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HB0214 • 2026

Higher Education - Academic Forgiveness Policy - Established

Higher Education - Academic Forgiveness Policy - Established

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Delegate Healey
Last action
2026-02-09
Official status
In the House - Hearing 2/24 at 1:00 p.m.
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Higher Education - Academic Forgiveness Policy - Established

Requiring institutions of higher education to develop and implement an academic forgiveness policy on or before August 1, 2026, that applies to applicants who earned unsatisfactory or failing grades at a prior institution of higher education under certain circumstances.

What This Bill Does

  • Requiring institutions of higher education to develop and implement an academic forgiveness policy on or before August 1, 2026, that applies to applicants who earned unsatisfactory or failing grades at a prior institution of higher education under certain circumstances.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-09 House

    Hearing 2/24 at 1:00 p.m.

  2. 2026-01-14 House

    First Reading Appropriations

  3. 2025-11-01 House

    Pre-filed

  4. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Higher Education - Academic Forgiveness Policy - Established

Official Summary Text

Requiring institutions of higher education to develop and implement an academic forgiveness policy on or before August 1, 2026, that applies to applicants who earned unsatisfactory or failing grades at a prior institution of higher education under certain circumstances.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0214*

HOUSE BILL 214
F2 6lr1679
HB 205/19 – APP (PRE–FILED)
By: Delegate Healey
Requested: November 1, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Appropriations

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Higher Education – Academic Forgiveness Policy – Established 2

FOR the purpose of requiring certain institutions of higher education to develop and 3
implement an academic forgiveness policy on or before a certain date that applies to 4
certain applicants under certain circumstances; and generally relating to an 5
academic forgiveness policy at institutions of higher education. 6

BY adding to 7
Article – Education 8
Section 15 –141 to be under the amended title “Title 15. Institutions of Higher 9
Education” 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12

Preamble 13

WHEREAS, Too often, students enrolled in institutions of higher education do not 14
appreciate the value of their higher education experiences and, following a brief history of 15
poor and failing grades, such students decide to pursue interests outside the academic 16
world; and 17

WHEREAS, Following a considerable passage of time, former students have a 18
greater appreciation of higher educational opportunities and may seek to return to the 19
institution only to find that the grades they acquired during their earlier experience act as 20
a barrier and hindrance to their academic progress; and 21

WHEREAS, The purpose of this section is to provide a mechanism for institutions of 22
higher education to disregard the records of such students that prevent or impede their 23
academic success; now, therefore, 24

2 HOUSE BILL 214

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2

Article – Education 3

Title 15. [Public] Institutions of Higher Education. 4

15–141. 5

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 6
INDICATED. 7

(2) “ACADEMIC FORGIVENESS POLICY” MEANS A POLICY THAT 8
DISREGARDS DURING AN ADMISSIONS PROCESS AN APPLICANT’S UNSATISFACTORY 9
OR FAILING GRADES EARNED AT A PRIOR INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 10

(3) “ADMISSIONS PROCESS ” MEANS THE PROCESS BY WHICH 11
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION SELECT STUDENTS FOR ENROLLMENT. 12

(B) (1) ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 1, 2026, EACH INSTITUTION OF HIGHER 13
EDUCATION THAT RECEI VES STATE FUNDS SHALL DEV ELOP AND IMPLEMENT A N 14
ACADEMIC FORGIVENESS POLICY. 15

(2) THE POLICY DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED UNDER PARAGRAPH 16
(1) OF THIS SUBSECTION SHALL APPLY TO AN APPLICANT IF: 17

(I) THE APPLICANT ’S GRADES WERE EARNED 7 OR MORE 18
YEARS BEFORE THE APPLICANT’S APPLICATION SUBMISSION; AND 19

(II) THE APPLICANT ELECTS TO PARTICIPATE IN TH E 20
ACADEMIC FORGIVENESS POLICY. 21

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 22
1, 2026. 23