Students may not take and receive credit for the same course twice, unless the course description specifically states “May be Repeated for Credit” (courses in which the course content varies from semester to semester or differs from that of a previous offering).

In rare cases, exceptions to this policy are considered under the following conditions: (1) the course content must be different; (2) the students obtain prior approval, using the ‘Exception to Academic Policy’ form, from the course’s instructor and the course’s Department Head.

This policy inherently prohibits a student from receiving duplicate credit for completing a RISD course that is a repeat of (or equivalent to) a course transferred from another institution, or for which credit has already been given as the result of an Advanced Placement examination. If such a case occurs, the transfer or Advanced Placement course credit will be removed from the academic record. Students are cautioned against repeating courses without first consulting their academic advisor.

If a course is failed and then repeated, all course attempts and grades are recorded on the student’s transcript. Request to have any failed courses removed from the transcript will not be considered as they are a part of the student’s academic history. For any course failed in Fall 2015 or after, and repeated in a subsequent semester at RISD, only the most recent grade is included in the computation of the Grade Point Average (GPA). However, if a student fails a course multiple times, only one F will be excluded from the student’s GPA by the successful passing grade.

A student may not receive credit for a course that is a prerequisite for a course for which the student has already received credit. A student may not take cross-listed courses and receive credit for both courses.