Repeated Courses

When a student repeats a course, the university will use the most recent grade received for the course (even if the grade is lower) to compute the cumulative grade point average unless the grade is an X, W, or NG. The university will use the second grade to determine credit earned for the course and will invalidate the first credit earned for the course. The university will erase no grade from a student’s record.

3-Peat Rule

Legislation was passed by the State of Texas to discourage students from repeating courses unnecessarily. This has a financial impact on the students who repeat courses excessively. Legislation also impacts funding rates for students based on the number of times they attempt* particular courses. Students who attempt a course three or more times at Texas A&M University-Texarkana since Fall 2002 will be charged an additional $50.00 per credit hour for the repeated course. The bill you receive after you register may not accurately reflect the additional tuition and fees for the courses attempted three or more times. Texas A&M University-Texarkana reserves the right to adjust the student's tuition as a result of registering for the third or more time. See “Appeals Process for 3-Peat Rule” below.

The following courses are exempt from this rule:

Thesis or dissertation courses
Courses that may be repeated for credit because they involve different or more advanced content each time the course is taken
Independent Study courses
Special Topics and Seminar courses
Continuing education courses that must be repeated to retain professional certification
Developmental Education coursework taken three or more times will be allowed; however, developmental coursework in excess of 18 hours is subject to additional charges.

*Attempted hours are calculated for courses in which a student is enrolled on official reporting day, which is 12th class day during the fall and spring semesters, 4th class day during summer semesters, and 2nd class day during mini semesters. In other words, if you enroll in a course and subsequently drop it, the hours that you attempted but did not complete will count toward the limit imposed by this policy. If you intend to drop a course, you must do so before the end of the official reporting day of the semester to avoid having that course count in your total number of attempted hours. That is, only when you drop before the end of the official reporting day will the hours NOT count toward the 3-Peat imposed by this policy.

Appeal Process for 3-Peat Rule

An appeals panel will consider student appeals involving issues related to additional tuition charges that the university bases on the 3-Peat charges. The university will consider appeals when the student believes that extenuating circumstances in his or her life justify an exemption from the prevailing policy. The student must submit appeals in written form, and the student must base the appeal on extenuating circumstances such as (but not limited to) catastrophic illness, injury, death in the family, or call up for military services. Students may attach as much supporting documentation as they feel would aid in the appeals panel making an informal decision.

The student must submit requests for an appeal to the registrar at least five business days prior to the first class day of the semester. Please submit requests to Registrar, Texas A&M University-Texarkana,7101 University Ave., Texarkana, Texas 75503.

The appeals process is per semester, and students must file an appeal for every semester that the 3-Peat Rule affects them. Any appeal decision is for the current semester only and will not carry over to any subsequent semester. The decision of the appeals panel is final. The appeals panel will make all decisions within 30 days from the receipt of the appeal request, when feasible, but not later than 60 days from the receipt of the request for an appeal.

Students must submit all tuition payments on time (including the additional fees), or the university will drop them for non-payment. If the appeals panel waives the additional charges, the university will refund this portion of the tuition. The registrar will notify the student in writing of the decision of the panel.

The appeals panel will consist of the following:

Dean of the student’s college or his or her designee
Bursar
Director of Admissions and Outreach
Executive Director of Enrollment Management and University Registrar
Associate Registrar
Vice-President for Student Engagement and Success

If applicable, additional panel members may include the Teacher Certification Officer and the Director of Financial Aid and Veteran Services.

