Should You Repeat A Class?

 

If you are repeating the course because you need the knowledge to move forward and your future classes will build on that knowledge, then generally, yes, that’s a good reason to repeat the course.

 

If you are repeating the class to fulfill a requirement, be sure you are acting on accurate information. Review policies in writing and double-check with an appropriate advisor that you’ve interpreted them correctly. (For instance, we’ve talked to lots of engineering students who think they need a C in every class. Actually, that’s not true--see chapter 4 of the UGHB for the policy.)

 

If you are repeating to increase your GPA, discuss with your major advisor and/or a UAR advisor/Academic Advising Director/AARC Advisor how much GPA matters. Certain fields value GPA more than others. And do the math to see how much difference it will really make. If you are repeating to increase your Science GPA for applying to medical school, be sure you know how med schools calculate GPA--repeating doesn’t help the Science GPA as much as it would increase your Stanford GPA. Plus--you might actually do worse the second time around.

 

The Registrar explains how repeating a class works and how your GPA is calculated after repeating a class once. Repeating a class where you already earned the units can result in losing the earlier units, and can create the risk that you may not meet standards for satisfactory academic progress.

 

The suggestions above apply to classes that are not repeatable for credit. Certain classes are designed to be repeated, such as physical exercise, lecture series classes, practicums, and so forth, and these courses will be labeled “Repeatable for Credit” in ExploreCourses. Note that individual courses may set a maximum number of times.