Repeating a Course

The ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é requires students to gain dean’s permission in order to repeat a course.

Students may consider repeating a course for various reasons:

  1. You received a failing grade in a course that is required for professional school and/or your degree.
  2. You received a grade lower than "C-" in a sequenced science course (math, chemistry, physics), and you will not be permitted to enroll in the next course in the sequence.

Should you repeat a course?

  1. Carefully consider why you did poorly in the course and your prospects for doing well in a repeated attempt. Sometimes a poor grade indicates that your interests and talents lie in another area, or that you are not currently prepared to succeed in this area.
  2. You should know that the College of Arts and Sciences policy treats repeated courses differently than the policy used by most health professions schools.
    1. UR Policy: Both attempts at a repeated course will appear on the official transcript, along with the grades earned. Only the credit and grade for the second attempt (which may or may not result in a better grade) will be factored into the cumulative average for the purposes of the College.
    2. Health Professions Graduate Programs' Policy: Most professional schools will factor in all attempts of repeated courses in GPA calculations, even if they are not included in the school’s GPA calculations.
  3. If you do want to repeat a course, you will want to do so only when you know you are well prepared to succeed in that course. Doing poorly in a second attempt at a course can be especially harmful to the prospects of a potential health professional school applicant.
  4. Grades aside, it's always worthwhile to get some additional background in any subject in which you feel you are weak. No professional school will frown on an honest effort at self-improvement. But consider auditing a course you struggled in, or taking additional (new) courses in relevant subject areas to strengthen your knowledge.