GRADING POLICIES AND ACADEMIC RENEWAL	No. 4-19	Rev. 7-1-97
		Date 4-20-77

I. Grading Policies

A. Grade Point Average Calculation

B. Reporting and Changing of Grades

C. Audit

D. Credit/No Credit

E. Grade of Incomplete

F. Repeat Courses

G. Temporary Status

H. Withdrawal from Individual Classes

II. Academic Renewal

A. Rationale

B. Policy

C. Procedure

I. GRADING POLICIES

A. GRADE POINT AVERAGE CALCULATION

1. The cumulative grade point average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points (the number of credit hours per course taken multiplied by the numerical value shown below for the grade received in each course) by the total number of credit hours taken. A student's overall GPA will be calculated based only on courses taken at Weber State University and will be the GPA that appears on the transcript for that student. Only letter grades (A through E and UW as defined in A.2. below) are used in computing the grade point average.

2. The responsibility for grading and evaluating the academic performance of students shall rest with the faculty. Grades are assigned as follows:

Grade Numerical Value

A Excellent 4.0

A- Excellent 3.7

B+ Good 3.3

B Good 3.0

B- Good 2.7

C+ Standard 2.3

C Standard 2.0

C- Standard 1.7

D+ Substandard 1.3

D Substandard 1.0

D- Substandard 0.7

E Failure 0.0

UW Unofficial Withdrawal 0.0 (See Section G.3.)

3. Other symbols as shown below indicate the status of a student's progress in a course but are not used in calculating the GPA. These symbols and their use are as follows:

Symbol Description

AU Audit. The student was allowed to attend a class without earning either a grade or credit for the class (See Section I.C in this policy regarding audited courses.)

CR Credit: The student is given credit for a course which they attended after registering for the course on a pass/fail basis and earning at least a C-. (See Section I.D in this policy regarding CR/NC registration.)

I Incomplete: The student was unable to complete the course for a legitimate reason (such as an accident or illness) after having satisfactorily completed a substantial portion of the required work. (See Section I.E of this policy regarding the incomplete grade.)

NC No Credit: The student registered for the course on a pass/fail basis and earned less than a C-. (See Section I.D in this policy regarding CR/NC registration.)

NG No Grade Reported: The instructor has not yet reported a grade for the course. This symbol is used for the term report of grades only and does not appear on the student's transcript.

RP Repeat Course: This symbol is used to indicate that a course has been repeated. (See Section I.F in this policy regarding the repeating of a course.)

T Temporary Status: This symbol is used for courses that will continue in the subsequent term and a final letter grade will be issued when the course is completed. (See Section I.G in this policy regarding the T grade.)

W Withdrawal: the student withdrew from the course during the designated withdrawal period. (See Section I.H in this policy regarding withdrawing from a course.)

B. REPORTING AND CHANGING OF GRADES

1. Final grade forms shall be made available to instructors via the appropriate dean's office prior to the close of each term. Grades are to be recorded on the appropriate forms and submitted to the Registrar's Office within three working days following the last examination of each term.

2. Changing grades which have already been assigned and recorded is the sole responsibility and prerogative of the faculty member who taught the particular class and student. Grade changes submitted by others, such as department secretaries, dean's secretaries or work study employees will not be accepted by the Registrar.

a. Grade change forms are to be signed by the faculty member and stamped and initialed by the departmental secretary or submitted electronically.

b. In the event that a faculty member is deceased, no longer employed at Weber State University or not available by a reasonable means, grade changes will be accepted only from the appropriate department chair.

3. Copies of all grade changes are sent to the faculty member who initiated the change and to the department chair by the Registrar's Office.

C. AUDIT

1. Students registering to audit a class will pay tuition and fees per the current tuition and fee schedule.

2. Students in regulated programs, i.e., Financial Aid and Athletics, (see PPM 4-17, Academic Rules, Regulations and Standards) will be subject to respective program guidelines for audit registration.

