Academic Fresh Start Guidelines

Students returning to Ozarks Tech after an absence of 3 years or longer, with a cumulative Ozarks Tech GPA of less than 2.0, may apply for Academic Fresh Start in order to recover from a deficient GPA. Ozarks Tech 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 Ozarks Tech coursework. Ozarks Tech will not apply it to transfer credits.
  2. It allows the student to select a semester and year prior to the three-year absence.  Ozarks Tech will then apply it to all Ozarks Tech 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 Ozarks Tech will not include it in the student’s Ozarks Tech cumulative GPA.

Conditions:

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

  1. Ozarks Tech 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 Ozarks Tech, excluding Continuing Education courses, for a period of at least three consecutive years. They must also have an Ozarks Tech cumulative GPA of less than 2.00 prior to returning.
  3. Prior to applying for this, the student must re-enroll at Ozarks Tech 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:
  • An explanation regarding how your motivation, attitude and ability have changed since returning to Ozarks Tech.
  • An explanation of how previous grades are negatively affecting future educational goals
  • An indication of the semester and year the student wants it to apply.

The Office of the Registrar will then verify eligibility for Academic Fresh Start and notify the student of the results of that review.

Academic Fresh Start 5.31 Policy

Last Reviewed: 09/23/2022