Grade Forgiveness
Policy Overview
Under the grade forgiveness policy, degree-seeking undergraduate students may retake a course in which they earned a grade below C- to improve their cumulative GPAs. Non-degree seeking students, including certificate-only students are not eligible for grade forgiveness. This automatically applied, unless the opt-out form is submitted prior to Census Day of the enrolled term.
General Eligibility
Grade Forgiveness Opt-Out Request Form
If you would like to request an opt-out of grade forgiveness for a course please complete this form. You must be fully enrolled in the class (waitlisted classes are ineligible) before completing this form. Submit this form by Census Day for the semester in which the class is being offered, per the Academic Calendar. Students may also cancel their grade forgiveness opt-out request by this same deadline.
Deadline for Summer 2025: Tuesday, June 17th, 2025
Course Eligibility
Only courses offered by and taken through CU Denver are eligible for grade forgiveness. Courses must meet three requirements to qualify for forgiveness.
- Original course and courses repeated for grade replacement must be taken for a letter grade (not audit, pass/fail, no credit)
- Be lower division — 1000 or 2000 level
- Not exceed the total grade forgiveness credit limit of 18 credit hours
Course Ineligibility
Courses that are Ineligible for grade forgiveness include special topics, repeatable courses, academic dishonesty courses, mismatched credit hours, and equivalent cross-listed courses. Courses repeated for grade forgiveness must be taken for a letter grade, not audit, pass/fail, or no credit. Grade forgiveness is limited to one attempt per course, up to a maximum of 18 credit hours.
How Grade Forgiveness Works
The grade forgiveness course must be a CU Denver class for which you have already earned a grade. Students may retake a course for grade forgiveness only one time. Both grades for courses will still appear on your transcript but only the higher grade will be calculated into your cumulative GPA.
More Information on Grade Forgiveness
- Be a degree-seeking undergraduate student at CU Denver pursuing your first CU Denver degree
- Have earned lower than a C- in your prior attempt of a course
- Course withdrawals don't count
- Submit an online form to request an opt-out grade forgiveness, otherwise it is automatically applied.
Your Next Steps
- Contact your advisor to learn more about grade forgiveness and discuss your options
- View upcoming grade forgiveness opt-out request deadlines
- Review the grade forgiveness policy in full.
Repeating a Course Without Grade Forgiveness
You may repeat CU Denver courses at any point without invoking grade forgiveness by submitting the above linked Opt-Out Request Form. The grade and credits you earn in each attempt of a repeated course are included in your credit and GPA totals and calculations on your official academic record.
If you have additional questions, contact the Registrar’s Office at GradeForgiveness@ucdenver.edu.