Repeat Policy

Overview

• Unless a restriction is stated in the Schedule of Classes, undergraduates may repeat a course only once. We recommend talking to your advisor before registering for a class you previously completed so that you understand all of the implications of repeating a class:
• If you are repeating a class that you took at UWM, only the higher of the two grades will be calculated into the student’s UWM grade point average (GPA) but both attempts will appear on the transcript.
• If you are repeating a class that you took elsewhere and transferred into UWM, the grade you earn will be calculated into your UWM GPA regardless if it is higher or lower than the grade previously earned. And both attempts will appear on the transcript.
• If you have already graduated and would like to return to UWM to repeat a class previously taken, you are starting a new academic record. Your record prior to graduation including the grade earned and your GPA are locked and cannot be altered. Taking the same class again does not count as a repeat and will not replace the grade previously earned.
• Repeats cannot occur in the same semester even if the class is offered again later in the semester. For example, a student cannot take a class that meets during the first part of summer term and then attempt to repeat it during the second part of summer term.
• Variable topic courses count as repeats only when the topic is identical. For example, taking “WGS 303 Feminist Activism and Movements: Indigenous Feminisms” and then repeating ““WGS 303 Feminist Activism and Movements: Indigenous Feminisms” counts as a repeat. Taking “Italian 145 Views of Italy: Italians and the Mafia” and then taking “Italian 145 Views of Italy: Multi-Racial Italy Today” does not count as a repeat.

Exceptions to the One-Repeat Rule

• If you already repeated a course prior to 1988, you may attempt one additional repeat.
• Transfer students who repeated a course at another university can attempt one additional repeat at UWM.
• Students can request permission to attempt a course a third time::
  • If the course you wish to attempt a third time is from the Lubar College of Business, contact the Lubar College advising office. See an advisor in Lubar N297, call (414) 229-5271 or email uwmbba@uwm.edu
  • If the course you wish to attempt a third time or beyond is in the College of Letters & Science, use the chart below to identify who to contact. Some programs may permit additional attempts beyond the third attempt in some cases. No more than five attempts are permitted for any course in the College of Letters & Science. 
  • If the course you wish to repeat a second time is not in the Lubar College of Business or the College of Letters & Science (all other courses), contact your advisor or the advising office for your school or college.

Financial Aid Impact When Exceptions are Made

If you receive permission to enroll in a second repeat and you have already passed the class once, your eligibility for federal financial aid will change. For example, if you took a class and received an “F”, repeated it and received a “D”, and would like to repeat it again to try to earn a “C”, your financial aid may be impacted. Consult a financial aid advisor to determine how your financial aid package may have to be reduced.