Academic Fresh Start

Fresh Start is available to a student with less than a 2.000 GPA who are returning to CSU Pueblo after at least a one year absence. Former CSU Pueblo undergraduate students who re-enroll may apply for Academic Fresh Start, a policy which allows students to establish a new academic record. 

Students may request Fresh Start at any point after returning to CSU Pueblo; however, they are highly encouraged to do so within the drop period in their first semester back. Requests made after their first semester will only be approved if the student's SAP status and eligibility for financial aid would have remained unchanged in their first semester back after the Fresh Start demarcation.

Students are eligible for only one Fresh Start opportunity at CSU Pueblo.

Academic Fresh Start may be granted after at least one year has elapsed since the student’s last term of enrollment as an admitted, degree-seeking student, regardless of the number of credits taken. Courses taken through Extended Studies as a guest student, or the CSU Pueblo Summer Session after being dismissed or ceasing enrollment as an admitted degree-seeking student will not count against the one-year interval required for Academic Fresh Start.

Eligibility for Fresh Start can be achieved in one or both of the following ways: 

• Be successful in a job or volunteer experience and be able to supply strong letters of recommendation from your employer/supervisor (recommendations must not be from a family member or relative).
• Take at least 15 credits of academic courses either at another institution or as a guest student at CSU Pueblo and earn a 2.500 or higher cumulative GPA.

Students applying for Fresh Start will also need to:

1. Meet with the Pack Center to create an academic success plan.
2. Submit all required information to the Pack Center.
3. Complete and sign the Fresh Start form acknowledging responsibilities and details of the policy.

A student enrolled and granted Fresh Start will have a demarcation on the permanent academic record to delineate the previous record from the new academic record achieved after reenrollment and approval for Fresh Start status. Credits for those courses in which a grade of at least C or S was awarded prior to the Fresh Start may be applied toward graduation requirements under the Fresh Start policy.

Only grades earned after the Fresh Start demarcation will be computed in the new GPA. Fresh Start may have implications regarding other requirements for graduation, such as upper-division and in-residence requirements.

If a student receives a Fresh Start, the student must successfully complete at least 30 upper-division credits of course-work in residence at CSU Pueblo after the Fresh Start is granted in order to graduate.