Both grades stay on the transcript
When you repeat a course, the transcript shows both attempts — the original grade is never erased. What can change is the GPA calculation: under a grade-replacement (grade-forgiveness) policy, only the most recent attempt counts toward your cumulative GPA, and the first attempt is marked as excluded. The credits count once.
The limits
Grade replacement almost always has caps: it applies only when the original grade was below some threshold (commonly C-minus or D-plus or lower), only to a limited number of courses in your career (often three or four), and only to the next attempt (a third attempt may not replace again, and often needs permission). Some programs and prerequisite chains count the original grade regardless. Read your catalog's exact rule.
GPA math
Replacing a D (1.0) in a 3-credit course with a B (3.0) removes 3.0 grade points of drag (3 credits x 2.0 improvement) from your cumulative GPA — often the single most efficient way to raise it, more than earning the same B in a new course. A coach can show you the before/after on your record.
Financial aid and repeats
Federal aid will pay for repeating a failed course as many times as needed, but will pay for repeating a *passed* course only once. A second paid repeat of a course you passed can drop you below the credits aid requires. Also, every attempt counts in the "pace" and "maximum timeframe" parts of satisfactory academic progress. Check with Financial Aid before repeating a passed course.
When it is the right move
When a low grade is dragging your GPA below a threshold that matters (good standing, a major's progression requirement, a scholarship, grad-school competitiveness), when you did not actually learn the material and need it for what comes next, or when a failed prerequisite is blocking your sequence. It is worth it when the grade is load-bearing.
When to skip it
When the grade is a C in a course outside your major that nothing depends on, when your time is better spent moving forward, or when you would be repeating a passed course on aid for the second time. Not every mediocre grade needs fixing; the ones tied to a requirement or a threshold do.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every office, person, building, phone number and statistic on this page is invented; nothing here describes a real institution or a service you can actually contact.