Memorandum #10 Academic and Time Amnesty

Revised: July 1, 2016

This Policies and Procedures Memorandum rescinds Policies and Procedures Memorandum No. 91, issued on February 6, 1975; Policies and Procedures Memorandum No. 110A, issued on June 26, 1985; and revised Policies and Procedures Memorandum No. 10, issued on December 2, 1999, July 22, 2008 and November 24, 2013.

The College recognizes that sometimes students are unsuccessful academically for a variety of reasons.  Later the students may discover that a low GPA is a barrier to entry into occupational fields or further academic progress.  Therefore, the College has established Academic and Time Amnesty Policies to allow students a second chance. 

Amnesty refers to “forgiveness” of a student’s grade of D, F,FS and/or W.  Amnesty results in the recalculation of GPA and a reassessment of a student’s academic progress.  Students are eligible for one application of Academic Amnesty and one application of Time Amnesty.  Requests for additional Amnesty approval of either type must stipulate the extenuating circumstances and will be considered, on an individual basis, by the Vice President for Academic and Student Success. 

Two types of Amnesty exist at Community College of Philadelphia:  Academic Amnesty and Time Amnesty.  Academic Amnesty is limited to grades of D, F and/or FS received in courses which are peculiar to and required by the student’s previous curriculum.  Time Amnesty applies to students who have interrupted their attendance for three or more years and affects all courses in which a grade of D, F, FS and/or W was earned.

Federal Student Aid program regulations do not provide for Time Amnesty or for Academic Amnesty in evaluating a student’s eligibility for financial aid.

I. Academic Amnesty Requirements

• In order for a student to qualify for Academic Amnesty: 
  1. The student must be transferring from one Community College of Philadelphia curriculum to a different Community College of Philadelphia curriculum;  
  2. The student must not have received Academic Amnesty for past performance; 
  3. The cumulative earned GPA for the associate’s degree or the academic certificate cannot be adjusted; therefore, a student who has already earned an associate’s degree or an academic certificate is not eligible for academic amnesty.
• Once approval for Academic Amnesty has been granted, the recalculation of the student’s academic record shall: 
  1. Exclude from the GPA calculation previous D,F and/or grades;
  2. Eliminate course credits for D grades from the student’s academic record;
  3. Exclude previous F, FS and/or W grades from calculation for academic progress.

II. Time Amnesty Requirements

• In order for a student to qualify for Time Amnesty: 
  1. The student must be currently enrolled and attending classes at the time of the amnesty request;
  2. Three or more years must have elapsed since the last grade was received;
  3. The student must have successfully completed six (6) credits, with at least a grade of P or C in each course;
  4. The student must not have received Time Amnesty prior to the amnesty request; 
  5. The cumulative earned GPA for the associate’s degree or the academic certificate cannot be adjusted; therefore, a student who has already earned an associate’s degree or an academic certificate is not eligible for time amnesty; and
  6. The student will not be granted Time Amnesty for courses taken as part of an earned proficiency certificate.
• Once approval for Time Amnesty has been granted, the recalculation of the student’s academic record shall: 
  1. Exclude from the GPA calculation previous D, F, F/S and/or W grades
  2. Eliminate course credits for D grades from the student’s academic record;
  3. Exclude previous F and W grades from calculation for academic progress.

III. Procedure for Academic or Time Amnesty Approval

• The student will file a petition for Academic or Time Amnesty with the Counseling Department. 
• The petition will be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic and Student Success for approval.
• All approved petitions will be forwarded to the Office of Student Records and Registration for appropriate action. 
• The Office of Records and Registration will notify the student of the outcome of the petition. 
• The grades of D, F, and/or W that have been granted Amnesty will remain on the student’s academic record followed by the appropriate code.