Grading Policy

Judson's Grading System

Grade	Interpretation	Grade Point
A	Excellent	4.00
A-		3.67
B+		3.33
B	Good	3.00
B-		2.67
C+		2.33
C	Satisfactory	2.00
C-		1.67
D+		1.33
D	Low Passing	1.00
D-		0.67
F	Failure	0.00
W	Withdrawal*
WP	Withdrawal Passing*
WF	Withdrawal Failing	0.00
I	Incomplete*
P	Pass*
AU	Audit*
AUR	Audit - RISE Program*
NC	No Credit*
NR	Grade Not Received*
IP	Class In Progress*
AWF	Administrative Withdrawal, Failing	0.00
CEU	Continuing Education Units*

*Not calculated in the grade point average.

Transcript Columns Interpretation

Earn – total semester hours earned that apply toward graduation requirements.

Pass – total hours passed including hours that apply toward graduation requirements along with courses passed that are not applicable to degree requirements.

Quality – total Judson hours passed and/or attempted that receive grade points (includes F, WF, and AWF).

Points – total number of grade points earned by all quality hours.

Grade Point Average (GPA) – a measure of a student's performance. The quality of a student's semester coursework is indicated by a session GPA. The quality of work through one or more semesters is indicated by a cumulative GPA which includes all Judson courses. A summary GPA includes all transfer work as well as Judson work.

Term – current Judson University term
Cum – cumulative Judson University sessions

A semester GPA is calculated by:

1. Multiplying the number of grade points equivalent to the letter grade by the number of semester hours for that course.
2. Adding the semester hours of all courses with grades from A through F, WF and AWF.
3. Adding the grade points received in all courses during the semester.
4. Dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of semester hours.

Refer to the example below to calculate the semester GPA. ESS 101 is excluded because the grade is W and BST 221 is excluded because the grade is P. Divide the 37 grade points by 15 semester hours for a semester GPA of 2.46.The cumulative GPA is determined by the same process using all A through F, WF, and AWF grades received in all courses taken at Judson University. In the example, MAT 081 is excluded because the course is below 100 level. After excluding MAT 081, 12 semester hours and 28 grade points remain. To calculate the cumulative GPA, divide the 28 grade points by 12 semester hours for a cumulative GPA of 2.33.

Example:

Course	Grade	Grade Points	X	Semester Hours		Grade Point
ENG101	AWF	0.00	X	3	=	0
PSY111	A	4.00	X	3	=	12
MAT081	B	3.00	X	3	=	9
BIO171	B	3.00	X	4	=	12
ESS101	W	NA	X		=	NA
LMM300	C	2.00	X	2	=	4
BST221	P	NA	X	*	=	NA

 *A grade of "P" in a course at the 100 level and above would be included in a credit hour count of completed courses but not in GPA calculations.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat a course in which they received a grade lower than C. The attempt with the highest grade will be used to compute the cumulative GPA and apply to semester hours earned for graduation. The course with the lower grade will no longer calculate in the cumulative GPA, but will not be removed from the student's record.

Mid-Semester Grades

Faculty are required to submit mid-semester grades for all students.

Pass/No Credit Option (P/NC)

To encourage students to diversify their enrollments, the University has established a pass/no credit electiveoption which can be exercised according to the following guidelines:

1. To receive a "P" grade, students must have performed at "C" (2.00) level or above.
2. Students may exercise this option for a limited number of elective credits applied toward the bachelor's degree, according to their classification at entrance to Judson:
Freshman - 12 credits
Sophomore - 9 credits
Junior - 6 credits
Senior - 6 credits
3. No more than one P/NC course may be taken per term.
4. This option cannot be used for required courses in the major or minor (except those taught only P/NC).
5. This option cannot be used for general education requirements.
6. For students transferring to Judson, "Pass" credits will not be accepted for major, minor or general education requirements. It is not applicable to CLEP and AP exam scores.
7. The Pass/No Credit approval form must be on file in the Registrar's Office by the end of the first week of classes of the semester the student wishes to exercise the P/NC option.

