Clemency Request

Students who have been away from Mason for three or more consecutive years are eligible to request clemency. Academic Clemency allows a student to have up to 16 hours of D and F credit to be taken out of the calculation of their cumulative GPA. This request must be submitted within the first year of returning to Mason. See below for additional policies and submission information.

Requesting Academic Clemency

1. Review all policies below pertaining to clemency requests.
2. Fill out and submit request form within the first year of returning to Mason.
3. Fulfill all requirements for clemency.
4. Contact the Undergraduate Academic Affairs office once 6 credits have been completed.

Clemency Request Policies

In extraordinary cases, students who (a) have been absent from George Mason for a minimum of three consecutive calendar years and (b) are currently in their first year back at the university may request that their academic dean consider allowing clemency from up to 16 hours of coursework from previous semesters. To be considered for this exception, students must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be absent from George Mason for a minimum of three consecutive calendar years.
• Provide a detailed explanation for why they were unsuccessful in those courses and how they have made changes to ensure their academic progress upon their return.
• Submit their request within 12 months of the first day of re-enrollment term.
• In order to make this request, students should (a) complete at least 6 hours during their first 12 months back at George Mason and (b) earn at least a 2.50 GPA each semester back prior to making the clemency request, with no grade below "C." If these minimum academic requirements are not met during the first year of return, then clemency will not be allowed under any circumstances.

Approval of clemency is rare and neither automatic nor guaranteed. Students will not be eligible to receive clemency for courses in which they received grades of "C" or higher, nor will they be eligible to receive clemency for courses in which they received notations of incomplete ("IN") that rolled over to grades of "F." In addition, clemency will not be allowed retroactively for courses applied towards a completed degree at the university. Once a student has graduated, the transcript is sealed and not subject to alteration.

Students have the right to appeal denial of a request. Information on submitting an appeal can be found at the bottom of the page