3.9 Grading
Related Minnesota State Board Policy: None
Related Minnesota State Board Procedure: None
Purpose: To establish a standard course grading system for the college.
Part 1: Grading System
Subpart A: The following course grade options are available for faculty:
- A, B, C and D: Grade point values of 4 through 1, respectively.
- F: Failed, completed course, grade point value 0. Counts as credits attempted/not completed.
- NA: Never attended. This grade is assigned as a result of faculty last date of attendance reporting. Excluded from GPA. Counts as credits attempted/not completed.
- NW: Never officially withdrew. This grade is assigned to a student who did not officially withdraw from the course but stopped attending a face to face class or participating in an online class prior the withdrawal deadline. Assigned as a result of faculty last date of attendance reporting.
- I: Temporary grade assigned by instructor in unusual circumstances in which the student cannot complete the course by the end of the academic term, grade point value 0. Reverts to an F in the subsequent semester if course requirements have not been completed. Excluded from GPA. Counts as credits attempted/not completed.
- P: Pass for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), music proficiency, and courses below 1000 only, Counts as credits attempted/completed. Excluded from GPA.
- NC: No Credit for CPL, music proficiency and courses below 1000 only, excluded from GPA. Counts as credits attempted/not completed.
- AU: Audit, no credit, excluded from GPA.
- W: Withdrawal, must be completed before 80% of the course has finished, excluded from GPA. Counts as credits attempted/not completed.
- Z: Class in progress or no grade recorded, excluded from GPA. Counts as credits attempted/not completed.
Subpart B: The college does not use plus or minus grading (i.e. grade shading).
Subpart C: Courses for which students earn grades of F, NA, NW, I, NC, W and Z are considered attempted but not completed and therefore have a negative impact on the student’s completion rate when assessing Satisfactory Academic Progress (see policy 3.3, Academic and Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress).
Part 2: Administration of Grades
Subpart A: Grading is the responsibility of the assigned instructor, who defines and explains course grading policy in the official course syllabus.
Subpart B: The registrar is responsible for recording grades on student records as they are submitted by instructors.
Subpart C: A student has the right to appeal the assignment of a grade if they believe there was an error in the calculation or if there was a departure from the method of grade calculation described in the syllabus.
Part 3: Grade Point Average
Subpart A: Definition. The grade point average (GPA) is the system of recording academic achievement based on an average, calculated as the total number of grade points received over a given period divided by the total number of credits attempted. A GPA is a number that ranges from 0.00 to 4.00.
Subpart B: Students may repeat courses in order to improve their GPA. The highest course grade is used in GPA calculation. Repeated grades remain on record. Students need approval of the academic dean for courses repeated three or more times. Students enrolled through the PSEO program cannot repeat courses in which a passing grade has already been earned.
Subpart C: The GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned (course grade values multiplied by number of course credits) by the total number of GPA credits attempted.
Subpart D: Courses that have been granted Academic Renewal will not count as credits attempted or earned, and will not calculate in the student’s grade point average for terms of enrollment and graduation. Such courses will still count in the assessment of financial aid eligibility through the Satisfactory Academic Progress process.
Policy History:
Date of Adoption: December 28, 2011
Department Owner: Records & Retention
Date and Subject of Revisions:
04/23/2018: Reviewed no changes recommended.
12/13/2018:
Revised Part 3 Subpart A to include PSEO repeat policy
Added Subpart C to Part 3
Changed MnSCU nomenclature to Minnesota State
8/27/2019: Revised Part 1, Subpart A.3 to reflect the FN is excluded from GPA calculation
4/14/2020:
Revised Part 1, Subpart A.3 to change grade of FN to NA, and updated definition.
Revised Part 1, Subpart A.4 to change grade of FW to NW, and updated definition.
Added “grade shading” to further define plus/minus grades in Part 1, Subpart B.
Part 1, Subpart C: Changed FN and FW to NA and NW.
5/12/2020: Part 1, Subparts A.3 and A.4: Updated grade definitions to align with Procedures 3.9.1 definitions.
Next Review Date: 5/12/2023