Grading Policies and Procedures

Pass/Fail
Grade Reports
Scholastic Standing
President's and Dean's List
Academic Standing

The transcript is an accurate and complete historical record of work attempted at the university. Changes to transcript entries that alter the enrollment history of students are not to be made.

Academic Grades and Administrative Marks
Student proficiency in coursework is recorded by letter grades.

A	(4.00)	Denotes excellent scholarship
A-	(3.70)
B+	(3.30)
B	(3.00)	Denotes good performance
B-	(2.70)
C+	(2.30)
C	(2.00)	Denotes fair or average performance.
C-	(1.70)
D+	(1.30)
D	(1.00)	Denotes poor (unsatisfactory but passing) performance
F	(0.00)	Denotes failure

AU	—	The mark AU denotes that students have registered to audit a course. Students may audit without credit any course subject to space availability and departmental approval. An audited course is not counted as part of the course load, but students must go through registration procedures and pay the normal registration fees. An instructor may impose whatever attendance requirements deemed necessary. The students must be informed of these requirements at the beginning of the semester. Failure to meet such attendance requirements subjects the students to being withdrawn from the course by the instructor. This will be accomplished by the instructor’s insertion of the mark W at the time of final grades.
IN	—	The administrative mark of IN (Incomplete) may be given to students who have completed at least 12 weeks of the semester (if they are currently passing) and are unable to complete the work due to extenuating circumstances. The time line shall be adjusted appropriately for summer sessions and flexibly scheduled courses. Appropriate documentation is generally required to support the extenuating circumstance. The student must initiate the request for the Incomplete mark from the instructor, and it is the responsibility of the student to arrange to make up the incomplete work. Incompletes must be made up within one semester (not including summer sessions). Instructors are required to complete and submit an Incomplete Mark Form to the department chair at the time grades are assigned which includes justification for awarding the Incomplete, describes the work to be completed for the course and specifies the grade to be assigned if the work is not completed. A copy of the Incomplete Mark Form also is provided to the student. Instructors assign an IN grade with a default grade. Incompletes will not be counted in the computation of grade point averages until the work is completed, at which time an appropriate grade will be assigned based on the instructor’s evaluation of the work submitted and a new grade point average computed. Unless the course is completed or an extension is granted, Incompletes will automatically lapse to the grade designated on the Incomplete Mark Form at the end of one semester.
IP	—	The grade IP (In Progress) is given to students to indicate that research, individual investigation or similar efforts are in progress and that a final grade will be given when the work is completed. The IP grade can be utilized only in designated courses and is not used in computing grade point averages.
NF	—	The NF (Never attended F) grade denotes that students never attended one class session nor did the students formally withdraw from the course. The NF grade will count as an F (zero quality points) in computing grade point averages. In the case of a course taken pass/fail, the NF grade will be changed to a Z grade.
NR	—	A mark of NR indicates the instructor did not submit a grade.
S	—	The grade S denotes satisfactory completion of a course in which a regular letter grade is inappropriate. The credit hours are awarded but are not considered in computing grade point averages.
SF	—	The SF (Stopped attending F) grade denotes that students stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw. The SF grade will count as an F (zero quality points) in computing grade point averages and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course. Faculty who cannot determine the exact date of last attendance may use the date of the last academic activity in which students participated. SF grades are not appropriate for students who stop attending after the course withdrawal deadline. After that time, grades should be based on student performance in the completion of course requirements. In the case of a course taken pass/fail, the SF grade will be changed to a Z grade.
U	—	The grade U denotes unsatisfactory performance in a course for which a regular grade is inappropriate. Credit hours are recorded as credit hours attempted, and the grade will be counted as an F in computing grade point averages.
W	—	The mark W is given for course withdrawals. This mark is not used in computing grade point averages.
Y	—	The grade Y denotes a passing grade in a pass/fail course or in a course in which students have elected the pass/fail grading option. The credit hours are not considered in computing grade point averages.
Z	—	The grade Z denotes failing performance in a pass/fail course or in a course in which students have elected the pass/fail grading option. The credit hours are not considered in computing grade point averages.

Grade-to-Grade Change Policy
Once grades are submitted, they are final and will not be changed except in cases of administrative error. Grades will not be changed by allowing the students to do additional work (e.g., retaking exams; redoing papers; submitting extra credit papers, reports, etc.) or by using criteria other than those applied to all students in the class. In the event of a possible administrative error, the students must contact the instructor as soon as possible following the awarding of the grade. If the instructor is not available, the department/school chair should be contacted. Grade appeals for reasons other than administrative error must follow established procedures for student academic complaints. For information regarding the Student Academic Complaints procedure in the Digest of Rules and Regulations, contact the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs (Kent Campus) or the campus dean’s office (Regional Campuses).

Grade Point Average
Quality points are awarded on the following scale:
Each hour of A equals 4 points
Each hour of A- equals 3.7 points
Each hour of B+ equals 3.3 points
Each hour of B equals 3 points
Each hour of B- equals 2.7 points
Each hour of C+ equals 2.3 points
Each hour of C equals 2 points
Each hour of C- equals 1.7 points
Each hour of D+ equals 1.3 points
Each hour of D equals 1 point
Each hour of F equals 0 points
Each hour of NF equals 0 points
Each hour of SF equals 0 points
Each hour of U equals 0 points

A grade point average is determined by dividing the total number of points earned by the number of quality hours taken. Totals are extended to two decimal points and is rounded up. As an example, assume a student has completed 30 hours with a grade distribution of 3 hours of A, 3 hours of B, 3 hours of B-, 15 hours of C, 4 hours of D, and 2 hours of F.

		points
3	hours of A at 4 points per hour	12
3	hours of B at 3 points per hour	9
3	hours of B- at 2.7 points per hour	8.1
15	hours of C at 2 points per hour	30
4	hours of D at 1 point per hour	4
2	hours of F at 0 points per hour	0
	Total	63.1

Dividing 63.1 by 30, a grade point average of 2.103 is obtained, which is slightly above a C average.

Cumulative averages are computed by dividing the total quality points by the total quality hours. Grades of S, Y and Z are not included in grade point average.