3. Because of space and facility limitations, some classes may not be open to audit.

4. Students who plan to audit a class may select that option at registration.

a. All class rolls including temporary rolls will indicate a student's audit status.

b. Final approval for audit attendance is the prerogative of the instructor.

5. Students may change a course to audit through the first 60% of the term with instructor approval.

6. Audit students failing to attend class may be issued a "W" grade at the discretion of the instructor any time during the term. This provision does not imply an obligation to take attendance.

7. The definition for audit on the back of the transcript will indicate: "No grading criteria, attendance not verified."

D. CREDIT/NO CREDIT

The basic objective of credit/no credit grading is to allow students the opportunity to enroll in classes outside their major or minor on a pass/fail basis without affecting their GPA.

1. Eligibility of Students for Credit/No Credit Grading

a. Freshmen students may take no more than one class per term on a credit/no credit basis.

b. Students with 45 or more credit hours who have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above may register for no more than two classes per term on credit/no credit basis.

2. Criteria for Credit/No Credit

a. A maximum of 30 hours of credit/no credit in elective courses may be used for graduation.

b. Classes taken on a credit/no credit basis will not satisfy major, minor, general education, or specific course requirements with the exception of those courses or programs of study approved by the University Curriculum and General Education committee.

c. Grades on the credit/no credit system are not included in computing the term or cumulative grade point average. A grade of credit is recorded only for letter grades of C- and above.

d. Students who change their Program of Study must submit the appropriate form to the Records Office and request the grade be changed to the letter grade issued by the instructor if a credit/no credit course applies to the new Program of Study.

e. If a student has previously taken a course for a letter grade, the same course may not be retaken for credit/no-credit.

f. Choice of credit/no credit registration should be made at the beginning of the term, but a student may change classes to credit/no credit status during the first 60 percent of the term.

g. The instructor will not be notified if a student is taking a class for a credit/no credit grade and will give only letter grades on the Final Grade Report to the registrar. The Registrar's Office will convert the letter grades to credit or no credit.

h. Students who stop attending classes for which they are registered credit/no credit without properly withdrawing, will receive a UW (unofficial withdrawal) grade, which is counted as an E when grades are computed.

E. GRADE OF INCOMPLETE

1. An "Incomplete" may be given by an instructor only when the student, having satisfactorily completed a substantial portion of the required work, is unable to complete the class work for a legitimate reason (such as illness or accident) and, in the opinion of the instructor, could complete the required work without re-registering for the class.

2. When giving an "Incomplete," the instructor must file a Report of an Incomplete Grade with the academic department and the Office of the Registrar, specifying in detail: (1) what work must be done in order to remove the "Incomplete" grade, (2) the time deadline for completing the work which must not be longer than a 12-month period following the receipt of the "Incomplete", and (3) the letter grade which is to replace the "I" if the work is not completed. The student must sign the report and be given a copy of the report by the instructor at the time the report is prepared.

3. An "Incomplete", unless changed by the instructor before the deadlines described in 2 above, remains on the official Permanent Record Card and the Instructor's Final grade Report until the date specified by the instructor (see 5 below). After that date, the "I" will be changed to the grade specified by the instructor or will be changed to the grade submitted by the instructor on an Authorization of Grade change form prior to that date. When the form has been properly approved, the department and the student will be provided a copy of the change of grade.

4. While the course is being carried as an "Incomplete" on the student's record, it will not be used in calculating grade point average nor accepted for credit toward graduation.

5. Students must complete course work for any Incomplete grades prior to graduation in a time frame that will allow an Authorization of Grade change form to be completed ten (10) days prior to graduation. If the incomplete work is not completed, the graduate's transcript will have the grade recorded that was negotiated at the time of receiving the Incomplete grade. "I" grades cannot appear permanently on a graduate's transcript.

6. A student may petition the instructor for additional time to complete the work. Generally an extension of time will not be longer than one additional term. If an extension is granted, a revised Report of an Incomplete Grade will be submitted to the Records Office.

F. REPEAT COURSES

1. Each course (unless specifically listed as repeatable for credit in the course description) may be used only once in cumulative hours and GPA.

