Improving Your Grade in IITM BS: Rules and Limits

Yes, you can repeat a course you have already passed in IITM BS to improve your grade. It works for courses where you got A, B, C, D or E. You pay twice the normal course fee, redo every assignment, quiz and the end term, and the better result is kept. From the January 2026 term, you can only improve courses of the level you are still in. Once you move up a level, the handbook says your CGPA is frozen.

These rules are the same in the Data Science (DS) and Electronic Systems (ES) handbooks.

Which grades you can improve

The handbook allows improvement for courses with these grades:

Failed grades like U, WA and WQ are not improvement cases. For those you repeat the course at the normal fee. See repeating a course.

An E gives the biggest jump for a one-step rise. It carries 4 points, while a D carries 6. So moving from E to D adds 2 points, not 1. The full grade table is in how IITM BS grading works.

What an improvement attempt involves

• Fee: twice the regular course fee.
• Work: you submit all the weekly assignments again and write the quizzes and the end term again. It is a full attempt.
• CCC: the course counts toward your Credit Clearing Capability for that term, like any full course. See our CCC guide.
• Which grade counts: the highest score across all your attempts is used for your CGPA. The handbook also says the highest grade goes on your transcript.

So a worse second attempt does not pull your grade down. But you still pay double for it.

The same-level rule from January 2026

This is the rule that changed. It was announced in August 2025 and applies from the January 2026 term.

• You can improve grades only in the level you are currently in, before you move to the next level.
• For example, say you finish all 8 foundation courses and want to improve one grade. You have to do it within the terms still allowed to you, before you start the diploma level.
• Once you start the diploma level, you cannot take any foundation improvement course.
• Your CGPA is frozen when you move to a new level.

One small wording issue: one section of the handbook calls this "proposed". Other sections state it as the policy from the January 2026 term. Treat it as the rule, and confirm with support if your case is unusual.

The handbook also said it did not recommend taking improvement courses in the September 2025 term itself, just before the change.

How to plan an improvement

1. Decide before you move up. Look at your grades before you register for your first course in the next level. After that, the chance is gone.
2. Check your time. The improvement has to fit within the maximum terms you are allowed. See the maximum time allowed to finish IITM BS.
3. Check your course limit. The improvement course uses one place in your CCC, alongside any new or repeated courses.
4. Budget for it. You pay double the normal course fee.

If you are in DS and need a certain CGPA to move to the degree level, see the degree level entry rules before you decide.

Common questions

If my improvement attempt goes badly, do I lose my old grade?

No. The highest score across your attempts is used for your CGPA, and the highest grade is shown on your transcript. A weaker second attempt does not replace a better first one.

Can I improve a foundation course while I am doing diploma courses?

Not under the rule that applies from the January 2026 term. Once you start the diploma level, foundation improvement courses are closed to you.

Can I improve an S grade?

The handbook lists only A, B, C, D and E as grades you can improve. S is already the highest grade, with 10 points.

Does improving a grade cost the same as repeating a failed course?

No. Improvement costs twice the normal course fee. Repeating after a WA, WQ or U grade costs the same as the normal course fee.