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Refresh and Restart Program

What is Refresh and Restart?

The Refresh and Restart Program is specifically designed for returning students, largely adult learners. The program provides comprehensive academic advising and expanded services and resources to help guide returning students who started, but did not finish their degree, to degree completion.

Refresh and Restart also provides support to get reacquainted with Herkimer College. Whether it’s been one year, five years, ten years or more, we’re here to help guide you through the readmission process and help familiarize you with any new programs or services since you’ve last attended.

Key aspects of this program include:

  • One-on-one support with a dedicated academic advisor who will work with you from onboarding to graduation. Your advisor will provide a customized completion plan that fits your needs and will be there to support you throughout your academic journey. They will be able to aid you in course registration, adding/dropping classes, making referrals to other services, and keeping track of your academic performance through an early alert system called Starfish, among other things.
  • “Crash courses” to help refresh you on basic topics such as English, math, technology, and study skills.
  • Support. College can be challenging, especially while juggling family and job responsibilities. We are here to help you access support services such as tutoring, accessibility services, library services, career services, personal counseling and more.

Academic Options:

Life happens, and plans change. Many of our returning students come back with a different set of goals and a renewed sense of purpose. While some students return to complete their degree or certificate, others return due to career advancement, changing careers, or personal growth. We understand life can be hectic balancing work, kids, and school and know your time is important, so your advisor will work with you to find which degree or certificate best suits your needs. A list of all degrees and certificates offered is here.

Online Learning:

Online learning provides the flexibility you need to complete your coursework whenever and wherever works best for you. We offer 21 degrees, 4 certificates, and two microcredentials entirely online. More information about online learning and a list of online programs is here. 

Academic Amnesty:

If you had a rough start at Herkimer resulting in a low GPA, you may be eligible for Academic Amnesty.

Herkimer College's Academic Amnesty program is designed to give a fresh start to students who have been away from the college for two years or more and who return to complete a degree or certificate. Such students may apply to have unsatisfactory grades excluded from the calculation of the grade point average (GPA).

Academic Amnesty Eligibility Requirements:

  1. The student has not enrolled at Herkimer College for at least two years.
  2. The student has re-matriculated into a degree or certificate program at Herkimer College.
  3. The student's current cumulative GPA must be below 2.00
  4. The student must submit the application after registering for the returning semester and no later than the end of the returning semester (prior to semester grades being received from faculty).
  5. The student must register and complete at least 12 credit hours in the first calendar year after their return with no F's or W's and maintain a GPA of at least 2.00 each semester.
  6. Academic Amnesty or Academic Reset may be granted only one time in a student's academic history at the college.

Please contact your academic advisor to discuss the possibilities of academic amnesty. 

Prior Learning Assessment:

Herkimer County Community College may grant credit for verifiable college-level learning acquired through life or work experience. As credit is granted for verifiable learning, not for the experience itself, the learning can be identified and assessed in a variety of ways to determine if college credit should be awarded. Credit earned in this manner, called credit by evaluation or prior learning assessment, is awarded when it fits appropriately into a student’s degree program. The full Prior Learning Assessment policy is here. 

Interested in Returning? Next Steps:

  1. Submit the Request to Return form.
  2. An academic advisor will reach out to you to gather some information, so be on the lookout for a call or email (please check your spam folder if you do not see an email from Herkimer in your main inbox). If you have any holds on your account, your advisor will let you know and give you guidance on how to resolve them. Any holds must be resolved before your Request to Return can be processed.
  3. Once your return is processed, you can register for classes. Your advisor will work with you to create a customized schedule.

Questions? 

Contact Refresh and Restart Coordinator Rosie Etienne at etienner@herkimer.edu or 315-866-0300 ext. 8308.