Academic Renewal

Students may petition to have substandard academic work (D+, D, D-, F, NC or NP) disregarded from their cumulative GPA, when such work does not reflect their current ability (Title 5, Section 55046 of the California Code of Regulations).

Students may request that up to 45 units of coursework (three consecutive quarters plus a summer session at De Anza or Foothill College) be disregarded and not calculated into their cumulative GPA, when such work does not reflect their current ability. Only non-passing grades will be excluded from the cumulative GPA.

Academic renewal at De Anza College does not guarantee that other colleges will accept this action, which is at the discretion of the transfer institution. Once a degree or certificate has been awarded by De Anza or Foothill College, courses taken prior to the awarding of the degree or certificate cannot be excluded.

Students requesting this action should submit the Petition for Academic Renewal. After completing the first part of the petition, the student should make an appointment with a counselor, who must review and sign the form before forwarding it to the Admissions and Records Office. Approval is subject to the following conditions:

• At least three quarters must have elapsed since the last quarter to be disregarded was completed.
• Since the last quarter to be considered for Academic Renewal, students must have completed at least:

15 units with a 3.0 GPA, or
30 units with a 2.5 GPA, or
45 units with a 2.0 GPA

(Work completed at another institution, including upper division coursework, may be considered.)

• A student may be granted academic renewal only once.
• Academic renewal actions are irreversible.
• A substandard grade in any course that has been discontinued may be disregarded from the student's cumulative GPA and may be granted an exception to the minimum requirements for academic renewal.
• Courses selected by the student for academic renewal will not be counted toward the student's GPA and unit requirements or totals.
• The student transcript will be annotated in such a manner that all work – including work that is disregarded through academic renewal – remains legible to ensure a true and complete history.

The Petition for Academic Renewal form can be submitted online. It can be found in MyPortal by opening Apps > Adobe Sign Student Forms > Student Webforms.