Academic Renewal

Academic renewal is a process in which a student can replace substandard work achieved at Taft College.

Academic renewal granted by Taft College does not guarantee that other institutions will disregard the substandard grades. This determination will be made by the respective transfer institution.

When academic renewal procedures permit previously recorded substandard coursework to be disregarded in the computation of a student’s grade point average, the student’s permanent academic record shall be annotated in such a manner that all work remains legible, ensuring a true and complete academic history. The student’s permanent record from other institutions will not be altered.

Academic renewal actions are irreversible. Students should meet with a counselor before taking such an action.

Students with substandard coursework at other colleges/universities need to contact those institutions to see if they are eligible for academic renewal under the provisions of academic renewal of said institutions. Taft College will honor academic renewal granted and annotated on an official transcript from other accredited colleges and/or universities.

Academic renewal procedures may not conflict with the District’s obligation to retain and destroy records or with the instructor’s ability to determine a student’s final grade.

Academic Renewal without Course Repetition

A student must include all coursework, including academic renewal term(s), in the computation of cumulative grade point average towards honors at graduation. Academic renewal may not be used to raise the grade point average in order to qualify for graduation with honors.

Students may petition to alleviate previous substandard academic performance which is not reflective of present demonstrated achievement under the following conditions:

1. Since the completion of the coursework to be disregarded, the student’s minimum cumulative grade point average for all units completed, in a combination of transfer coursework and/or Taft College coursework, at the time of adjustment must be either:
   1. 3.0 in a minimum of 12 units or
   2. 2.5 in a minimum of 18 units, or
   3. 2.0 in a minimum of 24 units
2. A period of at least two years must have elapsed since the end of the term of substandard coursework to be disregarded.
3. A maximum of twenty-four (24) semester units completed within a maximum of two semesters and one summer session, which need not be consecutive, may be alleviated.
4. Only units completed at Taft College may be disregarded. If students have previous records from another institution that they would like replaced, they need to contact that institution.
5. Academic renewal will apply only to substandard grades of “D”,”F”, “FW” or and “NP (No Pass)” and “NC (No Credit)”. Only units and grade points from requested courses with “D”, “F”, “FW” and “NP (No Pass)” and “NC (No Credit)” grades earned during such a semester will be disregarded. Courses completed with a grade of “Pass” or “C” and above will continue to be used towards cumulative units and grade point average considerations and will meet any degree, major, general education, and/or transfer requirements.
6. Academic renewal cannot be used to alleviate substandard units or coursework which has been used to meet graduation requirements by a student who has previously graduated.
7. A student may petition only once for academic renewal.
8. Academic Renewal will only be granted once from Taft College.

Academic Renewal with Course Repetition from an Outside Institution

Taft College will allow course attempts from an outside institution to replace substandard work achieved at Taft College. Only a course with a C-ID designation or colleges in which we have an articulation agreement in which a substandard grade (“D,” “F”, “FW”, “NP”, or “NC”) has been earned may be repeated twice for renewal. The repeated course must contain the equivalent unit value or higher.     

Students may petition to alleviate previous substandard academic performance under the following conditions:

1. A course in which a grade of “C” or better was received may not be repeated unless such repetition is provided for in the official course description or by District policy, or the existence of extenuating circumstances is established by the student.
2. Academic renewal coded by other accredited institutions will be honored under the terms of District policy.
3. When courses are repeated under this procedure, the permanent academic record shall be annotated in such a manner that the record of all work remains legible, ensuring a true and complete academic record.
4. Recalculation of the grade point average as a result of academic renewal may be used toward qualification for graduation with honors.
5. If the substandard grade was received at another institution and the course was repeated within the District, the District cumulative totals will reflect only work completed within this District, and will be annotated on the student’s record.
6. Academic renewal by course repetition for the second substandard course will only be applicable if the third attempt was completed Spring 2010 or later.
7. If grade alleviation has already been applied two times for a course, the course is not eligible for academic renewal by course repetition and will remain on the academic record.

Petitioning for Academic Renewal

1. The student completes an Academic Renewal Petition with a counselor’s assistance.
   1. Forms are available on the Taft College website under the student forms tab.
   2. The counselor will review the petition for compliance with policy and procedures.
   3. If petitioning for an Associate degree or career technical certificate, then the student must adhere to graduation/certification application deadlines as stated on the Taft College website.
2. Once the form is completed, there is an automatic submission to the Evaluator.
3. The Admission and Records Office will notify the student of the approval or denial of the request. Notification will be sent to the email address provided by the student on the Academic Renewal Petition.

No part of the regulations and procedures shall conflict with (a) Education Code, Section 76224, pertaining to the finality of grades assigned by instructors, and (b) Chapter 2.5 of Division of Title 5 (commencing with Section 59020), pertaining to the retention and destruction of records, and particularly Section 59023 (c) relating to the permanency of certain student records.

Please contact the Counseling Center at (661) 763-7748 to schedule an appointment with a counselor or advisor to review your records.