Grading

Grading

The grading system is based upon semester hours. The faculty may award the following grades:

Letter Grade	Description	Numeric Grade	Quality Points Per Semester Hour of Credit
A	Excellent	90 and above	Four
B	Good	80 to 89	Three
C	Fair	70 to 79	Two
D	Passing but poor	60 to 69	One
F	Failure	Below 60	None
I	Incomplete	Quality points will not be used to compute the student’s term GPA.

Please note:

Students must pass all courses in the major including supporting courses from other disciplines, with a grade of "C" or better. Thus, students who receive a grade of "D" or "F" in any course in the major are required to repeat that course at Saint Augustine’s College.
"W" Withdrawal is Non-Punitive (not used to compute the student’s cumulative GPA) Back to Top

Grade Change Policy

It is the College’s policy that once a final grade is recorded, no changes are allowed. The only exceptions to this policy are as follows:

An "I" (incomplete) grade may be given in exceptional cases to a student whose work in a course has been satisfactory, and, due to documented illness or other documented emergencies beyond the student’s control, he/she has been unable to fulfill specific course requirement(s) such as the final examination, a notebook, an experiment, a research or term paper.

The student must complete the work by the last day to withdraw from classes of the next semester following the granting of an incomplete ("I") grade; otherwise, the "I" grade is automatically converted to an "F". Although a petition for the "I" grade may be initiated by the student or by a faculty member, the recording of the "I" grade must be approved by the Department Chair and by the Division Dean. The Office of the Registrar provides faculty with a special form for the removal of an "I" grade.

The grade must be removed by the last day to withdraw from classes (in the semester following the one in which the "I" was granted) as stated on the academic calendar or the incomplete ("I") will automatically convert to failure ("F"). An incomplete grade (I) shall not be recorded as a mid-term grade by a faculty member.

Recording error(s) and/or miscalculations of a grade, must be changed no later than the end of the semester following the recording error or miscalculation. Grade changes must be approved by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and supported by the Department Chair and the Division Dean. All grade changes requested because of recording error(s) and/or miscalculations of a grade must be supported by documentation from the faculty member who made the error; i.e., grade books, papers and examinations and calculation records. Back to Top

Credit for Repeating a Course

Students are permitted to repeat only courses in which a grade of "D", "F" or "W" has been earned. The grade that is used is the highest according to the computer program. Students must repeat all courses in the major including supporting courses required in other disciplines, as well as selected General Education courses in which a grade of "D" (or "F") was received (see General Education section for those courses). In order to receive credit for repeating a course, the new course must contain the identical (i.e., course, prefix and number) with regards to the department in which the two courses are located. The repeated courses must be taken at Saint Augustine's College. The student’s transcript will reflect that the course has been repeated.

Grade Reports

Grade reports are mailed to each student at the end of each semester. A copy of the grade report is mailed to 1) the student at the home address of record; and, 2) the parent or guardian, if requested in writing by the student. After grades are submitted by the instructor, they are processed and issued by the Office of the Registrar. Students should examine their grade report carefully. If no grade report is received, the student should contact the Office of the Registrar immediately.

Any error in a grade report must be reported in writing by the student who received the grade or by the instructor who issued the grade to the Department Chair and the Division Dean by the last day to withdraw from class (as reflected on the College’s current academic calendar) in the semester following the issuance of the grade. Any grading error not reported by such time shall become the permanent grade on the student’s transcript. Back to Top

Dean's List and Honor’s List

The Dean's List is achieved by having a semester grade point average of 3.00 and above for a minimum of 12 credit hours and the Honor’s List is achieved by having a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above. Back to Top

Dropping a Class

Students may drop a class without academic penalty according to the deadline published in the College’s current academic calendar. Students are advised that discontinued attendance does not constitute dropping a class.

Failure to report for any class that appears on students' schedules or discontinuation of attendance without officially dropping the class or withdrawing from the course or the college will result in a grade of “F,” which is computed in the semester and cumulative averages. Students should refer to the Financial Information section of this catalog to determine the billing and financial impact, if any, of dropping classes. Back to Top

Withdrawal from a Course

Withdrawing from a course is recognized as officially and permanently leaving that course after the drop/add period. Students may withdraw from a course according to the deadline published in the College’s current academic calendar. Students who desire to withdraw from a course should secure a Course Withdrawal Form from the Office of the Registrar. Processing of the withdrawal form will begin after the student has returned it to the Office of the Registrar, with the signatures of their academic advisor and the Division Dean in the student’s major. Students officially withdrawn from a course are assigned a permanent grade of "W" by the Registrar. Students should refer to the Financial Information section of this catalog to determine the billing and financial impact (if any), of withdrawing from a course. Back to Top

Withdrawal from the College

A student is not officially withdrawn from the College until an application has been signed by the appropriate college administrators and returned to the Office of the Registrar. Students are encouraged to notify their instructors when withdrawing from the College. College property (such as dorm keys and ID cards) must be returned to the Office of Student Affairs at the time of withdrawal.

Upon completion of the withdrawal procedure, the student’s transcript is annotated with a grade of "W" for all courses in which a student is enrolled at the time of withdrawal as well as the date of withdrawal. A student who stops attending class and/or leaves the College without processing a formal withdrawal application form shall receive an “F” grade in each course in which the student is registered.

A student may withdraw from the College at any point up to two weeks before the date for the start of final exams. Students should refer to the dates listed on the current academic calendar. Students who withdraw from the College and who do not re-enroll within one academic year must meet the requirements of the current catalog, including General Education, as well as requirements in the major.

Students who have withdrawn from the College and more than an academic year has passed since they re-enrolled may appeal in writing to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for a review of circumstances that may warrant consideration of an exception to the application of this rule. Students should refer to the Financial Information section of this catalog to determine the billing and financial impact, if any, of withdrawing from the College. Back to Top

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, gives students the right to:

inspect and review their educational records;
consent to release of educational records to a third party;
request amendment of information believed to be incorrect that is included in the educational records; and
be notified of their rights under FERPA. Also under FERPA, the student must authorize, in writing, the release of any part of his/her records including grades. It is the policy of Saint Augustine’s College to comply with the terms and conditions of FERPA.