Repeating a Failed Course: The mark F means failing work.

Beginning fall 2021, Hiram College replaced the grades of SF and NF with SA (Stopped Attending) and NA (Never Attended). These grades will be entered by faculty with a corresponding “Date of Last Attendance” for any student who stopped attending class and making progress in the course. 

SA and NA grades will not be counted in a student’s GPA and will otherwise be treated as a W grade. Faculty can submit a grade of F, if the student has earned an F despite stopping attendance

If students fail a course and need to receive credit in their grade point average, they must repeat the course at Hiram College.

Successful repetition of the work does not remove the original grade from the transcript but does remove the F from the student’s grade-point average. The grade earned from the most recent enrollment in a repeated course is computed in the student’s grade-point average. (Even if the most recent grade is lower than the former grade). Students will only be allowed to earn credit for a course one time unless that course is deemed repeatable in the course description.

While there is no institutional limit to the number of times a student can repeat a course, students should be aware of the following policies which include new federal financial aid regulations regarding repeated courses:

  • The grade and credits earned from the most recent enrollment in a repeated course is computed in the student’s cumulative grade-point average.
  • The original grade remains on the transcript with a notation that it has been excluded from the student’s term and cumulative grade point average, while the most recently earned course grade and credits will be noted as included. The original credits are also excluded from the term and cumulative earned credits (if original was a passing grade).
  • For students who are eligible for financial aid, there is a limit to how many times financial aid will pay for repeating a course. If a student has failed a course, he/she may continue to receive financial aid to retake the course until a passing grade has been earned: a minimum passing grade of D- would be needed for a non-major course, while a higher grade may be needed to pass a course as required by a program for a major.
  • If a student is retaking a course which they have already passed, he/she can retake the course once and receive financial aid for it. After that, it will no longer count in the semester hours to determine enrollment status for financial aid purposes (e.g. full-time status).
  • For more information, please see the Financial Aid Handbook or call Student Financial Services at 330.569.5107.