Article V, Section C, Item 12
A repeat course is defined as a course term, summer or nonpreviously passed with a grade of “D” or better in any term, and subsequently retaken.
For the purposes of this rule, the NAIA does not recognize a +/- attached to a letter grade. Consequently, a B+ or B- shall count as a B, a C+or C- shall count as a C, and D+ or D- shall count as a D.
Repeat courses previously passed with a grade of “D” in the initial attempt and retaken, earning a grade of “C” or better, shall be considered toward satisfying the 24/36Hour Rule. Repeat courses previously passed with a grade of “D” in the initial attempt and retaken, earning a grade of “D”, shall be excluded and cannot be considered towards satisfaction of the 24/36Hour Rule. Only the initial attempt shall be considered toward satisfying the 24/36-Hour Rule.
A maximum of one repeat course per term previously passed with a grade of “D” (or the equivalent) may be counted toward satisfying the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule. Repeat courses previously passed with a grade of “C” or better cannot be applied to meet either the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule or the 24/36-Hour Rule.
EXCEPTION: If at the time of certification, a student’s declared major field of study at the NAIA institution requires the student to repeat a specific course to satisfy a degree completion or general education requirement, the repeat course(s) that was not passed with the requisite grade can be applied to meet the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule and the 24/36-Hour Rule. A maximum of one repeat course per term previously passed with a grade of “C” or “D” (or the equivalent) may be counted toward satisfying the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule.
NOTE: This rule applies to all student-athletes’ certification beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year, regardless of when the coursework was completed.
FAQ’s & Casebook Examples
Repeat Course — Term of Attendance
Approved Ruling: All repeat courses previously passed shall be applied to the definition of a term of attendance. The allowing of one course previously passed with a “D” grade to count toward satisfying the 12 institutional credit hour rule is an exception to the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule only.
Re-taking a Failed Course
Approved Ruling: A student may repeat a course that was previously failed and have it count toward the current 12-Hour Enrollment Rule and, if passed, toward the 24/36-Hour Rule. A failed course is not considered a repeat course.
Q1: I initially took a course and passed it with a C. However, my major requires the course to be passed with a B in order for it to count towards my degree completion. How would repeating this course affect the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule?
A: The exception would permit one repeat course per term to be used towards the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule if the course was repeated because the student initially earned a “C” or “D” and the student’s major field of study requires a grade of “B” or higher.
Q2: For a transfer student, is the student’s previous declared major the deciding factor, or is it the student’s declared major at the NAIA institution?
A: The student’s major at the NAIA institution is what will determine whether the repeat course can be used to satisfy the 24/36-Hour Rule.
Q3: If a student repeated a course that was required for a previous declared major, and then the student switches majors, can the course that was repeated under a different degree program still be accepted after changing majors?
A: The course must be required to be completed with a grade of “C” or better under the student’s declared major at the time of certification. If, at the time of certification, the new degree program does not require the course to be repeated for degree completion, then the subsequent attempt cannot be used for purposes of satisfying the 24/36-Hour Rule.
Q4: How are students treated who have not declared a major?
A: These students would be unable to utilize the exception under V.C.12.
Q5: Does it matter how much time passes between the student’s initial attempt of the course and the retake?
A: No. The course can be repeated immediately, or several terms later. The rule applies the same regardless of how much time passes in the interim.
Case Studies
*Assume all schools are NAIA institutions unless otherwise noted.
*Assume all classes are three institutional credit hours unless otherwise noted.
Scenario 1:
Marlo is repeating two courses in the fall of 2019, in Class 1 he previously earned a “D” and in Class 2 he previously earned a “C.” Class C is in Marlo’s major area of study and in order for the course to count towards his degree, he must get a “B” or better. For Fall 2019, Marlo is enrolled in 12 institutional credit hours including these two repeat courses. If Marlo wants to compete in the fall of 2019, will he meet the 12-hour enrollment rule?
Answer 1:
NO! Marlo (and all NAIA athletes) can only use one repeat course a term to help them meet the 12-hour enrollment rule. In this scenario, it does not matter that Marlo has two different versions of repeat courses. The last line of the exception clearly states that only one repeat course a term can be used towards satisfying the 12-hour enrollment rule!
Scenario 2 (continuation of Scenario 1):
What if Marlo was enrolled in 15 institutional credit hours in the fall of 2019 including these two repeat courses, would he meet the 12-hour enrollment rule so that he can compete?
Answer 2:
Yes! Marlo is not prohibited from taking more than one repeat course in a term, but he is prohibited from using more than one repeat course to help him meet the 12-hour enrollment rule. One of his repeat classes would be considered towards the 12-hour enrollment rule, but the other one would not.
Scenario 3:
Omar is transferring to your NAIA institution from Wire College. Omar is going to major in chemistry at your school, a change from Wire College where he was a business major. Omar is coming to your school for the fall of 2019 and your academic advisor tells him that he needs to repeat a biology course that he took at Wire College and earned a “C” because the chemistry major requires a grade of “B” or better in the class in order to be applied towards the degree. Omar’s previous major at Wire College only required that he earn a “C” or better. Can Omar repeat this course at his current NAIA institution and use it towards the 12-hour enrollment rule?
Answer 3:
Yes! Because the certifying NAIA institution’s chemistry degree requires a grade of “B” or better, then Omar can repeat the course and use it towards the 12-hour enrollment rule. It is the major at the certifying NAIA institution that governs this rule.
Scenario 4:
Stringer enrolls as a freshman in Block College (BC) in the fall of 2017 and does not declare a major. In that term, he takes and passes a poetry class with a grade of “D.” It is now the fall of 2019, and Stringer chooses journalism to be his major. The journalism degree requires a grade of “B” or better in all core courses including the poetry class where Stringer earned a “D.” Can Stringer repeat this course two years later and use it to meet the 12-hour enrollment rule? Does it matter that he didn’t declare journalism as his major in 2017?
Answer 4:
Stringer can repeat the poetry class and use it to help him meet the 12-hour enrollment rule. It does not matter that it was two years ago and it does not matter that he did not have a major at the time he originally took the class. The rule applies to any repeat class taken after the bylaw’s enactment regardless of when the first class was taken. Also, it is the major at the time of certification that determines if a student can utilize this exception.
