Academic Renewal Regulations

The Academic Renewal Procedure (Section 51318, California Administrative Code) permits the alleviation of a student’s previously recorded substandard academic performance that is not reflective of a student’s present demonstrated ability and level of performance. As a consequence, Academic Renewal may gain for students the benefits of their current level of ability and performance and not permanently penalize them for poor performance in the past.

Therefore, within the regulations listed, Mt. San Jacinto College may disregard particular previously recorded substandard work from a student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA). The regulations for course alleviation follow:

1. Up to eighteen (18) units may be alleviated from a Mt. San Jacinto College transcript; however, units taken from another college(s) will not be alleviated.
2. Units alleviated may be requested for one or multiple academic terms in any combination.
3. A minimum of twelve (12) months must have elapsed since the most recent coursework to be alleviated was recorded.
4. A minimum of twelve (12) units must be completed at any accredited college or university, with a grade point average of 2.0 (C) in all units since the last semester of requested renewal. Official transcripts are required for units completed at another institution.
5. Courses used in the major in awarding an Associate Degree cannot be alleviated.
6. A student may be granted academic renewal only once and is irreversible once posted to the transcript. Units alleviated will remain on the transcript and will be annotated appropriately but will not be calculated into the overall grade point average (GPA).
7. Academic renewal by Mt. San Jacinto College does not guarantee that other institutions outside the District will approve such action. This determination will be made by the respective transfer institutions.
8. All alleviated unit totals will count as attempted units for financial aid purposes.
9. Only substandard grades (D, F, NC and NP) can be alleviated.
10. Academic Renewal may be accomplished by submitting a Request for Evaluation per AP4240, General Student Petition to Enrollment Services.  It is recommended students meet with a counselor prior to submitting the request.

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.