Academic Bankruptcy Policy

Purpose

In accordance with Part Two, Chapter I, Section X of University of Louisiana System Board Rules regarding academic renewal, the University established this policy for academic bankruptcy.

Policy

Academic bankruptcy provides students with a fresh start academically by allowing them to enter or re-enter the University with the status of an entering freshman with no earned hours, no grade point average (GPA) hours, no quality points, no GPA, and no prior academic suspensions. A minimum of three years must have passed between the end of the semester in which the student was last registered for credit at any college or university and the beginning of their enrollment under academic bankruptcy at McNeese. At the time of application for first-time admission or re-admission to the University and up to the final exam period for the first term of enrollment or re-enrollment, undergraduate students may file a Petition for Academic Bankruptcy.

1. Although no courses which were taken prior to the declaration of academic bankruptcy, whether passed or failed, will be counted in the student’s GPA or toward meeting degree requirements, the courses and grades will appear on the student’s transcript with the notation: “Academic bankruptcy declared [date]. Credits attempted and earned prior to this date will not be used in computing a grade point average or for meeting graduation requirements.”
2. Students filing academic bankruptcy are assigned an academic advisor in the Office of Advising and transferred to an advisor in the academic program upon successful completion of all Office of Advising requirements.
3. Declaration of academic bankruptcy does not pertain to accumulated financial aid history. Federal financial aid regulations pertaining to accumulated semester and award limits include all semesters of enrollment, both before and after declaring academic bankruptcy.
4. To fairly determine graduation honors, the University considers the entire academic record of each student, including credits attempted and earned prior to filing academic bankruptcy.
5. Students should also be aware that many undergraduate professional programs and most graduate and professional schools compute the undergraduate GPA on all hours attempted when considering applications for admission.
6. Academic bankruptcy may be granted only once in a student’s academic career, regardless of the institutions attended.
7. Once filed and approved, the academic bankruptcy decision is irreversible, even if the student decides not to enroll or re-enroll at the University.
8. The University accepts academic bankruptcy granted at another institution if a student who declared academic bankruptcy is admitted to McNeese as a transfer student.

Additional information on academic bankruptcy may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Registrar and Admissions.

Communication

This policy is distributed via the Academic Catalog and the University Policies webpage.