Grading System

The following grading system is used in reporting grades to the Registrar for courses at the close of each term. Each letter grade has a corresponding number of grade points as indicated in the following table.

The grade point average is determined by (1) multiplying the grade points by the number of credits earned in the course, (2) finding the sum of these products and (3) dividing the sum by the number of credits for which a grade with designated grade points was given.

Grade	Description	Quality Points
A+	Superior	4.00
A	Excellent	4.00
B+	Very Good	3.50
B	High Average	3.00
C+	Average	2.50
C	Low Average	2.00
D+	Passing	1.50
D	Barely Passing	1.00
F	Failing	0
WF	Authorized withdrawal as failing	*
IN	In-Progress	*
NC	No Credit	*
P	Passing or satisfactory work	*
W	Withdrawal	*
WP	Authorized withdrawal in good standing	*
S	Satisfactory performance (used for non-credit courses)	*
U	Unsatisfactory performance (used for non-credit courses)	*
( - not used in calculating grade point averages)*

Faculty may use a grade of P/F for selected courses with the approval of the Provost.

A grade of IP is used when coursework cannot be completed by the end of the term because of institutional requirements.

A grade of W is recorded for courses dropped during the first seven weeks of a semester. The grades of WP and WF are to be given for courses dropped during the eighth through 12th weeks, and a course dropped after the 12th week will be marked WF except for a valid reason such as prolonged illness.

Pass/Fail Grading Option
Each student may take up to 12 credits of elective courses pass/fail, rather than for a letter grade. Elective courses are those that are not required for the major, minor or General Education. To declare this option, the student must notify the Registrar at the time of registration or no later than the end of the drop/add period of the term. A grade of “C” or higher is required in order to be awarded a “pass” in the course.

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Contract for Change of Grade
When a student is unable to complete some major element of a course because of extraordinary circumstances, the student may request that the instructor complete a Contract for Change of Grade to indicate incomplete work in the course. If the instructor determines that the request is appropriate, the instructor will record on the official grade roster a semester grade that reflects the grade earned for all work required for the course. The instructor will also submit a Contract for Change of Grade that indicates the work to be completed and a completion deadline, determined by the instructor and not to exceed six weeks into the subsequent semester. When the work is completed, the instructor will report a grade change to the Registrar. If no grade change is reported, the original grade will remain. The deadline may not be extended except by written permission of the Provost.

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Repeating Courses
Only courses for which a grade of C or lower has been earned may be repeated. Only one repeat will be allowed to replace the old grade. Course credits for a repeated course will only be counted once toward graduation. Both courses will remain on the student’s permanent record but only the higher grade will be used in calculating the grade point average. Other repeats will count as credits attempted with grades included in the GPA, but the credit hours will not count toward graduation. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Registrar’s Office when a course is repeated.

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Auditing Courses
A student may audit courses upon receiving the written permission of his/her advisor, the instructor of the course, and the Registrar. An auditing fee must be paid. A student auditing a course may attend classes but is not responsible for completing assignments in the course and does not receive credit.

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Grade Appeals
A student who receives a final grade that he or she believes is biased, arbitrary, erroneous, or contrary to stated policy should discuss the grade with the faculty member. If, after such discussion, the student still believes that the grade meets the above criteria, and the faculty member is unwilling to change the grade, the student may initiate a grade appeal.

To initiate such an appeal, the student must complete the Grade Appeal Form and submit a petition in writing to the chair of the Academic Policies Committee requesting a hearing before that committee and explaining in detail the grounds for the appeal. If a hearing is granted, the faculty member and the student will each have an opportunity to present his or her case before the Academic Policies Committee. If the committee determines not to mediate a grievance, it will issue a written statement to the parties concerned indicating the reasons for its not doing so. Both faculty member and student will be informed in writing of the committee’s decision. All grade appeals must be made within 30 calendar days of the date on which the grade in question was issued from the Registrar’s Office.

If the faculty member or student remains dissatisfied with the decision of the Academic Policies Committee, he or she may submit a written request for review to the Vice President for Academic Affairs within 10 business days. The request shall include a statement that explains the basis for the request. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall have the authority to reverse or modify the decision in question. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall inform the student and faculty member in writing of his or her decision, which shall be final.

No student, faculty member, or administrator shall be subjected to any form of harassment as a result of using these review procedures.

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This page was last modified on April 12, 2007