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Academic Amnesty Policy

The Academic Amnesty policy is designed to eliminate the grades of students who previously attended Kean University and were not ready for the rigors of higher education or had other extenuating circumstances that prevented academic success–an opportunity to pursue a “fresh start.”

Eligibility

Beginning Fall 2009, at the time of readmission, undergraduate students may petition for Academic Amnesty provided the following conditions have been met:

  • All holds and financial obligations must be resolved prior to applying for Academic Amnesty. Students should contact the Office of Student Accounting at stuactg@kean.edu to make certain that no outstanding balance exists which would prohibit an application from being considered.
  • Students must actively be seeking readmission or reinstatement (i.e. an application for either process has been submitted) OR have been recently readmitted or reinstated within the last academic year.
  • At the time of the request, the student must have had a break in attendance of at least two years to be eligible for the Academic Amnesty Policy.
  • During these two years, either of the following requirements must have been met by the student:
    1. Completion of a minimum of 12 college-level credits at a community college or another regionally accredited college or university earning a minimum GPA of 2.5. Please note that if student completes the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at another institution in the span of their absence from Kean, they will be deemed ineligible for consideration for Academic Amnesty.
    2. Gained maturity outside of higher education with demonstrated personal growth through service in the armed forces, significant service in the community or other public organizations, or recovery from extenuating circumstances.

Applications

Candidates must fully complete the Academic Amnesty Application. A narrative statement which outlines the student’s circumstances and worthiness for the program should accompany the application form. All petitions must be supported by sufficient documentation. The Academic Amnesty Committee may request additional documentation from the student, when reviewing the documentation supporting the request. Medical documents (for the student or a loved one) must be submitted via the Student Health Services portal. All other supporting documentation (e.g.- accident reports, legal documents, certificates or transcripts, armed forces discharge papers, etc.) may be sent via email to rroebuck@kean.edu along with the application and narrative statement.

Students may petition for one or more semesters of amnesty, but the multiple semesters must be consecutive. Each semester must be treated as a whole; the student cannot choose individual classes in a semester. (Note for students in receipt of GI Bill benefits: Any courses successfully completed prior to Amnesty that need to be repeated may not be included in those certified to the Department of Veterans Affairs.)

Completed application should be emailed to the attention of the Chair of the Academic Amnesty Committee.

Review Process

Applying for Academic Amnesty does not guarantee approval. All applications and documentation will be reviewed by the Academic Amnesty Committee whose decision on Amnesty will be final; there is no provision for appeals. The committee has the option of accepting, deferring, or denying the application. This committee will be appointed by the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and be comprised of representatives from the across the campus community.

Candidates will be notified of the decision via email following the Committee’s review.

Transcript/Record Updates

Grades for which Academic Amnesty applies will not be counted in the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA), nor will those credits be counted towards the

degree. However, these courses will remain on the student’s permanent record (as such, Financial Aid will count these as attempted credits toward financial aid eligibility). The transcript will be marked accordingly with all grades for which academic amnesty applies being designated with an “X” prefix. Students can apply for academic amnesty only once and the action is irreversible, if granted. Students are responsible for investigating any implication of this action on their financial aid status. External agencies and institutions may not recognize Academic Amnesty and may manually calculate a student’s GPA for their purposes.