Undergraduate Grading System
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Undergraduate Grading System
Instructors report final course grades at the end of each semester. The deadline to submit grades is 48 business hours after the course’s assigned final exam timeslot concludes regardless of whether a final exam is held.
Grades are reported and recorded as letter grades. The translation of numeric scores translate to letter grades is the purview of the instructor and/or program, and conversions may differ from course to course.
Student averages and class ranks are computed on the following grade point basis:
A | 4.0 |
A- | 3.7 |
B+ | 3.3 |
B | 3.0 |
B- | 2.7 |
C+ | 2.3 |
C | 2.0 |
C- | 1.7 |
D+ | 1.3 |
D | 1.0 |
F | 0.0 |
To determine the quality points earned for a particular course, multiply the number equivalent to the letter grade by the credit hours assigned to the course. To arrive at the grade point average (GPA), add the quality points for all courses and divide the sum by the number of credit hours attempted.
In certain instances, grades are assigned that appear on the transcript, but aren’t used in grade point calculation. These grades are:
Notation | Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
AU | Audit | Student elected to take course for no academic credit. This is a permanent notation. |
UA | Unsuccessful Audit | Student registered to audit course, but did not regularly attend or participate. This is a permanent notation. |
I | Incomplete | Some assignments have not been completed for a legitimate reason. This is not a permanent notation. |
P | Pass | Student elected to take course on Pass/Fail basis. A grade of “P” may represent work completed at the “D” level or higher. This is a permanent notation. |
WD | Withdrawn | Student withdrew from the course and did not earn credit. This is a permanent notation. |
XT | Extended Credit | Course is linked to work across multiple semesters, and final course grade is assigned after a subsequent term. This is not a permanent notation. |
Audit
Students may enroll in a course on an audit basis. An audit must be declared by the Drop/Add deadline. An audit is recorded on the student’s academic record as “AU”, but no letter grade or credits are assigned. The expectations of the audit are established by the instructor, who will verify successful completion of the audit to the Registrar’s Office at the end of the semester. An auditor is expected to attend classes, but is generally not required to complete assignments or to take examinations unless required by the instructor. An unsuccessful audit is recorded on the student's academic record as "UA" in cases when the student does not attend class and/or does not otherwise meet the instructor's expectations for the audit.
Incomplete
A student may request an Incomplete in a course for reasons of illness, emergency or other extenuating circumstances.
An Incomplete may be assigned if the student has done acceptable work in a majority of course requirements and/or assignments.
If a student has not completed acceptable work in the majority of course requirements and/or assignments prior to the circumstances that prevented completion of the course, a letter grade shall be assigned. (During the withdrawal period, the student also has the option of withdrawing from the course).
The faculty instructor has the right to decide whether or not an Incomplete is appropriate based on the student’s performance in the class and the nature of the missing assignments.
An Incomplete is not typically available if there are any outstanding Incompletes on a student’s record from a previous term.
If the student and faculty instructor agree on the terms of an Incomplete, the faculty instructor will complete the Incomplete Grade Request Form, which serves as a contract between both parties. The Incomplete Grade Form will include an expiration date for the Incomplete and the grade that should be assigned should the student fail to complete the coursework.
The Incomplete Grade Form will be routed to the Dean of Undergraduate Education, who will review the student’s eligibility for the Incomplete. The Dean’s Office will inform the Registrar, who will record the Incomplete, the expiration date, and the default grade. The Registrar will send a copy of the approved Incomplete form to the student.
The Incomplete should be completed as soon at the earliest possible date, but no later than 30 days after the end of the semester in which it is assigned. Extensions to the Incomplete deadline may be approved by the Dean of Undergraduate Education.
Pass/Fail
A course may be taken on a pass/fail basis as long as the course does not satisfy core, major or minor requirements. Students must select the course(s) they wish to take pass/fail and complete the Pass/Fail Grading Request Form prior to the end of the Drop/Add Period for a given term.
Grading and GPA Implications for Repeated Courses
When a student repeats a course, both grades appear on the transcript and both are computed in the student’s cumulative grade point average. If a repeated course counts toward a student’s major or minor, only the higher grade is computed in the major/minor grade point average. The student earns credit for a repeated course only once. In accordance with the Transfer Credit Policy, if a course is repeated at another college or university, credit is only awarded if institutional credit was not already awarded (i.e. the student repeats a course for which they received an “F” at SMC). Grades in repeated transferred courses do not appear on the SMC transcript, nor do they count toward a student’s grade point average.