Next fall, Southeastern will implement several academic realignment initiatives and policy changes, including a reorganization of several academic colleges, a new grade forgiveness policy and a revised course repeat policy. 

University officials say the changes are designed to improve academic flexibility, support student success and better align programs with workforce and industry needs.

One of the most significant changes is an academic realignment that will restructure several colleges. 

A key change includes the creation of a standalone College of Nursing. Formerly part of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, nursing programs will now be independent.

As part of the restructuring, non-nursing health-related programs will move to a newly expanded College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. 

Programs such as non-nursing health sciences, human development, social work, communication sciences and kinesiology will now be within this college. 

Paula Calderon from the College of Education says this shift will help these programs grow.

“Based on the spring 2026 enrollment numbers, the College of Education will go from being the smallest of the five academic colleges to the second largest, only 55 students smaller than the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. It will definitely be a change for all of us, but I’m excited about this change,” Calderon said.

The College of Business will also expand as part of the academic realignment. Health systems administration and sports management programs will move into the college because of their necessary business coursework, management training and leadership development.

Eric Skipper from the Provost’s Office told us the transition is designed to prepare students for their futures.

“Moving health systems administration and sports management into the College of Business is intended to strengthen career preparation and align academic programs with career expectations,” he said.

Other colleges, including the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Science and Technology and the Honors College, will remain untouched under the new structure.

University officials say the academic realignment is intended to support workforce needs, encourage interdisciplinary education, expand nursing enrollment and align programs with Louisiana’s economic demands. 

The changes are also designed to better connect students with career opportunities and adapt to evolving job markets.

“For most students, they will not notice a change at all since only their dean will change. However, for those degree programs that are changing departments, they will have both new department heads and new deans,” said Aime Anderson from the registrar’s office.

In addition to the academic realignment, SLU is introducing a new grade forgiveness policy for undergraduate students. 

Beginning Fall 2026, students will be allowed to exclude up to nine credit hours of coursework from their GPA calculation.

This applies only to courses in which a student earned a D or F and requires approval in accordance with degree requirements and university guidelines. 

While the courses will remain on the student’s academic transcript, the excluded grades will no longer factor into GPA calculations.

The new policy is expected to provide students with additional flexibility when navigating academic challenges. 

Students who change majors, experience a difficult semester or struggle in particularly challenging courses may use grade forgiveness to improve their GPA and remain eligible for scholarships, financial aid or academic standing requirements.

However, because students are limited to nine total credit hours, officials encourage careful consideration before applying grade forgiveness to any course.

SLU is also revising its course repeat policy to support academic improvement better. Under the previous policy, the most recent attempt at a repeated course counted toward a student’s GPA, even if the grade was lower than a prior attempt.

Beginning Fall 2026, if a student has repeated a course, the highest grade will apply toward their GPA rather than the most recent attempt. All attempts will continue to appear on a student’s transcript, but only the best attempt will impact GPA calculations, as Eric Skipper says.

“Starting Fall 2026, even if a student has repeated a course in the past, the highest grade will apply toward their GPA rather than the most recent attempt. This will not affect graduation timelines, ” Skipper said.

University officials say this change reduces risk for students who retake courses and encourages academic persistence. 

The updated policy also aligns with policies used at many other universities and may help improve retention, graduation rates and overall academic recovery.

Students who previously hesitated to retake difficult courses may now feel more comfortable doing so, knowing their GPA will reflect their strongest performance.

These changes will take effect beginning Fall 2026. To learn more, review upcoming catalog updates and speak with academic advisors to better understand how the new policies and college structure may affect your academic plans.