Grades

Grading system

Midterm and final letter grades and their equivalents in quality points are:

Grades mean: A, Excellent; B, Good ; C, A verage ; D, Poor, but passing; F, Failure

Other report abbreviations and their meanings are:

I, Incomplete; PNC, Proficiency; S, Satisfactory; U, Unsatisfactory; W, Withdrawn; WF, Withdrawn failing = 0.00; X, Registered, but unevaluated (mid-term grade only); Au, Audit; NR, Not reported; CIP, Course in Progress.

1. An Incomplete (I) may be given when the student, for reasons beyond his or her control, is unable to complete the work of a course. It may also be given at the end of the first semester in two-semester courses (honors projects, independent study projects, and internships) if the course is unevaluated at the end of the first semester. In all cases neither the grade nor the hours of incomplete are counted in the computation of the semester or cumulative grade point averages.

   An incomplete must be removed prior to the due date of midsemester grades for the semester following receipt of the incomplete unless the course instructor notifies the Records Office this requirement should be waived. Otherwise, the grade of incomplete automatically becomes a grade of F. (Students will not be notified in advance of this automatic grade change.) Incompletes may be extended, by request of the instructor, to the end of the semester following the semester in which the incomplete was first granted. Further extensions would be determined by petition to the Academic Standards Committee.

2. Failure (F) is given for failure to meet the standards of the course; or failure to complete the work of the course. A student who fails to take the final examination in a course will receive F, unless excused by the Academic Standards Committee.

   If a substantiated case of academic dishonesty results in a failing grade in the course, a student who chooses to withdraw from the course will receive a grade of F.

   Any course for which the grade of F is received may be repeated only under the regular letter grading system.

3. Withdrawn (W) is an unevaluated grade given for withdrawal:
   1. For medical or other extenuating circumstances at any time during the semester at the discretion of the Registrar.
   2. At the option of the student until the end of the 9th week of the semester after consultation with the instructor of the course, and the student’s academic advisor.
4. Withdrawn- failing (WF) is a mandatory grade for students who withdraw from a course after the 9th week of the semester and not falling within the conditions of 3(a) above. The WF grade will be counted on the same basis as an F in calculating a student’s grade point average.
5. Some departmental courses are only graded S/U. Satisfactory means the equivalent of at least C- work, whereas work rated below C- would be graded as Unsatisfactory .

   Courses graded S/U will not be included in the computation of the student’s cumulative grade point average. Only courses with Satisfactory grades will be awarded credit. Any course in which a grade of U is received may be repeated only under the regular letter grading system.

6. Registered but unevaluated at midsemester (X), is given when the course instructor cannot fairly evaluate a student’s performance for a midsemester grade report.
7. Any student may elect to audit (AU) a course, that is, to take it for non-credit. When choosing to audit a course, the student is not required to take examinations or meet any of its academic obligations, and no grade is awarded. The student may choose this option until the end of the drop period at the beginning of the semester (second week of class). After this time, the decision is irreversible.
8. Repeating courses: students are allowed to retake a course at Marietta College at any time.
   1. Any course in which a grade of U or F is received may be repeated only under the regular letter grading system.
   2. Credit for the course will be given only once, and is determined by the most recent grade in each course (if a student retakes a course and receives an F, they lose credit for the course).
   3. The official transcript will show the student’s complete record, but the grade point average will be computed on the basis of the most recent grade in each course. This policy of the College will be noted when a transcript is sent out.
   4. Courses repeated at other institutions do not affect the student’s grade point averages, i.e., cumulative, major, minor, or certificate GPAs.

Policy Regarding Grades in the Event of Complete Withdrawal

1. The grade of “W” will be recorded for each course for which a student was registered if the student withdraws from the College starting the first day of the semester but before the end of the ninth week of the semester.
2. The grade of “WF” will be recorded for each course for which a student was registered if the student withdraws from the College after the ninth week of a semester. Under certain circumstances, such as family catastrophe or substantiated medical problems, grades of “W” may be recorded after the ninth week at the discretion of the Registrar.
3. If a substantiated case of academic dishonesty results in a failing grade in the course, a student who withdraws from the College will receive a grade of F for the course.

Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory Grade Option

Students with junior or senior standing and a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 may elect to take one course per semester in which the evaluation is made on a satisfactory-unsatisfactory basis, instead of the usual letter grades. The following conditions apply to this option.

1. Courses taken to fulfill requirements for a major, minor or certificate and the general education requirements for graduation are excluded from this option;
2. The student exercising this option will do so with the permission of his or her advisor at the time of registration. In accord with the current practice for changing courses, the student will not be allowed to convert to the regular grading system or to convert a course from the regular grading system after the second week of the semester;
3. The instructor will be apprised of the students taking the course under the option, with the understanding that the student will satisfy the same requirements for entrance into and completion of the course expected of students enrolled under the regular grading system;
4. When an instructor is permanently replaced after the first week of the semester, students are allowed the option (which must be exercised within one week) of changing their choice of receiving a grade in the course to one of receiving an S or U. The student is also given the opportunity to withdraw from the course whether or not the nine-week drop period has passed;
5. Any student may elect to take any Lifetime Activity Course in physical education on an S/U basis. Such election need not satisfy the above conditions and does not preclude the election of an additional S/U course under the above conditions;
6. Any use of the S/U option other than specified above may be authorized by the Curriculum Committee with the concurrence of the appropriate department chairperson.

Additionally, the Curriculum Committee grant the following approvals:

1. A department may elect to offer a course only on an S/U basis; enrollment by a student in such a course does not deprive that student of the opportunity to use the S/U option for another course during that same semester;
2. A department may elect to exclude any course from the S/U option.