Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Student Services
  3. Student Forms
  4. Fresh Start

Fresh Start

The Fresh Start Rule Petition  is intended to help students who were unsuccessful in their previous academic attempts here at Columbus State, but have chosen to reenroll in courses at the college and continue their studies. This petition enables students who meet the required petition conditions listed below to select courses in which they earned a "D", "E", "EN" or "U" grade and have removed from their Columbus State Community College academic record.  This process will only remove the grades and will recalculate a student's overall Columbus State GPA.  It will not remove the courses from the student's official record nor will it recalculated the number of total credit hours attempted.  

To successfully petition for Fresh Start, students must meet all of the following conditions:

  • The student must not have attended the Columbus State Community College for a minimum of 24 consecutive months prior to returning to the College for additional coursework.
  • Since returning to Columbus State, the student must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours of course work at the college.
  • At the time the petition is filed, all grades earned since returning to Columbus State must be grades of "C" or better, "R" (audit), and/or "S" (Satisfactory).  The number of credit hours reflecting withdrawals (W or AW) may not exceed the number of credit hours completed at the time the petition is filed. 

Once a student has met the above conditions, they may complete the Fresh Start Rule Petition.  As you complete your petition, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

  • No transfer credit (K) may be used to meet the 12 credit hour guideline for students returning to Columbus State. 
  • This procedure may not be applied retroactively upon completion of a certificate program with more than 12 credits or an associate degree at the College. 

Students should review all information on the linked petition form before submitting.  Students are responsible for ensuring all information and course work is correct at the time of their petition.  If a student needs assistance with completing this petition, reviewing their previous Columbus State course work, and/or obtaining their academic records, they should contact the academic advisor for their major/program of study.  Advisor information can be found at this link: https://www.cscc.edu/services/advising/ 

Please be advised that students must submit their petition and related correspondence using their assigned Columbus State email address and they will be asked to provide verfication of identity which may include providing relevant photo identification. 

For questions regarding this petition form and/or status in the process, please send an e-mail to: freshstart@cscc.edu