Grading
The college uses letter grades to indicate the status of a student at the completion of a course. All grades are awarded at the sole discretion of the faculty member responsible for the course. A grade must be submitted for every student on the course roster at the end of the semester. Students will be apprised of evaluation policies in each class at the beginning of every semester. This information also will include notification, where appropriate, that the plus/minus grading system will be used as determined by the instructor. Instructors will inform students of their standing in each course by the end of the ninth week of the semester, or two-thirds of a Summer Session or January Term. Mid-term grades are available in Degree Works and Banner when submitted by the instructor. Questions regarding grading policies or an individual grade received in a particular course should be addressed to the instructor or to the department chair.
Grades Awarded by the College
| Letter Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| A | Superior. |
| A- | |
| B+ | |
| B | Above Average for undergraduate coursework. Average for graduate coursework (B or 3.0 is required minimum cumulative GPA for graduate coursework). |
| *B- | |
| *C+ | |
| *C | Average. |
| **C- | |
| **D+ | |
| **D | Below average. |
| **E | Failure or unofficial withdrawal from a course. |
| **EV | Failure, never attended. |
| S | Satisfactory. |
| SD | Satisfactory with Distinction. |
| U | Unsatisfactory. |
| P | Pass, may not be given for graduate coursework. |
| F | Fail, may not be given for graduate coursework. |
| CR | Awarded for Course Challenge and Experiential Learning. |
*Courses with a grade of B-, C+, or C are below required average for graduate coursework but may be used to meet graduate program degree requirements.
**Courses with a grade of C- or below cannot be used to meet graduate program degree requirements.
The following letters are used to indicate status:
| Letter Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| I | Incomplete. |
| IP | In Progress. |
| N | Grade delayed. |
| NR | Grade not required. |
| X | Grade not submitted. |
| W | Withdrawn. |
Explanation of Grades
S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory) grades are reserved for graduate theses, student teaching or other field experiences that are not readily evaluated by the normal letter grades and basic skills courses.
SD (satisfactory with distinction) is reserved for graduate theses. S, SD, and U grades may be given only for courses so designated.
P (pass) and F (fail) grades are given for undergraduate courses taken on a pass-fail basis. They may be submitted only under proper authorization. Pass and fail grades may not be used for graduate coursework.
W (withdrawal) grades may be submitted only when a student has formally withdrawn from a course.
I (incomplete) grades may be submitted by an instructor only when circumstances leading to a student’s failure to complete course requirements are known to be beyond the student’s control (e.g., serious illness or unavailability of material) or for planned extensions of undergraduate project and studies. Students must request an incomplete grade directly from the instructor. The student must complete course requirements and the instructor must submit a grade change by the 10th week of the following spring or fall semester or the grade automatically converts to an E (failure). In the event that the instructor who granted the I grade is unable to evaluate whether the student has fulfilled the course requirements during the stipulated time period, the chair or program coordinator takes responsibility for evaluating the student’s work and changing the grade.
IP (in progress) grade of IP is reserved for graduate students who have not completed their thesis or project requirements. When work is completed, the instructor submits a grade change, replacing the IP grade with a final grade. If an instructor does not submit a final grade by the end of the second additional semester, the IP grade will automatically be recorded as an E or U unless an incomplete extension (722) is filed. A grade of N (grade delayed) may not be submitted for a thesis or project.
N (grade delayed) grades may be given when research work or an internship carries over from one semester to another and when it is necessary to delay grading to a subsequent semester. N grades may be submitted only with the permission of the department chair or program coordinator. A grade of N may not be used for a graduate thesis or project course.
NR (grade not required) grade is reserved for and must be submitted for any graduate level 721 Thesis/Project Continuation or 722 Thesis/Project Extending Course.
Pass-Fail Option
The pass-fail option permits any matriculated student to take an undergraduate course for credit without receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D, E, or EV. The pass-fail option cannot be used for graduate courses. A pass (P) grade provides credit but no quality points and is not counted in total hours used to determine cumulative average. A fail (F) grade is treated as a failure although the hours are not used in computing the cumulative average.
A pass-fail credit may be applied toward an undergraduate degree. Courses taken as part of early childhood and childhood education program concentrations and distributions may not be taken pass-fail.
Any undergraduate course, except English composition 100-level courses and those required for completion of a major or a minor, may be taken on a pass-fail basis. Students must declare their intention to do so by the end of the 13th week of classes in any semester or after two-thirds of a Summer Session or January Term. Students should refer to the Registrar's Office for the proper procedure for completing a pass-fail. A student may choose to rescind their pass-fail request and accept their earned letter grade by following the requirements for rescinding a pass-fail request (found on the Registrar’s Office website) prior to the last day of class. After this point, a student may petition Academic Standards to have the earned letter grade apply. Students will be allowed to take up to two courses per semester as a pass-fail option for a total of 24 credit hours during their undergraduate program at the university.
Students may not use pass-fail to repeat an undergraduate course for which a grade of C- or below was earned.
Note: Students are cautioned that the amount of pass-fail work permitted may jeopardize their chances for admission to graduate or professional school or for career placement.
Refer to DOPS Policy I:16:03.