Grades for all courses are issued at midsemester and at the close of each semester.
Some courses are completed at midsemester, and final grades are issued for these courses at that time. For other courses, midsemester grades are issued as an indication of student progress and are not a matter of permanent record. For clinical courses, final grades are not issued until the end of the academic year; hence, clinical course grades issued at the end of the first semester as well as each midsemester are interim progress grades.
All grades, whether interim or final, may be used in the evaluation and determination of the academic status of students.
Final Grades for All Courses and Interim Grades for Academic and Technical Courses
| Grade | Quality of Work | Grade Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | outstanding achievement and an unusual degree of intellectual initiative | 4 |
| B+ | high level of intellectual achievement | 3.5 |
| B | noteworthy level of performance | 3 |
| C+ | performance beyond basic expectations of the course | 2.5 |
| C | satisfactory work | 2 |
| D | work of inferior quality, but passing | 1 |
| F | failure | 0 |
| AF | failure for excessive absences | 0 |
| WF | failure because of unauthorized withdrawal | 0 |
| I | work incomplete (issued only under extraordinary circumstances) | |
| X | absence from final examination | |
| AU | audited course only - no credit | |
| SA | satisfactory work | |
| UN | unsatisfactory work - failure | |
| W | official withdrawal from a course |
Course Withdrawal
A student will not be permitted to withdraw from any course(s), except for serious non-academic reasons (e.g., illness, injury, family crisis). Such a request for or notice of withdrawal must be:
- made in writing to the Assistant/Associate Dean for Academic Affairs,
- accompanied by supporting reasons,
- specific as to the desired date of effect,
- specific as to re-registration for the course(s),
- approved by the Student Performance Committee, and
- approved in writing by the Dean.
The Assistant/Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall inform the Registrar that withdrawal has been approved. The student’s record shall show “W” for an authorized withdrawal.
Grades for Clinical Courses
When performance standards have been met, the quality of the clinical work performed to date is graded according to the regular grading system: A, B+, B, C+, C, D, and F. Failure to achieve performance standards will result in the issuance of a grade of "incomplete " (I).
Incomplete and Absence from Examination
I marks are used to reflect the student’s irregular status at the date when end-of-term grades are due, and they must, within time limits as outlined under “Requirements for Promotion and Graduation,” or as established by the school’s Student Performance Committee, be changed to permanent grades, either passing or failing.
X marks are also used to reflect the student’s irregular status at the date when end-of-term grades are due. An X must be converted to a permanent grade within 10 calendar days after the last day of the term or it will become an F.
When an I or X is cleared and a final grade, either passing or failing, is assigned, the final grade is entered on the student’s permanent academic record in place of the I or X.
Grade Points and Grade Point Average (GPA)
Grade points are assigned to each grade as noted previously. To determine the total number of points earned, the grade point value is multiplied by the semester hours assigned to the course. For example, if a student receives a grade of B in a three hour course, nine grade points are earned. The grade point average is then calculated by summing all of the grade points earned and dividing this by the total number of grade point related semester hours. Under current practice, if a course is failed and subsequently completed successfully, the GPA computed for the semester in which the course was failed will reflect this failing effort. Upon successful completion of the course, the failing grade will be replaced with the passing grade in future GPA computations, however, the failing grade remains on the transcript as a matter of permanent record. The successful retake grade also becomes a grade of permanent record on the transcript.