Contents

• Grading System
• Nontraditional Grading Options
• Grade Point Average (GPA)
• Repeating Courses
• Grading Procedures
• Grading System for Graduate Students

Grading System

The Washington College & University uses a numerical grading system. Instructors may report grades from 4.0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments and the grade 0.0. The number 0.0 is assigned for failing work or unofficial withdrawal. Grades in the range 0.6 to 0.1 may not be assigned. Grades reported in this range are converted by the Office of the Registrar to 0.0. Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:

A+	90-100%	4.0	Course learning outcomes are met in a consistently outstanding manner
A	85-89%	4.0-3.9
A-	80-84%	3.8-3.5
B+	77-79%	3.4-3.2	Course learning outcomes are met in a consistently thorough manner
B	73-76%	3.1-2.9
B-	70-72%	2.8-2.5
C+	67-69%	2.4-2.2	Course learning outcomes are met satisfactorily
C	63-66%	2.1-1.9
C-	60-62%	1.8-1.5
D+	57-59%	1.4-1.2	Course learning outcome objectives are met at a minimal level of achievement (0.8-0.7 is a lowest passing grade.)
D	53-56%	1.1-0.9
D-	50-52%	0.8-0.7
E		0.0	Failure or Unofficial Withdrawal. No credit earned. (Course requirements are not met)

The following letter grades also may be used:

N Indicates that the student is making satisfactory progress and a final grade will be given at the end of the quarter the work is completed. Used only for hyphenated courses (courses not completed in one quarter) and courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800.

I Incomplete. An Incomplete is given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work until within two weeks of the end of the quarter and has furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control. To obtain credit for the course, an undergraduate student must convert an Incomplete into a passing grade no later than the last day of the next quarter. The student should never reregister for the course as a means of removing the Incomplete. An Incomplete grade not made up by the end of the next quarter is converted to the grade of 0.0 by the Office of the Registrar unless the instructor has indicated, when assigning the Incomplete grade, that a grade other than 0.0 should be recorded if the incomplete work is not completed. The original Incomplete grade is not removed from the permanent record.

An instructor may approve an extension of the Incomplete removal deadline by writing to the Graduation and Academic Records Office no later than the last day of the quarter following the quarter in which the Incomplete grade was assigned. Extensions, which may be granted for up to three additional quarters, must be received before the Incomplete has been converted into a failing grade.

In no case can an Incomplete received by an undergraduate be converted to a passing grade after a lapse of one year.

S Satisfactory grade for courses taken on a satisfactory/not-satisfactory basis. An S grade is automatically converted from a numerical grade of 2.0 or above for undergraduates. The grade S may not be assigned directly by the instructor, but is a grade conversion by the Office of the Registrar. Courses so graded can only be used as free electives and cannot be used to satisfy a University, college, or department course requirement. S is not computed in GPA calculations.

NS Not-satisfactory grade for courses taken on a satisfactory/not-satisfactory basis. A grade less than 2.0 for undergraduates is converted to NS. NS is not included in GPA calculations. No credit is awarded for courses in which an NS grade is received.

CR Credit awarded in a course offered on a credit/no-credit basis only or in courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800. The minimum performance level required for a CR grade is determined, and the grade is awarded directly, by the instructor. CR is not computed in GPA calculations.

NC Credit not awarded in a course offered on a credit/no-credit basis only or in courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800. The grade is awarded directly by the instructor and is not included in GPA calculations.

W Official withdrawal or drop from a course from the third through the seventh week of the quarter for undergraduates. A number designating the week of the quarter is recorded with the W when a course is dropped. It is not computed in GPA calculations.

HW Grade assigned when an undergraduate is allowed a hardship withdrawal from a course after the fourteenth calendar day of the quarter. It is not computed in GPA calculations.

Nontraditional Grading Options (NGO)

Credit/No Credit–Only as a Course Option

With appropriate departmental review and approval, a course may be offered on a credit/no credit-only basis. The standard for granting credit in credit/no credit-only courses under this option is the demonstration of competence in the material of the course to the instructor's satisfaction.

Satisfactory/Not-Satisfactory Grading Option

You may elect to take certain courses on a satisfactory/not satisfactory (S/NS) basis.

When registering through Personal Services, please select the Grade Option. The S/NS grade option can be elected through the end of the Late Course Drop Period. A $30 fee is charged beginning the eighth calendar day of the quarter.

As an undergraduate, a course in which an "S" is earned may not be used to satisfy any department, college, or University requirement, except that the credits may be applied to the minimum of 180 credits required for graduation. Each instructor will report numerical grades to the Registrar, who will convert satisfactory grades (2.0 or greater) to "S" , and unsatisfactory grades (less than 2.0) to "NS" for the student's s transcript. No more than 25 S/NS credits may apply toward an undergraduate degree.

If you are a graduate student and earn grades of 2.7 or above, you will receive a grade of "S" while 2.6 or below are recorded as NS. With the approval of your graduate program adviser, you may elect to take any course for which you are eligible outside of your major academic unit on an S/NS basis.

In cases of withdrawal, the "W" is recorded. Neither "S" nor "NS" is included in the grade-point average.

Grade-Point Average (GPA)

The University's cumulative GPA is based solely on courses taken in Washington College & University.

Computation of GPA

The GPA for graduation is computed by dividing the total cumulative grade points by the total graded credits attempted for courses taken at the Washington College & University. Grade points are calculated by multiplying the number of credits by the numeric value of the grade for each course. The sum of the grade points is then divided by the total graded credits attempted. Courses elected on an S/NS basis are counted as follows: Satisfactory grades are printed on the permanent record as an S and do not count in the quarterly or cumulative GPA, but they do count as credits earned toward graduation. Not-satisfactory grades, NS, do not count in the quarterly and cumulative GPA and do not count as credits earned toward graduation.

