Grades and Grading Information

Students’ work will be evaluated by faculty members and course grades assigned. Examinations, written papers, oral assignments, and/or fieldwork may constitute the basis for the grade awarded in class. Faculty members generally outline the details for determining grades on the course syllabus. Often, any weighted factors for assignments will be outlined in the syllabus.

Grade points are assigned to each grade and used in the calculation of the student’s GPA for the semester’s work or cumulative average. The grades and point values are as follows:

I (Incomplete) X (Audit) W (Withdrawal) NR (Grade not reported by faculty) IP (Course in progress) CP (Credit pending)

Faculty have sole responsibility for awarding all grades except CP, IP, W, X, and NR.

Undergraduate students may audit one undergraduate course per semester on a space-available basis. The same tuition charges per credit hour apply to audited courses as credited courses. Students are expected to attend classes but are not required to complete course assignments or take exams. Students may add a course they intend to audit on-line, but to properly record it as an audit, they must submit a paper registration form to the Registrar’s Office, indicating their intent to audit the course. Students may change from credit to audit status in a course through the end of the withdrawal period for that course. Students may change from audit to credit status through the end of the add period, or, with the instructor’s permission, through the end of the withdrawal period for that course.

An audit carries no credit, has no grade point equivalent, and is recorded as an X on the transcript. Although the course is entered onto a transcript and the student is billed as if it carries credit, it does not affect a student’s full- or part-time status. Proficiency credit or credit by examination will not be given for courses previously audited.

The designation of “CP” (Credit Pending) is given only in courses in which work extends beyond the end of the semester; use of “CP” must be approved in advance by the Department Chair or Campus Director, and the Registrar. Courses eligible for “CP” include independent study, dissertation, thesis, research or courses designed to extend beyond the end of a typical semester. The designation of “CP” does not affect the GPA calculation. In order for a student to graduate a “CP” designation must be converted to a grade.

A student may request from the instructor a grade of incomplete (I) in situations where exceptional circumstances beyond his or her control (such as incapacitating illness or a death in the family) prevent him or her from completing course requirements. In order to be eligible for an incomplete, the student must have completed the majority of the coursework (e.g., 75 percent or more) with passing grades. The decision to grant an incomplete is at the discretion of the instructor. If he or she agrees, a Contract for Incomplete Grade must be completed and submitted to the Registrar. The contract will specify what the student must complete and by when (no later than the conclusion of the next term - see deadline for grade submission below).

The faculty must submit a final grade to the Registrar’s Office by the last day of classes in the term following the term in which the incomplete grade (I) was received. If no grade is submitted by that date, the Registrar will automatically change the I grade to the alternate final grade designated by the instructor on the contract, or an “F,” if an alternate grade is not designated. Of course, all incompletes must be completed, or alternate grades assigned, prior to a student’s graduation.

This policy applies to all students enrolled at Springfield College, effective Fall 1999. It does not affect “I” grades given prior to this date.

If a student withdraws from the College or a graduate student’s candidacy period expires with a grade of ‘I’ on his or her record, the grade will be converted by the Registrar’s office to a ‘PI’ (permanent incomplete). This grade is permanent and cannot be changed in the future. Students who withdraw and subsequently apply for readmission to the College must re-register for, and complete, the course in order to earn credit for it.

During their sophomore, junior, and senior years, students may elect to take one course per term on a pass/fail basis. A maximum of 12 credit hours is permitted, excluding courses that are automatically graded on a pass/fail basis. Students wishing to take a course pass/fail must have the instructor’s approval. Pass/fail grading may not be used for the General Education curriculum or for certain courses as restricted by the major. Students wishing to take courses on a pass/fail basis must petition the Office of the Registrar at the time of course registration. Grades for approved pass/fail courses cannot be changed to conventional letter grades. Credit for pass/fail courses counts toward attempted hours for academic progress. A grade of “P” (pass), will not affect a student’s GPA; however, a grade of “F” (fail) will affect the GPA.

Instructors may not submit grade changes later than one calendar year following the semester or term in which a course was originally graded. This policy is not intended to supercede the academic grievance policy or the policy governing incompletes. Grades can be changed only if a grade was miscalculated or erroneously reported by the faculty member or if an incomplete needs to be changed. A form for grade changes is available in the Office of the Registrar. Only faculty may complete the form and submit it to the Registrar. Students will receive notification of the grade change from the Office of the Registrar via their Springfield College email account.

Undergraduate students wishing to take a graduate course (600 level) for credit that will apply to the undergraduate degree may do so with the permission of their major advisor, Department Chair, and the Dean of their school. In order to be eligible, a student must:

• Have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better
  
  -AND-
• have no more than 15 credit hours of undergraduate requirements to be met in order to complete the requirements for the Bachelor’s degree
  
  -OR-
• have no more than 15 credit hours of required undergraduate work remaining, in addition to full-time off-campus fieldwork, that will be done in the following semester.

The Petition for Approval to Take Graduate Courses for Credit While Still an Undergraduate must be approved by the Dean of the School prior to registering for the course. This excludes academic programs whose curricular design combines undergraduate and graduate requirements.

Students may repeat a course in which they have received an unsatisfactory grade. To do so, they register again for the course at SC or for an approved equivalent course at another institution. When a new grade from Springfield College or a “P” from another institution is submitted, the original grade is removed from the calculation of the cumulative GPA. If taken at Springfield College, the new grade, whether higher or lower than the original grade, is used in calculating both the current semester and cumulative GPA.

Attempted credit hours - include credits for courses graded “A” though “F”, “P”, accepted transfer credits.

Earned credit hours - include credits for courses graded “A” through “D-“, “P”, and accepted transfer credits.

Graded credit hours (used for calculation of GPAs) - include credits for courses graded “A” through “F”.

GPA is computed by dividing the total grade points earned by the total semester hours attempted. Academic and physical education activity courses are included in this computation.

For example:

Calculation: Total grade points divided by total semester hours equals GPA 30 divided by 12 equals 2.500 GPA