Retake, Reconsidered
In July, the 57th student council S:CATCH conducted a follow up survey through its ASKk:U project, identifying substantial student demand for raising the retake grade cap. This survey was conducted in response to discussions at the Education and Scholarship Conference held earlier on March 12th, in which the university responded that raising the grade limit for retaken courses would be difficult without adjustments to related systems, such as the grade evaluation ratio. Currently, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) limits the maximum grade for retaken courses to B+, a lower threshold than the A0 limit applied at other universities like Yonsei University and Korea University. However, SKKU imposes no restrictions on the number of course retakes, offering greater flexibility in that regard. In 2022, with the rise of remote learning due to COVID-19, SKKU introduced a revised grading standard that limits A grades to 50% and B grades to 90% of enrolled students. Compared to other universities that have returned to pre-pandemic standards, SKKU has maintained its revised system through formal policy changes, creating a relatively more flexible grading environment. Additionally, the expansion of flipped learning and English-taught courses has increased the use of absolute grading evaluation. University officials emphasized that any adjustment to the retake grade cap should be considered alongside broader reforms, such as modifying the current grade distribution policy or setting a limit on how many times a student may retake a course. In response, S:CATCH proposed two alternatives in its student survey: raising the cap to A0 while adjusting the grade distribution, or raising the cap to A0 while limiting the number of retakes. Both proposals remain under discussion, with specific details yet to be finalized.
Between Merit and Equity
Students remain divided over the university’s retake grade cap. Those in favor of raising the grade cap argue that SKKU’s current limit of B+ makes it difficult to see real improvement in grade point average (GPA), even after repeating a course. One student from the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus shared in an interview with the Sungkyun Times (SKT), “When I mention SKKU’s retake policy to friends at other universities, they are surprised, and honestly, I think it puts SKKU at a disadvantage.” Opponents, however, express concerns over fairness and potential grade inflation. They argue that allowing up to an A0 for retaken courses could unfairly favor students who repeat classes, potentially putting first-time takers at a disadvantage. This may lead to imbalances in grade distribution and encourage retakes mainly for GPA boosting, rather than academic mastery. With absolute grading on the rise and relaxed standards in some courses, many students are already receiving high marks — leading to growing concerns about grade inflation. According to S:CATCH, while GPA disparities between SKKU and other universities remain minimal for the class of 2024, this gap may widen. A student from the Natural Sciences Campus shared their concern in an interview with the SKT, saying, “From an educational standpoint, I do not think that raising the retake grade cap has much value because unless the original grade is very low, retaking a course just to improve one’s GPA does not really help anyone.” Given the range of differing perspectives, many students are urging the university to adopt a balanced approach that addresses the needs of all.