The Academic Forgiveness program pertains to students who did not perform to their academic potential earlier in their studies at Lakeland but who have since demonstrated a higher level of achievement. The program is intended to help students improve their academic standing, achieve their educational goals, and encourage student success and completion. By removing previously earned credit hours and grades from GPA calculations, students are given the opportunity to have their accumulative grade point average reflect their more recent improved academic performance.

A student may petition for academic forgiveness if the following circumstances apply:

1. A marked change in the student's academic performance must be present, as evidenced by the successful completion of 12 or more credit hours, with a "C" or better earned in each of the most recent completed classes constituting the 12 or more credit hours. This will be referred to in the policy as a "period of recent success." (Courses below the 1000 level cannot be counted toward the 12 credit hours.).
2. The student must be enrolled in classes at Lakeland Community College the semester in which the petition is filed.

Students who have completed and earned a degree from Lakeland are not eligible.

When the above circumstances apply, the student may request that "D" and "F" grades that were earned prior to the period of recent success be forgiven. This is a one-time irreversible option. In some cases, forgiveness of "D" grades may affect a student's financial aid eligibility. It is the student's responsibility to confirm whether his/her eligibility will be impacted.

The process of petitioning for academic forgiveness is as follows:

1. Meet with a counselor to determine if academic forgiveness is an appropriate option.
2. If deemed appropriate, the counselor and student will fill out a petition form, specifying which "D" and "F" grades earned prior to the period of recent success are included in the request.
3. The counselor will forward the petition to the Associate Provost for Enrollment Management for review.
4. The Associate Provost for Enrollment Management will forward the recommended petition for academic forgiveness to the dean of the student's academic program for approval.
5. If approved, the student's record will be updated by the Registrar. The forgiven courses and grades will appear on the student's transcript with a notation stating "not calculated in GPA."
6. If a student disagrees with the counselor evaluation, he/she may appeal directly to the Associate Provost for Enrollment Management, whose decision will be considered final and will terminate the process within the College.

The Academic Forgiveness Program is published in the college catalog.