earned, calculated according to UH policy.


4. Credit by Examination: A process allowing students to earn credit without taking the course; excluded from this policy.


5. WI Course: A designated Writing Intensive course, which may be subject to specific repeat considerations.


6. Advisor: For the purposes of this policy, advisor refers to an advisor, counselor and any other employee authorized to provide academic or financial aid advising to students.

1. Guiding Principles
   
   1. All UH campuses shall uphold academic integrity while supporting student success and completion.
   
   
   2. Program-specific rules may limit or prohibit repeats, especially for accredited or selective-entry programs (e.g., Nursing, Dental Hygiene).
   
   
   3. Guidelines and GPA calculations within this policy pertain specifically to institutional (campus) GPA calculations and do not supersede federal regulations (e.g., financial aid and veterans’ benefits).
   
   
   4. Campuses may apply additional guidance or early intervention practices based on academic progress.
   
   
   5. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with an advisor before repeating a course; and to consider the potential impact to the students’ financial aid and other benefits.
   
   
   6. A student’s GPA is calculated separately for each campus.


2. Policy
   
   1. All grades remain on the student’s academic record.
   
   
   2. Credit is awarded only once, unless the course is designated as repeatable in the catalog.
      
      1. For courses designated in the catalog as repeatable for credit, the maximum attempts as stated in the catalog must be exhausted before this repeat policy will take effect.
   
   
   3. First three (3) attempts
      
      1. Students may repeat a course up to two times [maximum three attempts total] at the same campus for grade replacement and GPA calculation. Withdrawals shall not count as course attempts for the purposes of grade replacement.
      
      
      2. For grade replacement, only the highest grade earned for a course will be used to compute the institutional GPA.
      
      
      3. To replace a previous grade in GPA calculation, the repeated course must be taken with the same grading mode.
         
         1. The Credit/No Credit grading mode will not grade-replace a previously assigned letter grade.
   
   
   4. Additional attempts (fourth and on)
      
      1. Grade replacement is not applied after the third attempt.
      
      
      2. Because credit is only awarded once, the grade for the course is calculated using the average of:
         
         1. the highest grade for the first three attempts, AND
         
         
         2. all additional grades earned in the fourth attempt and beyond.
   
   
   5. Credit may be earned via transfer if the student did not earn credit on a previous attempt.
      
      1. Grades earned for courses repeated outside of the original campus will not be used for GPA calculation.
      
      
      2. A prerequisite override may be needed in order for the student to enroll in subsequent coursework for which the transfer course serves as a prerequisite.
   
   
   6. A course may be repeated via credit by examination if the course was previously attempted, but credits were not earned. However, the credit by examination will not replace a previously earned grade in GPA calculation.
   
   
   7. Writing Intensive (WI) courses may be repeated for a higher grade but will fulfill only one WI requirement. Credit will be awarded only once unless the WI course is designated repeatable for credit.

The President delegates authority to the Vice President for Academic Strategy and the Chancellors/Provost to implement and ensure consistent application of this policy across all ten UH campuses. They are responsible for addressing campus-specific concerns and initiating appropriate changes to advising systems or academic procedures.

Office of the Vice President for Academic StrategyTelephone: (808) 956-6897Email: ovpas@hawaii.edu

EP 5.209 University of Hawai‘i System Student Transfer and Inter-Campus Articulation
34 CFR 668.2 Code of Federal Regulations

No Exhibits and Appendices found

    President