- Undergraduate Grading Scale
- Graduate Grading Scale
- Repeating Courses
- Errors in Grade Reporting
- Incomplete Grades
- Withdrawal Grades
- Posting of Grades
Undergraduate Grading Scale
ENGL 100, 101, 190, and 299 are graded using the following scale: A, B, C, NC (No Credit). The NC grade is recorded on the student's transcript but is not calculated into the student's grade point average (GPA). Students receiving a grade of NC must repeat the class until they receive a grade of C or better.
All other undergraduate classes in the department are graded A, B, C, D, F. Undergraduate students must achieve a 2.0 grade point average for graduation. Certain programs, such as Education, require higher GPA's (overall or in the major) for graduation. A student whose GPA falls substantially below the standard for graduation may be placed on academic warning or may be academically dismissed from the University.
Graduate Grading Scale
Graduate classes are also graded A, B, C, D, F. However, graduate students who receive grades of C or lower are notified by the Graduate Office that they are not making satisfactory progress toward completion of their programs. Graduate students must achieve a 3.0 (B) grade point average for graduation. A student whose graduate GPA falls below 3.0 has two succeeding academic terms to raise the GPA to 3.0 or be dropped from the graduate program.
Repeating Courses
Undergraduate
Only courses in which C, D, or F grades have been earned may be repeated. A course may be repeated only once. If a student twice fails to earn an adequate grade in a course required for a degree program, the student may petition the Dean of Arts and Sciences for permission to take the course again. Courses failed in resident study may not be repeated by correspondence or credit–by–examination. The grade earned on the second attempt at a course is used in calculating the student's GPA. The grade earned on the first attempt, however, still appears on the student's transcript. Courses failed because of academic dishonesty may be repeated only with the permission of the Dean of Arts and Sciences. Students who officially withdraw from or are dropped from a course before it is completed must repeat the entire course.
Graduate
Only courses in which C, D, or F grades have been earned may be repeated. A maximum of six hours may be repeated with no course repeated more than once. When a repeated course is allowed, the grade earned on the second attempt is used in calculating the student's GPA. The grade earned on the first attempt, however, still appears on the student's transcript. Course failed because of academic dishonesty may be repeated only with the permission of the Dean of Arts and Sciences. Students who officially withdraw from or are dropped from a course before it is completed must repeat the entire course.
Errors in Grade Reporting
If an instructor makes an error in determining a student's grade, the error may be corrected by filling out a Change of Grade Form, which may be acquired from the department secretary. After the instructor completes the form, it is submitted to the department chairperson for approval before being sent on through the Dean of Arts and Sciences to the University Registrar.
Incomplete Grades
A grade of I (Incomplete) is given to students who cannot complete the requirements for a course within the academic term in which the course is taken. As with all other grades, the decision to assign a grade of Incomplete to a student rests ultimately upon the judgment and discretion of the instructor. As a general rule in the English Department, however, instructors are discouraged from giving Incomplete grades in lower division courses, particularly ENGL 100, 101, and 299, and in certain upper division service courses and general education courses, such as ENGL 301, without a compelling reason.
When considering the assignment of Incomplete grades, instructors should take the following factors into account. Generally, students are not eligible for a grade of Incomplete unless they
- have attended at least 75% of class meetings and completed at least 75% of graded assignments
- are prevented from completing the class by verifiable illness, injury, or personal hardship.
Students who meet these two criteria are expected to make arrangements prior to the time of the final examination for completing course requirements.
Students who have not met the two criteria, who have made no arrangements prior to the final exam for completion of course requirements, who have failed to turn in or complete one or more assignments without explanation, or who without explanation fail to appear for the final examination, will generally not be considered eligible for an Incomplete grade. Such students will usually be given a grade of F for the course.
Instructors who are in doubt about whether or not to assign a student a grade of Incomplete may wish to discuss the matter with their course director or with the department chairperson. Part-time instructors and graduate teaching assistants must get the permission of the course director and/or the department chairperson before assigning an Incomplete grade.
With the exception of graduate independent study courses (theses, problems, readings, etc.), incomplete courses must be satisfactorily completed within one year of the date the Incomplete grade was awarded or the Incomplete automatically becomes an F by University regulation.
Instructors have the discretion to set a shorter time for completion of an incomplete course. If an instructor decides to allow a student less than the official year to remove a grade of Incomplete, the instructor should inform the student in writing and should keep a copy of the agreement.Instructors may also extend for one additional Academic term the one-year deadline for removal of Incomplete grades by notifying the Registrar's Office of the extension in writing. After a student satisfactorily completes the work for an incomplete course, the instructor awards the final grade by filling out a Removal of Incomplete Form, which may be acquired from the department secretary. The completed form is forwarded to the University Registrar.
Withdrawal Grades
Students who withdraw from or are dropped from courses receive either no grade report or a grade of W, depending on the circumstances. Students who withdraw from or are dropped from a course during the first ten class days receive no grade report. Students who withdraw from or are dropped from a course from the eleventh class day to the end of the eleventh week receive a grade of W.Starting with the beginning of the twelfth week of classes, students may not withdraw from or be dropped from courses, unless they withdraw from the university. Students who do not complete their course work and do not withdraw from the University will be assigned a grade of F at the end of the semester in the courses affected, unless they make specific arrangements with their instructors to receive a grade of Incomplete.
Students who decide to withdraw from the university should give notice in person to the Office of Student affairs after counseling with their faculty advisor. If the student is unable to appear in person, the notice of withdrawal may be given by letter. Students who withdraw from the University after the eleventh week will be assigned a grade of WP in courses they are passing and a grade of F in courses they are failing. These F grades will be calculated in the student's GPA.
Posting of Grades
The public posting of grades either by the student's name, institutional
student identification number, or social security number without the
student's written permission is a violation of the Family Education
Right to Privacy Act (FERPA). Even with names obscured, numeric student
identifier numbers are considered personally identifiable information.
Therefore, the practice of posting grades by social security number
or student identification number violates FERPA.
Instructors and others who post grades should use a system that ensures FERPA requirements are met. Instructors may obtain the student's uncoerced written permission to post their grades or may use code words or randomly assigned numbers that only the instructor and individual student know. The order of posting should not be alphabetic. Another method of notification that may be used is to have interested students supply the instructor with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The instructor then uses these envelopes to mail the students their grades when they have been determined.