Undergraduate Funding Limit Rule (Limitation on in-state tuition rates for some undergraduates)- Excessive Hours:

Texas Education Code § 54.014 specifies that resident undergraduate students who initially enrolled fall 1999 and later may be subject to a higher tuition rate for attempting excessive hours at any public institution of higher education while classified as a resident student for tuition purposes. Texas A&M University-Texarkana undergraduate students who are classified as Texas residents and those who pay in state tuition rates will be subject to the excessive hours fees based on the information below:

Undergraduate students who were initially enrolled BEFORE Fall 1999 with any institution of higher education while classified as a resident student for tuition purposes are EXEMPT from this rule.
Undergraduate students who enrolled initially in the fall 1999 semester or subsequent semesters cannot exceed more than 45 hours of the number of hours required for completion of the degree plan in which they are enrolled. Any hours beyond 45 are considered excessive and will result in additional tuition charges.
Undergraduate students who enrolled initially in the fall 2006 semester or subsequent semesters cannot exceed more than 30 hours of the number of hours required for completion of the degree plan in which they are enrolled. Any hours beyond 30 are considered excessive and will result in additional tuition charges.

An undergraduate student who is not enrolled in a degree program is considered to be enrolled in a degree program or programs requiring a minimum of 120 semester credit hours, including minors, and double majors, and for completion of any certificate or other special program in which the student is also enrolled, including a program with a study-abroad component.

Courses that count towards the excessive hour calculation are those attempted at any Texas public institution of higher education. This includes:

Hours earned in courses in which a grade is earned on the transcript
Courses dropped with a grade of "W", "WF", "Q", "DR" or equivalent
Hours excluded from the student record resulting from Academic Fresh Start

The following types of credit hours do not count toward the limit:

Credit hours earned after a baccalaureate degree
Credit hours earned through examination, (AP or CLEP)
Credit from remedial and developmental courses
Credit hours taken at a private institution or an out-of-state institution
Credit earned prior to high school graduation

Appeal Process for Undergraduate Funding Limit

An appeals panel will consider student appeals involving issues related to additional tuition charges based on the undergraduate funding limit. The university will consider appeals when the student believes that extenuating circumstances in his or her life justify an exemption from the prevailing policy. Students must submit appeals in written form, and students must base appeals on extenuating circumstances such as (but not limited to) catastrophic illness, injury, death in the family, or call up for military services. Students may attach as much supporting documentation as they feel would aid in the appeals panel making an informal decision.

The student must submit requests for an appeal to the registrar at least five (5) business days prior to the first class day of the semester. Please submit requests to University Registrar, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, 7101 University Avenue, Texarkana, TX 75503, or (903) 223-3047.

The appeals process is per semester, and students must file an appeal for every semester the undergraduate funding limit affects them. Any appeal decision is for the current semester only and will not carry over to any subsequent semester. The decision of the appeals panel is final. The appeals panel will make all decisions within 30 days from the receipt of the appeal request, when feasible, but not later than 60 days from the receipt of the request for an appeal.

Students must submit all tuition payments on time (including the additional fees), or the university will drop students for non-payment. If the appeals panel waives the additional charges, the university will refund this portion of the tuition. The registrar will notify the student in writing of the decision of the panel.

The appeals panel will consist of the following:

Dean of the student’s college, or his or her designee
Bursar
Director of Admissions and Outreach
Executive Director of Enrollment Management and University Registrar
Director of Student Services

If applicable, additional panel members may include the Teacher Certification Officer and the Director of Financial Aid and Veteran Services.

Limitation on Dropped Courses

Under section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, “an institution of higher education may not permit a student to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education.” The State of Texas enacted this statute in spring 2007, and the statute applies to students who enroll in a public institution of higher education as first-time freshman in fall 2007 or later. The university counts any course that a student drops toward the six-drop limit if:

the student was able to drop the course without receiving a grade or incurring an academic penalty
the student's transcript indicates or will indicate that the student was enrolled in the course (recorded drop)
the student is not dropping the course in order to withdraw from the institution.

Some exemptions for good cause could allow a student to drop a course without having it counted toward this limit, but the student must establish that good cause. The student should contact the Registrar’s office for more information before he or she drops a course.

Texas A&M University-Texarkana students who this statute affects that have attended or plan to attend another institution of higher education should become familiar with that institution’s policies on dropping courses.