Grading System

The University awards the following grades and assigns quality points on a 4-point per credit scale:

Midterm Grade Policy

Midterm grades are required for all undergraduate students in full-semester courses both fall and spring semesters; with the exception of internships, independent studies, clinicals, and student teaching.

Midterm grades are required for labs and directed study and directed research courses.

Incomplete Grade Policy

In exceptional cases, a student may be granted an incomplete grade ("X") for a course. Incomplete grades are intended for students who, based on extenuating circumstances, need additional time to complete tests or assignments. To be eligible, the student must have completed at least 50% of the required coursework. Attending the class in the following semester without registering is not an option for completing an incomplete.

The student must submit an online “Incomplete Grade Request Form” by the last day of the final exam period of the semester in which the student is enrolled in the course. The request must include specific details concerning the reason for the request. Before the request is approved, the student must discuss with the instructor the expectations and conditions governing completion of the coursework. Upon the approval of the instructor, the request, outlining these conditions, is automatically forwarded to the Registrar's Office who will issue the X grade. Instructors cannot assign “X” grades through My.LaRoche.

Students granted an incomplete grade for a course may take up to six (6) weeks from the beginning of the following academic semester, including summer semester, to complete the outstanding coursework. The instructor may set an earlier, but not later deadline date. Incomplete grade deadline dates for each semester are published in the online Academic Calendar.

If an incomplete grade is issued for a spring semester course, the student will assume sole responsibility for maintaining contact with the faculty member, who may not be resident over the summer.

In the event that the student does not complete the necessary work within the six (6) week period, the “X” grade will be changed by the instructor to the grade earned given zero points for all missing tests or assignments. “X” grades not changed within 72 hours of the incomplete grade deadline will be converted to an “F” grade by the Registrar’s Office. A request for extension beyond six (6) weeks may submitted in writing to the Registrar, and will be granted only by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and only under the most compelling circumstances.

High Pass, Pass, Fail

Undergraduate students may choose to complete a course that is traditionally letter graded, with the High Pass/Pass/Fail grading scale instead. Courses being used to fulfill major, minor, and University Academic Core requirements are not available for High Pass/Pass/Fail grading, except for internship courses. Individual departments will determine whether internship courses will be graded on a High Pass/Pass/Fail basis. If a student chooses to convert the course to the High Pass/Pass/Fail option, the student must understand that the credits will be counted solely for general elective credits towards graduation.

The deadline to request conversion to the High Pass/Pass/Fail grading option coincides with the course withdrawal deadline of the specific course. The decision to change the grading scale is irrevocable. Since no quality points are assigned for a high pass/pass grade, the grade is not used in the calculation of the GPA; quality points will be assigned to a fail grade and used in the GPA calculation.

Undergraduate courses use the High Pass/Pass/Fail grading scale, where a High Pass (P+) grade is equivalent to a C or better, Pass (P) is C- to D- and a Fail is an F grade. General Elective credits are credits that are applied towards the minimum total of credits needed for graduation, but do not fulfill any specific course requirements.

Application for the High Pass/Pass/Fail option may be obtained from and submitted to the Registrar's Office. The deadline to request conversion to the High Pass/Pass/Fail grading option coincides with the course withdrawal deadline of the specific course. The decision to change the grading scale is irrevocable.

Audit

Students may audit courses. An audit signifies that the student will not be asked to meet the course requirements such as written assignments or examinations, but that he or she has the privilege of class attendance and participation. Formal application for this grading option must be made at the time of registration or no later than the end of the add/drop period. The tuition for an audited course is identical to the tuition for degree status. No credits toward graduation can be earned for audited courses, and no grade. One may not change from an audit to a regular credit basis once the add/drop period has ended.

Repeated Course

A course may not be repeated more than twice without the approval of the student’s academic advisor and department chair. When a course is repeated, the grades received in both the original course and the subsequent course will remain on the student’s academic record. The higher of the two grades earned is included in the computation of the cumulative grade point average (GPA).

The repeated course must be the same in which the original grade was earned. In extenuating circumstances where a course is no longer offered, another course of similar content, verified by the chair of the department offering the course, may be approved as the replacement. If a course number or title changes, with no change in content, the new number and title will be accepted as the replacement.

Courses may not be repeated at any other institution and have that grade accepted as a replacement for the original grade earned at La Roche.