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.

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Under this policy, “three consecutive quarters” means three quarters taken in uninterrupted sequence. Only non-passing grades will be excluded from the cumulative GPA.

Academic renewal actions are irreversible.

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 Academic Renewal Request Form, which can be found in MyPortal under Adobe Sign Forms > Student Webforms. 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.
  • 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.
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