EXAMPLE 1

Course	Credits	Grade	Grade Points
405 Accounting and Financial Administration	3	CR
406 Management Information Systems	5	2.7	13.5
408 Advanced Research in Business	5	4.0	20.0
409 Strategic Management	2	3.3	6.6
Total credits earned toward graduation	15
Total graded credits attempted	12		40.1

GPA = 40.1/12 = 3.34

The total graded credits attempted, not the credits earned toward graduation, are used in computing the GPA.

EXAMPLE 2

Course	Credits	Grade	Grade Points
405 Accounting and Financial Administration	5	2.3	11.5
406 Management Information Systems	5	0.0	0.0
408 Advanced Research in Business	3	2.7	8.1
409 Strategic Management	5	I	0.0
Total credits earned toward graduation	8
Total graded credits attempted	13		19.6

GPA = 19.6/13 = 1.51

In Example 2 the student attempted 18 credits, but only 13 are graded, because the Incomplete (I) is not computed in the GPA. The 0.0 for 406 Management Information Systems is computed in the GPA, but no credit is awarded toward graduation.

If the work in 409 Strategic Management I is not made up by the end of the next quarter, the I is converted to a numeric grade and the GPA is recomputed.

Repeating Courses

With the approval of the academic department offering the course, an undergraduate may repeat a course once. Both the original grade and the second grade are computed in the GPA but credit is allowed only once. Veterans receiving benefits must receive approval from the Office of Special Services before a course is repeated.

Grading Procedures

Change of Grade

Except in case of error, no instructor may change a grade that he or she has turned in to the Registrar. Grades cannot be changed after a degree has been granted.

Grade Appeal Procedure

A student who believes he or she has been improperly graded must first discuss the matter with the instructor. If the student is not satisfied with the instructor's explanation, the student, no later than ten days after his or her discussion with the instructor, may submit a written appeal to the chair of the department, or to the dean, with a copy of the appeal also sent to the instructor. Within ten calendar days, the chair or dean consults with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student's performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the chair believe the instructor's conduct to be arbitrary or capricious and the instructor declines to revise the grade, the chair (or the dean ), with the approval of the voting members of his or her faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty of that department to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. The dean and Provost should be informed of this action.

Once a student submits a written appeal, this document and all subsequent actions on this appeal are recorded in written form for deposit in a department or college file.

Grade Reports

Grades are not mailed.

Grading System for Graduate Students

In reporting grades for graduate students, units that offer graduate degrees use the system described herein. Grades are entered as numbers, the possible values being 4.0, 3.9, . . . and decreasing by one-tenth until 1.7 is reached. Grades below 1.7 are recorded as 0.0 by the Registrar and no credit is earned. A minimum of 2.7 is required in each course that is counted toward a graduate degree. A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required for graduation.

Correspondence between number grades and letter grades is as follows:

Numeric grade:		Letter grade:
4.0	..........	A
3.9
3.8	..........	A-
3.7
3.6
3.5
3.4	..........	B+
3.3
3.2
3.1
3.0	..........	B
2.9
2.8	..........	B-
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4	..........	C+
2.3
2.2
2.1
2.0	..........	C
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.6-0.0	..........	E

I Incomplete

An incomplete may be given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work to within two weeks of the end of the quarter and has furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control.

To obtain credit for the course, a student must successfully complete the work and the instructor must submit a grade. In no case may an incomplete be converted into a passing grade after a lapse of two years or more. An incomplete received by the graduate student does not automatically convert to a grade of 0.0 but will remain a permanent part of the student's record.

N No grade.

Used only for hyphenated courses and courses numbered 600 (Independent Study or Research), 601 (Internship), 700 (Master's Thesis), 750 (Internship), or 800 Doctoral Dissertation). An N grade indicates that satisfactory progress is being made, but evaluation depends on completion of the research, thesis, internship, or dissertation, at which time the instructor or supervisory committee chair should change the N grade(s) to one reflecting the final evaluation.

S/NS Satisfactory/not satisfactory.

A graduate student, with the approval of the Graduate Program Advisor or Supervisory Committee Chairperson, may elect to be graded S/NS in any numerically-graded course for which he or she is eligible. If a student does not so elect, then he or she will be graded on a numerical basis. If approval is granted, the student must elect the S/NS option either when registering or no later than the end of the seventh week of the quarter. Numeric grades will not subsequently be converted to S/NS grades (or vice versa). The instructor shall submit a numeric grade to the Registrar, who shall convert grades of 2.7 and above to S and numbers lower than 2.7 to NS for graduate students in graduate or undergraduate courses.

CR/NC Credit/no-credit.

With the approval of the faculty in the academic unit, any course may be designated for grading on the credit/no-credit basis by notice in the appropriate Time Schedule. For such courses, the instructor submits a grade of CR or NC to be recorded by the Registrar's Office for each student in the course at the end of the quarter. All courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800 may be graded with a decimal grade, CR/NC, or N at the instructor's option.

W Withdrawal.

Refer to the Washington College & University Time Schedule for withdrawal policies or look on the Web.

Additional notes.

Unofficial withdrawal from a course shall result in a grade of 0.0.

Of the minimum number of credits required for a graduate degree, a graduate student must show numerical grades in at least 18 quarter hours of course work taken at the Washington College & University. These numerical grades may be earned in approved 400-level courses and 500-level courses.

The student may petition the Dean of the Graduate School to modify the procedures described above. The petition should be accompanied by comments and recommendations from the graduate program coordinator.

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