The Graduate College Handbook - 2009
A. Grading System
See article 3-102 and article 3-104 of the Student Code for more information on course grades.
- Course Grades:
Grades and the points used in the computation of grade point averages are as follows:A+ 4.00 D+ 1.33 A 4.00 D 1.00 A- 3.67 D- 0.67 B+ 3.33 F 0.00 B 3.00 F by rule 0.00 B- 2.67 ABS 0.00 C+ 2.33 C 2.00 C- 1.67 A grade of F may be assigned to courses dropped for academic irregularities.
F-by-rule is automatically assigned when a grade of Incomplete has not been replaced by a letter grade by 5:00 p.m. on Reading Day of the next semester in which the student is registered. Incomplete grades earned in the spring semester will not be converted to F-by-rule until the end of the following fall semester, whether or not the student registers for the summer term.
The grade of ABS may be assigned when the student is absent from the final examination without an acceptable excuse. A grade of ABS counts as a failure and is not acceptable for degree credit.
In addition to assigned grades that are included in the computation of Grade Point Average (GPA), the following notations may be used, but are not included in computation of GPA:
AU No Points CR-NC No Points DFR No Points I No Points NR No Points NV No Points S/U No Points W No Points - AU – Audit. A permanent notation that indicates attendance as a visitor only. Information about auditing a course is located in chapter II.B.7.
CR-NC – Credit earned-No Credit earned (see chapter II.B.8).
DFR – Grade temporarily deferred. To be used only in those thesis, research, and special problems courses extending over more than one semester that are taken by graduate students as preparation for the thesis, and in other approved courses that extend over more than one semester. The symbol DFR in courses other than thesis (499/599) must be converted to a permanent grade no later than 5:00 p.m. on Reading Day of the next semester in which the student is registered. If no grade change is submitted within that period, the DFR will be converted as follows: for graded courses to an F, for S/U courses to a U, and for C/NC courses to an NC. The DFR symbol for thesis courses (499/599) stands indefinitely until a Supplemental Grade Report Form is submitted by the adviser at the completion (successful or unsuccessful) of the thesis. See chapter IV.A.6 for more information on thesis research credit.
I – Incomplete. Approved extension of time to complete the final examination or other requirements of the course. (Entitles the student to an examination later without fee, or to additional time to complete other requirements of the course. The final grade must be reported on the Supplemental Grade Report Form.) The instructor may authorize such extension of time for a graduate student regardless of the level of the course. A grade of Incomplete must be replaced by a letter grade no later than 5:00 p.m. of Reading Day of the next semester in which the student is registered or it automatically becomes an F grade. If the student does not enroll the following semester in a graded course, the incomplete grade becomes an F-by-rule after one year. Incomplete grades earned in the spring semester will not be converted to F-by-rule until the end of the following fall semester, whether or not the student registers for the summer term. Requests for extensions of time to complete the course requirements are made by petition to the Graduate College. A student will not be certified for a degree with an Incomplete grade in the academic record.
NR – Not reported. This temporary notation is automatically entered if an instructor does not report a grade by the deadline.
NV – Not valid. This temporary notation is used when an instructor reports a grade in a mode that has not been approved for use with that course.
S/U – Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory. A permanent notation used as a final grade only in courses (generally thesis research or seminar courses) approved for this grade mode.
W – Withdraw. A permanent notation signifying an approved withdraw without credit, (see chapter VII.C for more information)
- Minimum Grades and Credit for Repeated Courses:
The Graduate College has no minimum grade policy, but a department or program may set a minimum grade to be earned in order for a course to count as credit toward the degree. If a graduate student receives a grade below C, the student should check with his or her adviser or department to see if the department requires that the course be repeated to achieve a certain minimum grade.A student may choose to repeat a course. When a graduate student repeats a course, the grade for the course when first taken is the grade that is used in computation of the GPA. The accumulated hours for the first attempt count toward a degree, unless the course is failed. If a student fails a course and then repeats it, the F is used to calculate the student’s GPA, and the accumulated hours toward the degree are earned when the student successfully repeats the course. The grade for the repeated course is not used in the calculation of GPA.