This policy is known as “freshman forgiveness” or “academic forgiveness” at some institutions. No assumptions based on experiences at other institutions should be made about the grade substitution policy at Georgia Tech. Students requesting grade substitutions must follow all steps outlined in Rules & Regulations V in the Catalog.
Catalog policy states that students must repeat a course for grade substitution prior to their last enrolled term in which they graduate. There are timing issues related to the processing of a request for grade substitution and the award of a degree, which this policy is trying to mitigate, in the best interest of the student.
However, there may be late submissions that occur as a product of what information during the grade substitution process is available to academic advisors and the Registrar’s Office. The application for grade substitution and the application for graduation may be operating in parallel which makes it difficult for accurate information to be tracked effectively on both sides.
Late submissions for graduating students may be considered to address these timing issues but only in cases where the grade substitution form is completed and submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the close of business on Wednesday following the due date of final grades which is Monday following commencement.