Grading
system
Courses
are graded as follows:
- A—excellent;
- B—good;
- C—acceptable;
- D—poor
but passing;
- F—failure;
- WF—withdrawn
failing;
- INC—incomplete;
- I—incomplete
calculated as F; and
- IP—in
progress.
A
notification of "NGR"—no grade reported—is
used until a final grade is available.
Certain
courses (including student teaching, some internships
and remedial courses) are graded "S/U" only
and are so indicated in the course descriptions. "S"
means satisfactory and indicates course credit was earned.
"U" means unsatisfactory and indicates no
credit. A student may also elect the "S/U"
grading option in no more than 16 credit hours in a
baccalaureate degree program (beyond those hours graded
"S/U" only). Any "S/U" hours beyond
this limit will not count toward graduation. The grading
option must be declared no later than fourteen calendar
days after the beginning of classes for a semester.
Many departments do not accept courses taken under the
"S/U" option for credit in major or minor
requirements; students should consult departmental officials.
More than 12 semester hours of "S/U" grades
may increase the grade point average needed for graduation
with honors. Courses taken under advanced placement,
credit by exam, CLEP, etc., are considered "S/U"
and do not count as letter-graded hours. See Graduation
with honors.
The
grade of "S" is interpreted as falling within
the range of "A" to "C" and carries
full credit. A grade of "U" is interpreted
as "D" to "F" and carries no credit.
"S" and "U" grades do not affect
the accumulative grade point average.
A
student who wishes to attend a class without receiving
credit for it may register to audit that course.
Instructors
assign a grade of "W" (withdrawn) or "WF"
(withdrawn failing) if a student withdraws from a course
after the last day to drop (see Drop/add
policy) but before (1) the 10th week of a course
in the fall and spring semesters, (2) the twenty-fifth
calendar day of the eight-week summer session, or (3)
the nineteenth day of a six-week summer session. For
flexibly scheduled courses, the instructor assigns a
"W" or "WF" if a student withdraws
after completing at least 13% but not more than 60%
of the course. During the specified time intervals,
"W" is assigned if the student is passing
at the time of withdrawal or if the instructor determines
there is insufficient evidence to judge the student's
progress at the time of withdrawal. "WF" may
be assigned if the instructor determines the student
is failing at the time of withdrawal.
A
grade of "WF" also is assigned if the student
withdraws after the intervals described above, stops
attending without processing a withdrawal, or has never
attended and fails to process a withdrawal.
A
student who officially withdraws from the University
receives a "W" in all courses for the semester,
unless the student has previously withdrawn from a course
with a "WF."
These
provisions apply to all grading options, including "S/U."
The grade of "WF" is used with zero quality
points in computing the grade point average; "W"
is not used in computing the grade point average.
See
Incomplete marks, below.
See
Withdrawal from the University.
Grade
point average
For calculating the student's grade point average, the
following quality points are assigned to each letter
grade:
- For
each hour of A, 4 points
- For
each hour of B, 3 points
- For
each hour of C, 2 points
- For
each hour of D, 1 point
- For
each hour of F or WF, 0 points
- For
each hour of I, 0 points
A
student's grade point average is obtained by dividing
the total number of quality points earned by the total
number of hours taken, excluding courses in which the
marks "S", "U", "IP",
"INC", "W" or "WP" are
recorded. The hours for which a mark of "INC"
is recorded are excluded from grade point average computation
until the deadline for removal.
As
an example, suppose a student receives the following
grades for a semester:
Biology
(a 4-hour course) B
English (a 3-hour course) B
French (a 4-hour course) C
Health (a 3-hour course) A
First,
determine the number of quality points earned for each
course. For example, each hour of B is worth 3 points
and a 4-hour B is worth 12 points (3x4).
Therefore,
the above grades translate into quality points as follows:
Now,
divide the number of quality points by the number of
hours taken for a letter grade. The grade point average
for this sample schedule is (41/14=2.92). Grade point
averages are not rounded up to the nearest hundredth
of a point.
Incomplete
marks
The mark of "INC" (incomplete) is given when,
for some acceptable reason, a student fails to meet
a definite requirement in a course as established by
the instructor. The mark of "INC" may be removed
and a grade (if taken for a grade) or the letter "S"
(if taken "S/U") may be substituted for it
by a student making up the deficiencies to the satisfaction
of the instructor.
Unless
an extension of time is granted by the academic dean,
a mark of "INC" must be removed by March 1,
Aug. 1, and Nov. 1 for the fall and spring semesters
and summer session, respectively. For courses taken
"S/U", any mark of "INC" not removed
by these deadlines will change to "U." For
courses taken for a letter grade, any mark of "INC"
not removed by these deadlines will change to "I"
and be calculated as "F" in the cumulative
grade point averages of all undergraduate students,
with or without an extension of time. The student who
has been granted an extension, however, will have the
opportunity to have his or her grade point average recalculated
and the "I" changed to the grade assigned.
Grade
appeals
Students have a right to appeal decisions on grades.
The student should first contact the department from
which the grade was received. A member of each department,
who is not a major departmental administrator, is designated
to hear complaints, gather information, talk with both
students and faculty, mediate disputes or identify appropriate
channels for solving problems. If the dispute cannot
be resolved at this level then the student should state
the full particulars of the appeal in writing and submit
them to the department chair or policy committee. If
the matter is not resolved at the department level,
the student may request a hearing before the academic
arbitration board of the appropriate school or college.
However, the sole responsibility and authority for determining
grades rests with the faculty member who assigned the
grade. This appeals procedure also may be used if a
student believes an opportunity should be provided to
make up work missed during absence from classes.
The
grade appeals procedure must be started by the end of
the fifth week of the spring semester for grades received
during fall semester and by the end of the fifth week
of fall semester for grades received during the spring
semester or during the summer session. All actions for
grade changes must be completed during the semester
in which the grade is appealed. Grade and absence grievances
may not be appealed beyond the college level.
