Policy Series: 3000.22.1 STU

Type: Student College-wide Academic/Education

Name of Procedure: Grading

Purpose: The purpose of this procedure is to establish fair and consistent procedures for grading students’ coursework for students attending credit classes at South Central College and to define the process for changing a student grade.

Part 1: Grades

Subpart A: Valid Grades

The following grades are valid and the attached grade points are assigned per credit.

A = / 4.00 / C = / 2.00
A- = / 3.66 / C- = / 1.66
B+ = / 3.33 / D+ = / 1.33
B = / 3.00 / D = / 1.00
B- = / 2.66 / D- = / 0.66
C+ = / 2.33 / F = / 0

F= Failure. Faculty must report last date of attendance when assigning an F grade.

FN= Failure. Student never attended the course; 0 grade points per credit, excluded from GPA but considered during the evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress completion rate requirements. This grade is assigned and faculty must report never attended.

FW= Failure. Student attended one or more class sessions but did not complete course; 0 grade points per credit (included in GPA); this grade is assigned and faculty must report last day of attendance.

I= Incomplete. A temporary grade issued when the instructor has reasonable expectation that the student can complete unfinished course requirements; 0 grade points per credit; excluded from GPA but considered during the evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress completion rate requirements. (See Incomplete Grade Policy/ Procedure)

P= Pass. Indicates successful achievement of requirements with a minimum grade of C; 0 grade points per credit, excluded from GPA but considered during the evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress completion rate requirements. May only be used for approved select courses such as internships, health clinical, and Farm/Small Business Management.

AU= Audit. 0 grade points per credit; excluded from GPA. Audited courses are not given college credit, are not eligible for financial aid or VA benefits and cannot be used to satisfy graduation requirements.

W= Withdrawal. Assigned after the first five days of the semester up to the 80th percent point of the semester (this time period is adjusted for classes that do not meet the full length of the term); 0 grade points per credit; excluded from GPA but considered during the evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress completion rate requirements. A grade of W cannot be assigned by faculty but may be assigned by College administration as deemed appropriate. Once a student is withdrawn from a course, the student is no longer allowed to attend or participate in that course.

Z= Class in progress or no grade reported; 0 grade points per credit; excluded from GPA but considered during the evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress completion rate requirements.

Subpart B: Exceptions to Faculty Submitting Grades

Certain circumstances may permit the registrar, a college administrator, or a designee to submit final grades:

1. The registrar shall assign final grades in the following circumstances:

a. When faculty grade entry results in error or omission and the documentation in the registrar’s possession reflects a final grade.

b. When approving a student’s appeal for a late course withdrawal.

2. In the absence of the instructor of record, a designee may be assigned to submit final grades.

Subpart C: College Administration Grade Submission

The Dean of Student Affairs, division dean, academic vice president and Student Affairs vice president may assign a final grade as described in Subpart A.1. The division dean and academic vice president may also assign a final grade as a result of a student complaint or grievance or when acting on the instructor’s behalf.

Subpart D: Grade Changes

Faculty and others, as described in Subpart B.1-3, may submit grade changes when a student’s initial grade has changed. Grade changes are accepted by the registrar in writing with the instructor’s dated signature or via email from the instructor’s official college email address. A change of grade will be accepted by the Office of the Registrar only if properly authorized by the instructor or at the discretion of the academic dean/director if the instructor is not currently employed by the college. Grade changes will be accepted for up to two semesters (not including summer) or up to two calendar years from the original term of enrollment for the course with Dean Approval. Changes will be accepted for I (incomplete), Z (grade unknown) and in the event of error in the calculation of the original grade.

Subpart E: Final Grades

The final grading deadline for each term will be determined by the registrar and communicated to faculty and administration. Faculty will be given, at minimum, two business days following the last day of finals week to submit grades. During summer terms, faculty will be allowed a minimum of two business days after the session end date to submit grades. Final grade reporting is completed in MinnState eServices.

Subpart F: Exception to Grade Deadline
The following circumstances allow the temporary or permanent assignment of grades prior to course completion:

  1. Student or college-initiated withdrawal. After the drop period ends and prior to the withdrawal deadline (80% point of the term or course), a student may withdraw from a class. A final grade of W will be assigned. South Central administration may also assign a grade of W, described in Part 1 Subpart A.
  2. Last date of attendance reporting. Faculty are required to report students’ non-attendance as soon as they are reasonably certain the student has not or will no longer attend. Default grades of FN are assigned for students who have never attended and FW for students who attended at least one day. Students may visit the Records Office to change their FN or FW grades to W through the end of the withdrawal period. The last date of attendance as reported by faculty will not change with the grade change.

Part 2: Grading Options

Students can elect any valid grading option at the time of course registration.

Subpart A: A-F Grading Option

The default grading option for all courses is A-F unless otherwise specified.

Subpart B. Pass/Fail Grading Option
Some courses may be graded on a “Pass/Fail” basis. All required coursework must be completed to receive a grade of “P”. A student may take more than one course per term on the “Pass/Fail” system. Only developmental courses numbered below 1000 (excluding Liberal Arts & Sciences courses), internships, health clinicals and Farm/Small Business Management courses may be graded “Pass/Fail”. A pass indicates that the student has completed the coursework at a “C” level or better. The “P” will not be used to calculate GPA but the credits will count toward graduation. A fail grade is equivalent to an “F” and will be used in the GPA calculation. Students must select the “Pass/Fail” grading system at the time of course registration.

Subpart C: Audit Grading Option
All courses in the curriculum can be audited: A grade of AU will be assigned. Once this grading method is selected it cannot be changed after the class start date. The fee for such a course is the same as for credit.

Part 3: Repeated Courses

Subpart A: Courses Repeatable for Credit
Any course in which a grade of C- or lower D or lower has been earned can be repeated. When a course is repeated, the repeated grade is used in determining grade point average. The transcript will mark both the first and second course to indicate the repeat. The first course will be marked with parenthesis around the credits indicating it no longer applies to the GPA. The second occurrence will be marked with an “R”. Repeating a course will not remove the previous attempt from the student’s transcript.

Subpart B: Courses Not Repeatable for Credit
Students may choose to repeat a class to meet academic requirements, to improve their GPA or to refresh their knowledge of the subject material. A course can be taken once for credit, and if a grade of C or above was granted by the College the original grade earned is used when calculating the student’s credit and GPA totals.

Does this policy have a procedure? Yes No

List related policies, procedures or plans here: #3000.36 Repeat Procedure

#4000.26 Incomplete Policy/Procedure

Policy Owner: Dr. Susan Tarnowski Policy Owner Contact Number: 389-7228

Date of Initial Review by President’s Senior Cabinet: (Insert Date)

SG Review (if applicable): Yes No N/A

AASC Review (if applicable): Yes No N/A

Cabinet Review (if applicable): Yes No N/A

Date of Final Approval / Policy Adoption:

Date & Subject of Last Revisions: