Academic Fresh Start

Academic Fresh Start Guidelines

Students returning to OTC after an absence of 3 years or longer, with a cumulative OTC GPA of less than 2.0, may apply for Academic Fresh Start in order to recover from a deficient GPA. OTC limits this opportunity to those cases in which the student’s prior record does not reflect his/her current maturity with respect to motivation, attitude and ability.

Overview:

1. It applies only to OTC coursework. OTC will not apply it to transfer credits.
2. It allows the student to select a semester and year prior to the three-year absence.  OTC will then apply it to all OTC coursework prior to and including that semester. Once applied, you cannot use this coursework to meet academic requirements (graduation, certification, prerequisites etc.)
3. Included coursework will remain on the student’s transcript but OTC will not include it in the student’s OTC cumulative GPA.

Conditions:

In order to be eligible, students must meet the following conditions:

1. OTC grants Academic Fresh Start only once. Once applied, it cannot be undone and students cannot apply again.
2. A student must not have been enrolled in coursework at OTC, excluding Continuing Education courses, for a period of at least three consecutive years. They must also have an OTC cumulative GPA of less than 2.00 prior to returning.
3. Prior to applying for this, the student must re-enroll at OTC and complete 15 credit hours (excluding pass/fail or audited courses) with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Application Process:

Students seeking Academic Fresh Start must complete the following steps:

1. Meet with a College Navigator prior to submitting the Application Fresh Start form and get an advisor recommendation.
2. Submit the following documentation to the Office of the Registrar:
   Completed form along with a written request that includes the following: