Grading and Academic Progress

Grading Scale

Grading Symbols

Withdraw Passing [WP]

The grade WP is recorded when a student has withdrawn from a course or the university after the no academic penalty withdrawal deadline with appropriate authorization while passing the course. A “WP” does not affect the GPA.

Withdraw Failing [WF]

The grade of WF is recorded when a student has withdrawn from a course or the university after the no academic penalty withdrawal deadline with appropriate authorization while failing the course. A “WF” grade affects the GPA in the same manner that an “F” does.

Withdraw [W]

The grade of W is recorded when a student has withdrawn from a course or the university after the Add/Drop period but before the no academic penalty withdrawal deadline when no academic data is available for evaluations. A "W" grade does not affect the GPA.

Passing [P]

The grade of P is recorded when a student has completed a course taught on a Pass/Fail basis with a grade equivalent to a C- or higher for undergraduate courses and a B- or higher for graduate level courses. A grade of “P” in a Pass/Fail course does not affect the GPA. A grade of “F” in a Pass/Fail course affects the GPA in the same manner that a regular “F” does.

No Credit [NC]

The grade of NC is recorded when a student has completed a course/project that supplements other courses by generating research data or background information.  The "NC" grade does not affect the GPA.

No Grade [NG]

The grade of NG is recorded when a student has made significant progress in his/her doctoral dissertation/project but has failed to meet the goals for that stage due to circumstances beyond his/her control.  The "NG" grade does not affect the GPA.

Incomplete [I]

The temporary grade of I is assigned at the discretion of the faculty member when a student has maintained a successful record appropriate for his/her program but has failed to complete all work in the course due to circumstances beyond the student’s control. The faculty member may grant the student up to six weeks from the original end date of the course to complete the outstanding work. If an “Incomplete” grade is not removed by the deadline, it will be updated to an “F” on the student’s record. Financial aid may be affected until the “I” is changed to a permanent grade.

Audit [Au]

The grade of AU is recorded when a student has been accepted, registered for the course, met the attendance requirements, but has chosen not to meet all the academic requirements for the course.  An "Audit" may be upgraded to credit, with approval, within one semester following the course by completing the remaining academic requirements and paying the balance of tuition. Credit status may be changed to "Audit" by the last date for "W."

Credit Hours

Credit hours are the number of hours a course is allocated. The majority of courses have three credit hours, while lab courses, research courses, and other select courses may have one, two, four, or more credit hours. All credit hours attempted, whether passed or failed, and earned credit hours are recorded on the student’s transcript.

Quality Points

Academic credit is awarded using the 4.0 quality point system. Quality points, also known as grade points, are determined by multiplying the number of points assigned to each grade by the number of credit hours associated with that course. Refer to the table below.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The grade point average is determined by adding all accumulated quality points together, and then dividing by the total number of GPA hours the student has attempted, excluding those for which the student received a grade of AU, I, NC, NG, W, WIP, WF, or WP, and any courses whose grade has been replaced by a repeat. Transfer credits are not used in the calculation of the GPA. 

Dean’s List

Names of full-time undergraduate students are placed on the dean’s list when their semester grade point averages are 3.3 or higher.

Grade Replacement

Undergraduate students may repeat a course for which a grade of D, F, or WF has been recorded. Graduate students may repeat a course for which a grade of C, D, F, or WF has been recorded. The lower grade will remain on the transcript, but it will not be used in the calculation of the student’s GPA. A student is allowed only one attempt to replace a C or D in a course, but multiple attempts to replace an F or WF. With the exception of the original grade, all subsequent grades will be computed in the GPA. Financial aid will only cover a single repeat of a course. Students who do not attain a C or better after two attempts in core major courses within their program must receive approval from their advisor and the Registrar before being allowed to continue in their program of study.

* An asterisk on the transcript indicates the course has been repeated and does not affect the student's GPA.

^ The caret sign on the transcript indicates the repeated course does affect the student's GPA.

Classification of Students

• Freshmen: Those who have earned up to and including 30 credit hours.
• Sophomores: Those who have earned 31 to 60 credit hours.
• Juniors: Those who have earned 61 or more credit hours.
• Seniors: Those who have 95+ credit hours or who are planning to graduate during the academic year in progress. Seniors will receive a letter from the faculty inviting them to enter the senior class.
• Auditors: Those who do not earn academic credit but receive a transcript.
• Full-time Students: Undergraduate students who are taking 12 or more credit hours; graduate students who are taking 9 or more credit hours.
• Part-time Students: Undergraduate students who are taking 11 or fewer credit hours; graduate students who are taking 8 or fewer credit hours.
• Enrichment Students: Those who attend for personal growth and do not receive a transcript.

Academic Standing

All students will be reviewed for academic standing at the end of the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

A student fails to meet good academic standing if they do not meet the designated cumulative GPA (qualitative standard) and completion rate (quantitative standard) requirements outlined in the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. A student who does not meet good academic standing will be notified by the Registrar.

Academic Warning

Any student who does not meet either the cumulative GPA or completion rate requirements for their degree and/or classification at the end of any semester will automatically be placed on Academic Warning.

Academic Suspension

After an initial warning semester, any student whose cumulative GPA or completion rate does not meet the requirements for their degree and/or classification is placed on academic suspension.

The suspension will last for a period of one semester, and the student must reapply for admittance and must meet any standards mandated by the Admissions Department at that time. Students re-entering from Academic Suspension will be readmitted on Academic Warning, will be guided by an approved academic plan, and will not qualify for Federal Financial Aid or institutional scholarships until they meet appropriate cumulative GPA and rate of completion requirements.

Academic Suspension Appeal

A student is eligible to appeal their academic suspension status if their term GPA from the initial warning semester does meet the requirements for their degree and/or classification. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the Registrar’s office within seven days of the notification of suspension and must include the following statements:

• A statement outlining the extraordinary circumstances which resulted in failure to meet satisfactory academic progress in the term that resulted in academic warning (for example: a medical condition or other extenuating circumstance interfered with studies). 
• A statement outlining the actions or resources used that helped improve performance in the initial warning term.
• A statement outlining a plan of action for continued performance improvement. 

The Satisfactory Academic Progress committee, which includes the Registrar, the Financial Aid Director, and a representative of the Ashburn Center for Student Success, will review the appeal. If the appeal is approved by the Satisfactory Academic Progress committee, then the student will remain in academic warning status for an additional semester. A separate appeal must be filed for financial aid eligibility.

Readmission

A student on Academic Suspension is eligible to apply for readmission after one semester following suspension. Readmission is not automatic. If readmission is granted, a student will re-enroll on academic warning, will sign an academic plan determined by the Ashburn Center for Student Success, and will have two semesters to reach the appropriate minimum cumulative grade point average for restoration of good standing.

Ashburn Center for Student Success 

The services of the Student Success Center are provided for students in need of help with basic study skills, reading, writing, and mathematics. The Ashburn Center for Student Success offers study skills, test-taking strategies, motivational skills, improved reading skills and comprehension, time and stress management, computer-assisted instruction, one-on-one tutoring, and learning style discovery and assistance.

Grade Appeals Policy and Procedure

Assessment and grading are conducted by faculty according to university guidelines and course-specific rules published in the course syllabus. The grade awarded by a faculty member in a course represents their academic judgment about a student's academic performance in that course. As such, grades are reviewed only in limited circumstances including:

• occurrence of calculation errors or mistakes;
• use of impermissible considerations in grading;
• breach of grading rules published in the syllabus;
• breach of department, school, or university rules or standards;
• arbitrariness and/or manifest bias.

A student may file an appeal if they believe any of the above circumstances have occurred. The student is responsible for providing proof that the grade awarded is erroneous. Grade penalties awarded based academic integrity violations are not subject to grade appeals under this policy.

The following process must be followed in case of an academic appeal.

1. The student should communicate with the faculty member no later than 5 days after the grade or status has been awarded and seek to resolve any questions or concerns.

2. If the student is dissatisfied with the explanation provided by the faculty member, or the faculty member is unresponsive or no longer employed at the university, the student may request an appeal. In such circumstances, the student must complete and submit the Appeal Form available online within 7 days of the grade or status being awarded.

3. The student must submit supporting evidence including the grading policy in the syllabus, copy of the exam/assignment, and any other rules or standards alleged to have been breached by the faculty member.

4. The student must provide a written statement by email to the Registrar’s Office containing the following:

• reasons for the appeal with supporting evidence;
• why the student believes rules and standards were violated by the faculty member;
• a description of the response of the faculty member to the communication initiated by the student about the grade being appealed;
• any other facts and evidence relevant to the appeal.

Unsupported allegations and claims without evidence will not constitute a sufficient basis for an appeal and may be dismissed. Late submissions will also be dismissed unless there are compelling circumstances that warrant the condoning of delays.

5. Upon the filing of an appeal, the Registrar will conduct an initial review of the form to determine that it has been properly submitted and that supporting evidence has been provided.

6. If the Registrar determines that the grade appeal form was not submitted in a timely manner or that the appeal does not establish a legitimate case, the Registrar may dismiss the appeal. In such circumstances, the Registrar shall communicate this decision to the student no later than 7 days after the receipt of the form.

7. If the appeal form and evidence have been submitted correctly, in the first instance, the Registrar shall present all the materials to the faculty member and seek a response no later than 15 days after receipt of the materials. If the faculty member assesses the appeal grounds submitted and wishes to make a change to the grade, the Registrar shall make the correction and communicate the decision to the student.

8. If the faculty member does not agree to make any change, the Registrar shall request the Provost or delegate to constitute an appeal committee to consider the appeal. The appeal committee shall have at least three members, only one of whom is a faculty member in the same discipline as the course in which the grade is being appealed. The other members may be faculty members from other disciplines. The chair shall be a faculty member from a discipline other than the one in which the grade is being appealed. The committee shall make decisions by majority vote.

9. The appeal committee shall review the grade appeal form and the supporting evidence no later than 30 days after it has been constituted and issue a decision. The committee may decide to conduct an oral hearing with the student and the faculty member present or issue a decision based on the evidence alone. The student and faculty member may each bring a support person to the hearing. However, the support person is not allowed to speak or present any submission at the hearing. The committee’s review is restricted to the grounds specified above and extraneous factors shall not form part of the deliberations.

After assessing the appeal, the committee may reject the appeal or accept the appeal. In the latter case, the committee may:

• decide to change the grade;
• request the faculty member to re-evaluate the student’s grade based on specific criteria;
• request a re-evaluation of the final grade by a different faculty member.

10. The appeal committee shall communicate its recommendation rejecting the appeal or accepting the appeal with a grade change to the Provost and the Registrar. The Provost may accept the recommendation or modify it for justifiable reasons, which shall be communicated in writing.

11. After the Provost has made a decision about the grade to be awarded, the Registrar shall communicate that decision to the student no later than 15 days after the receipt of the report from the appeal committee. The decision of the Provost is final and binding.

CU Academic Appeal Form