Grades are due 72 hours after the final exam.

If no exam is given, grades are due 72 hours after the last day of instruction.

Grade changes can only occur as the result of clerical or procedural errors. Grade changes should not occur as result of a re-examination or the submission of additional work after the close of the term.

Academic integrity and fairness to the other students in the course prevent faculty from re-evaluating their individual work with an eye towards a grade change. Faculty are under no obligation to re-evaluate papers or exams except for clerical or procedural errors.

Nonetheless, students have a right to bring a grade grievance if they believe that "improper academic criteria" were used to evaluate their work. See the General Catalog for an overview and the Committee On Courses Handbook for a detailed description of procedures.

Encourage students to meet with the instructor or GSI first, or submit a request for a grade change in writing.  If the instructor will not change the grade, students can request that the instructor write a letter for their departmental file describing in detail the reasons for the grade and any extenuating circumstances that may have influenced the grade.

You can also refer students to the campus Ombuds Office for Students.

Clearly written grading policies on the syllabus will help to avoid grade disputes. Careful record keeping throughout the semester will help in any grade challenge.

An Incomplete grade is an agreemeent between the student and instructor indicating that the student's work in a course has been of passing quality but is not completed due to circumstances beyond the student's control.

An Incomplete grade does not count in the GPA nor are units counted towards graduation until the course has been completed and the final grade posted on the official transcript.

If an Incomplete grade is not completed by the deadline, it converts to an F which does count towards the GPA.

If the deadline passes and the work has not been completed or the appropriate petition has not been submitted for an extension, the Incomplete lapses to an F.

A student may request a retroactive extension of the incomplete by submitting a Petition to Extend an Incomplete Grade. With a letter of consent and support from the instructor of the course, the dean will consider a retroactive extension of the incomplete.

A student may not extend an Incomplete grade in order to freeze it. It is assumed a student requests an extension for the sole purpose of completing the course.

An In Progress grade is given for a course that is taught in a two-semester sequence in which the grade is assigned at the completion of the entire sequence. An In Progress grade, like an incomplete, does not count in the GPA, nor are units earned towards graduation until the course sequence is complete. (IPs earned in College Writing are an exception. Refer to the College Writing Programs website for more information.)

Unlike an incomplete grade, the student does not submit a petition to remove an In Progress grade. The IP grade remains on the transcript as the grade for the first semester of the two-course sequence permanently. The final grade is given at the completion of both courses. The course is given unit credit each semester in terms of course load credit for enrollment purposes but the student does not receive units toward graduation until the entire course sequence is completed.

If a student receives an incomplete in the second course of the sequence, the student then follows the deadline dates and procedures for removing an incomplete.

With permission of the instructor a student can elect to discontinue the sequence after the completion of one term. At that point the instructor can assign a grade or the IP will lapse to an I and the procedures and deadlines for completing an incomplete grade will apply.

If a student repeats a class in which s/he received a grade of P or C- or higher, the course will count as part of the class schedule for the semester and the grade earned will be listed on the transcript.  However, the new grade will be "cosmetic" only; i.e., it will not be included in the GPA, and the units will not count towards graduation. 

Students generally should be discouraged from repeating passed classes as it does not progress them towards graduation. 

Students who took a class on a P/NP basis and then realized they needed a letter grade are encouraged to get a memo from the instructor listing the letter grade earned.  This letter should be sufficient to satisfy major requirements (the letter grade can be used to calculate major GPAs) and can be submitted as supplemental information to graduate schools.

The deadline for changing the grading option from P/NP to a letter grade is Friday of the fifth week of instruction.

The deadline to change the grading option from a letter grade to P/NP is the Friday of the tenth week of instruction.

Deadlines for the current term are available on the Office of the Registrar's website.

Summer Sessions deadlines vary. 

All schedule adjustments are done on Tele-BEARS.

Students who are on academic probation are not allowed to take courses P/NP unless the course in question is only offered on a P/NP basis.

Midterm Status Reports are used to alert a student to academic difficulty.

The L&S Advising Office is informed when a student receives more than one notification.

Even though instructors are not required to submit mid-term status reports, it is important that they do since the reports provide useful information for students, particularly those on academic probation, and enable the College to identify and help students who encounter academic difficulty during the term.

The Religious Creed Policy for accommodation of students who miss exams because of their religious commitment is distributed annually at the beginning of each fall semester.

Please consult the Catalog for information on record keeping for midterms and final exams.

Although there are no specific written guidelines for record keeping of grades, the Registrar suggests the same record keeping procedures should be used as for final exams. The Registrar states, "The reason final exams are kept for the thirteen-month period by departments is in case a student wants to challenge the final grade received. The grading records also play a very important role in the dispute or challenge should one arise." Since students have two semesters after the completion of a course to file a grade grievance, it would be wise to save grade records for the same 13 months period as is required for final exams.