Liberty University repeat course policy and your GPA

When an undergraduate course is successfully repeated, Liberty applies its Undergraduate Repeat Policy without a separate request. The highest grade earned becomes the only grade counted toward the GPA.

All grades remain on the permanent record. A student who earned a D and then a B will still show both, but only the B is calculated.

On the transcript, the letter E follows each lower grade. The E marks that grade as excluded from the GPA, so anyone reading the transcript can see which attempt counts.

There is no limit on the number of different courses you can repeat, or on the number of retakes the policy can apply to. That is unusual; many schools cap grade replacement.

The policy only covers Liberty courses repeated at Liberty. A course taken elsewhere and transferred in does not replace a Liberty grade.

Because the policy works on the highest grade, a retake that goes worse than the first attempt does not hurt the GPA. The better grade still counts.

Liberty measures undergraduate academic standing against a minimum cumulative GPA that rises with class standing. The online catalog lists 1.50 for freshmen, 1.65 for sophomores, 1.85 for juniors and 2.00 for seniors.

A student below the minimum is placed on Academic Warning. If the GPA is still below the line after the warning term, the next step is Academic Probation, and after that Academic Suspension.

A suspended student who appeals for readmission and is denied faces Academic Dismissal. The steps are spaced out, but each one narrows the options.

Repeating a failed course is often the fastest way back above the line. Replacing an F with a C in a three-credit course can lift a low GPA more than several new courses with average grades.

Students on warning are advised in the catalog to limit their enrollment to a 13-semester-hour load. A lighter load leaves room to do well in the repeated course.

An advisor can calculate exactly which retakes would restore good standing soonest.

The automatic repeat policy described in the online catalog is the undergraduate policy. Graduate and doctoral programs set their own rules on repeated courses and grade minimums.

Many graduate programs require a minimum grade in each course, often a B or a C, and a course below that minimum must be repeated. Some programs also limit how many courses can fall below it.

Graduate students should read the academic information section of the graduate catalog and their program's own handbook rather than assume the undergraduate rule applies.

In nursing, counseling and other licensed fields, a low grade in a core course can also affect progression into practicum or clinical courses.

Doctoral programs are usually stricter still, and a failed research course can delay the whole candidacy timeline.

If a graduate course is going badly, talk to the instructor and your advisor before the withdrawal deadline passes, because the options narrow quickly.

A retake costs a full course of tuition and another eight weeks. It is usually worth it when the original grade is an F, when the course is required for the major, or when the GPA is near a standing threshold.

It is less clearly worth it for a C in an elective. The GPA gain may be small, and the time could go to a new course that moves you toward graduation.

Financial aid treats repeats with its own rules. Federal aid generally pays for one retake of a course already passed, so ask the financial aid office before registering.

Plan the retake for a lighter sub-term. Repeating a course alongside two other heavy courses risks the same result.

Use the first attempt. Your graded papers, rubric comments and exam results show exactly where points were lost, and that is the best study guide you will have.

Some students get help with the written parts of a retake, especially if writing was the problem the first time. Papers and threads can be prepared for you to learn from and submit, while exams and quizzes stay yours.

Ask the instructor of the first attempt, if they will answer, which criteria cost the most points. One honest reply can shape the whole retake.

Most failed online courses fail for the same reasons: missed early deadlines, late penalties that pile up, and a large final paper that arrives late or not at all.

Read the course guide in week one and note every major item with its points. Large projects and final papers often carry a fifth or more of the grade.

Remember the late policy. Work up to a week late loses 10%, up to two weeks late loses as much as 20%, and anything later is not accepted.

Ask for help early. The Online Writing Center and the Jerry Falwell Library both offer support that is easiest to use before a paper is due, not after.

If an emergency strikes near the end, ask about an incomplete. If the course cannot be saved, a timely withdrawal posts a W, which does not affect the GPA.

A course passed the first time with a steady plan costs less than any retake.