COLLEGE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
MEMORANDUM NO. 10

ACADEMIC AND TIME AMNESTY

Revised: July 22, 2008

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. 

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, 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 Affairs. 

Two types of Amnesty exist at Community College of Philadelphia:  Academic Amnesty and Time Amnesty.  Academic Amnesty is limited to grades of D and F 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 or W was earned. 

Federal Student Aid program regulations do not provide for time amnesty nor for Academic Amnesty in evaluating a student’s eligibility for financial aid. 

I. Academic Amnesty Requirements
  1. In order to qualify for Academic Amnesty, the student: 

    1. Must be transferring from one Community College of Philadelphia curriculum to a different Community College of Philadelphia curriculum; and

    2. May not have received Academic Amnesty for past performance. 

  2. Once approval for Academic Amnesty has been granted, the recalculation of the student’s academic record shall: 
  1. Exclude previous D and F grades, for which Academic Amnesty has been granted, from the GPA;

  2. Retain D, F or W grades as part of the academic progress assessment; and

  3. Not allow Academic Amnesty for courses used for previous Community College of Philadelphia graduation requirements. 

II. Time Amnesty Requirements

  1. In order for a student to qualify for Time Amnesty: 

    1. Three or more years must have elapsed since the last grade was received;

    2. The student must have successfully completed six (6) credits, with at least a grade of P or C in each course; and

    3. Time Amnesty may not have been received for past performance. 

  2. Once approval for Time Amnesty has been granted, the recalculation of the student’s academic record shall: 

    1. Exclude from the GPA previous D or F grades;

    2. Eliminate course credits for D grades from the student’s academic record;

    3. Exclude previous F and W grades from calculation for progress; and  

    4. Not allow Time Amnesty for courses used for previous Community College of Philadelphia graduation requirements. 

III. Procedure for Academic or Time Amnesty Approval

  1. The student will file a petition for Academic or Time Amnesty with the Counseling Department. 

  2. The petition will be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for approval. 

  3. All petitions will be forwarded to the Office of Student Records and Registration for appropriate action. 

  4. The Office of Records and Registration will notify the student of the outcome of the petition. 

  5. The grades of D, F and W that have been granted Amnesty will remain on the student’s academic record followed by the appropriate code.

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