2. A course will appear on the transcript each time it is completed, but it will be counted only once in the total hours and only the most recent letter grade received will be used to calculate the GPA. CR is not considered a letter grade and will not cause a previous grade to be discounted.

3. Once a bachelor's degree has been posted to a student's permanent record, courses used for that degree may not be repeated to improve the GPA.

4. All courses which have been repeated will have the symbol RP following the grade for that course except for the last time the course is posted to the transcript.

G. Temporary Status

1. Temporary status is indicated by a 'T' and is given for those courses so structured as to require grading of students to be done in a term subsequent to that one in which the course begins. All such courses must have the approval of the department offering the courses and the Curriculum and General Education Committee. A letter grade (A,B,C,D,E) or CR/NC must be given by the instructor at the time the required work is to be completed.

2. Temporary status is used by instructors in two ways.

a. Institutional Incomplete: When a course is extended beyond the normal ending date of the term during which it begins, the instructor records a "T" on the Final Grade Report. A copy of the Final Grade Report is retained by the instructor, who assigns final grades and returns the form to the Registrar within three working days of completion of the work. The Records Office will then change the "T" to the grade designated as the final grade for each student registered for the course. The "T" will not be computed in the student's grade point average while on the transcript, nor will the credit(s) be counted toward the total hours completed until a grade is posted for the course.

b. Student Incomplete: The "T" is used by instructors for courses designed to be completed by students on an individualized basis which may extend beyond a term. Students must register each term for courses which require continued individualized instruction and advising by a faculty member, e.g., thesis or directed research. The "T" for the course remains on the transcript permanently for the term in which it was initiated. The final grade for the course is recorded for the term in which the work is completed. The "T" indicates that the course is being continued in the subsequent term and will not be computed in the student's grade point average nor will the credits be counted toward total hours until a grade is posted for the course.

H. WITHDRAWAL FROM INDIVIDUAL CLASSES

1. Students may withdraw from individual classes during the first six weeks or 60% of the term. Students may not withdraw from individual classes during the remaining 40% of the term, but may withdraw completely from the university during any given term up to and including the last day of instruction prior to final exam week. (See PPM 6-4, "Withdrawal from the University.")

2. No entry will appear on the transcripts of those students who drop individual classes during the first 30% of the term. A "W" grade will appear on the transcripts of students who withdraw from individual classes during the period between 30% and 60% of the term.

3. Students who stop attending a class without officially withdrawing will receive a "UW" (Unofficial Withdrawal) for that class. The procedure and deadlines for making registration changes are published each term in the class schedule.

II. ACADEMIC RENEWAL

A. Rationale

Academic renewal provides an opportunity for students to have their grade point average recalculated. The recalculated GPA will use all of those courses completed within the last six years and those courses prior to the six-year period wherein a "C-" grade or better was obtained.

B. Policy

1. The applicant for academic renewal must be a currently enrolled undergraduate student or must have been enrolled during the previous term. Students who are not currently enrolled and who cannot obtain financial aid until their GPA is recalculated using Academic Renewal should begin the process with Academic Records and take written evidence of the initiation of this process to the Financial Aids Office.

2. Academic renewal may be requested only once during a student's academic career.

3. Courses completed prior to the awarding of a certificate, associate or bachelor degree do not qualify for academic renewal.

4. The policy does not apply to graduate students or students pursuing a second bachelor's degree.

5. Grades of "D" or less which were earned six years or more prior to the petition date will not be computed in the grade point average.

6. Academic requirements may not be satisfied by courses to which academic renewal has been applied.

7. Hours not used for grade point average purposes are not used to satisfy total and upper division credit hour requirements.

8. The Academic Renewal Policy will apply only to courses taken at Weber State University.

9. Only the calculation of a student's grade point average will be affected by this policy.

C. Procedure

1. The student may petition for academic renewal by obtaining an application from the Records Office.

2. The properly completed application should be returned to the Records Office.

3. If the petition for academic renewal is approved by the Records Office, the student will be so notified and the Records Office will recalculate the student's grade point average according to the guidelines of the policy above.