Grading System

Credit will be granted only for courses in which a student earns a grade of A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, or D and for the grade of P, explained below. Symbols used in the grading system and their meanings are as follows:

A: Excellent - Indicates achievement of distinction. Four quality points are given per credit hour.

B+: Very Good - Indicates achievement well above what is required for graduation. Three and one-half (3.5) quality points are given per credit hour.

B: Good - Indicates achievement above what is required for graduation. Three quality points are given per credit hour.

C+: Above Average - Indicates slightly above average achievement. Two and one-half (2.5) quality points are given per credit hour.

C: Average - Indicates average achievement. Two quality points are given per credit hour.

D+: Below Average - Indicates achievement slightly below what is required for graduation. One and one-half (1.5) quality points are given per credit hour.

D: Poor - Indicates achievement at a level below what is required for graduation. One quality point is given per credit hour.

P: Passing - Indicates satisfactory achievement in no credit or no grade options. No quality points are given and grade is not considered when calculating grade point average.

F: Unsatisfactory achievement. No quality points are given in the calculation of the grade point average. This grade is assigned to a student who attended and/or academically participated in the course through the end of the term but failed to meet the minimum requirements for passing.

FA: Failure due to excessive absences. No quality points are given, and the grade is included in the calculation of the grade point average. This grade should be assigned to a student who attended the course at least once but ceased attending and academically participating in the course before the end of the term, and where the basis for the failing grade is attendance rather than academic performance. Students receiving this grade are considered to have stopped academically participating in the course and are therefore regarded as having unofficially withdrawn. Instructors assigning this grade must provide on the final grade roster the student’s last date of academically related activity, defined as the most recent date on which the student engaged in an academically related activity in the course.

AU: Audit - Indicates status as auditor. No credit is earned by auditing a course and no credit may be earned in an audited course by examination or otherwise.

W: Withdrew - Indicates withdrawal from the course.

I: Incomplete – A grade of Incomplete is assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, in the instructor’s judgment, a student, who has a passing grade in the course, or a reasonable prospect of earning a passing grade, is unable to complete some limited portion of the assigned work in a course (e.g., final project, final exam) because of extenuating circumstances (e.g., extended illness, accident, unavoidable work-related responsibility, or family hardship).
NOTE: An Incomplete is not intended to give students additional time to complete course assignments unless there is some indication that the specified condition or event prevented the student from completing course assignments on time.

By arrangements with the instructor, a student assigned a grade of Incomplete will have up to six months from the last day of examinations for the semester in which to complete the work before a permanent grade is recorded. Within two weeks of assigning a grade of Incomplete, the instructor will prepare an “Incomplete Grade Form” that specifies the assignments that must be submitted and the deadline for each assignment. The student will sign the form indicating acknowledgement of the requirements, and the instructor will place a copy on file with the Registrar’s Office. If the instructor does not complete a grade change request by the end of the six-month period, the grade of Incomplete will automatically be changed to a grade of “F”.
NOTE: Re-enrolling in the course will not make up an incomplete grade. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all arrangements for removal of the Incomplete have been made and that all work for completing course assignments has been accomplished by the deadline established by the instructor.

XR: A placeholder notation applied by the Registrar’s Office at the end of the term when a grade has not been submitted by the instructor.

XS: A placeholder notation applied as a final grade for Study Abroad courses upon receipt of official transcripts. No quality points.

Grade Point Average - Grade points in any course are computed by multiplying the number credit-hours assigned to the course by the number of quality points associated with the grade earned in the course, according to the following scale:
Grade Description Quality Points

The grade point average is determined by dividing the total number of institutional quality points earned by the total number of institutional credit-hours attempted for courses receiving any grade in the preceding list. The following grades do not affect the grade point average: AU, I, P, XR, XS, W.

Grade Reports - At the end of each Fall, Spring, and Summer term, students will access their final grades online through MyLander.

Grade Appeals and Changes --The Student Handbook describes the grade appeals process. Neither grade changes nor appeals for grade changes can be made after one calendar year from the time the grade was given. After graduation, no grade can be changed or appealed.