Grade of Incomplete

Incomplete grades are to be issued only for extenuating circumstances. Below are the guidelines for instructors to use if considering an Incomplete for a student:

Approved Incomplete must meet three criteria:

1. The student must have completed at least 70-75% of the course work.

2. There must be an unusual problem that kept the student from completing the course.

3. The student may not be a graduating senior.

Valid Reasons:

• Long-term health problems (or hospitalization), as verified with specific written explanation by the student’s attending physician.
• Family or personal emergency (death of immediate family member or emotional trauma), as verified by the Vice President for Student Development.
• Extreme circumstances that are beyond the planning and control of the student. (Examples: Field placement was canceled; internship ended after last day of term, research data did not arrive on time.)

Invalid Reasons:

• Student did not make good use of time and needs more time to complete the coursework.
• Student had a heavy work schedule that prevented completion of the coursework.
• Student did not contact the instructor(in the case of an online course, independent or individualized study, directed research or readings course).

Instructors need to advise their students accordingly. All Incompletes must be requested before the end of the course, with enough time left for the students to actually complete the coursework if the instructor rejects their requests. If students wait until the end of the course to voice their requests, they run the risk of the instructor rejecting the request and it is then too late for them to finish their work. The instructor would then be forced to issue an F (or whatever grade the student had earned at that point). In the case of last-minute situations, please contact the Provost as soon as possible.

On the Incomplete Request Form, the instructor must specify the exact date the incomplete work is due to the instructor and the date the grade will be submitted to the registrar’s office. The maximum allowable time in which to finish an Incomplete is by the end of the sixth week after the course’s original end date.

The day after the designated due date, the registrar’s office will issue a grade of F if a grade has not been submitted. The registrar’s office will, at any time, issue a list of pending Incompletes to any instructors who request it, but will not notify instructors of impending F grade changes. It is the instructor’s responsibility to keep track of his/her Incomplete due dates and to notify the registrar’s office of the assigned grade when the work is completed, by filling out a Change of Grade Request.

Grade Grievance

Any student has the right to appeal a questioned grade to the course instructor in writing, if the student believes the instructor has miscalculated the grade, or has not given reasonable and timely assessment of the student's course assignments. The appeal process must conclude within six weeks of the start of the appeal. Grade changes submitted after the six-week deadline will not be processed.

A procedure has been established for resolving those occasions when a student actively disagrees with the grade received in a course.

• No later than two weeks after the student's receipt of the grade report listing the questioned grade, the student must confer with the instructor. If a grade inaccuracy is determined, the instructor will process a grade-change request. Grade changes must be submitted within four weeks of the start of the appeal.
• If agreement cannot be reached, the student may appeal to the department/division chair in writing. If the chair can mediate an agreement between the student and instructor, a grade-change request may be processed. If no agreement can be reached, or if the instructor is also the chair, the next step is applicable.
• The student may appeal the decision to the Associate Provost of Academic Curriculum in writing. The Associate Provost of Academic Curriculum shall investigate and render a decision. A decision by the Associate Provost of Academic Curriculum either to change the grade or leave it as it is, will be considered final.

Academic Honors

SEMESTER HONORS

Dean's List
Students achieving a 3.55 or higher semester GPA based on 12 or more hours attempted are recognized after the end of each semester. If the hours attempted do not total 12 but at least 12 hours were earned (due to pass-fail credits), the student is eligible for the Dean's List if he/she was on the Dean's List the previous semester. Students with grades of I or NR are not considered for the Dean's List until their final grades are received. Unclassified students are not eligible for the Dean's List.

GRADUATION HONORS*

Baccalaureate Degree: Academic honors for Bachelor’s degree graduates are based upon the student’s summary grade point average and the earning of sixty or more graded hours at Judson (conditional upon the receipt of final grades) as listed below:
Cum Laude: A summary grade point average of 3.50-3.69 both at Judson and in all transferred degree work merits graduation cum laude and is denoted by one gold cord.
Magna Cum Laude: A summary grade point average of 3.70-3.84 both at Judson and in all transferred degree work merits graduation magna cum laude and is denoted by two gold cords.
Summa Cum Laude: A summary grade point average of 3.85-4.00 both at Judson and in all transferred degree work merits graduation summa cum laude and is denoted by three gold cords.

Associate Degree: To earn honors designation at graduation, an associate graduate must complete all sixty hours of their associate degree requirements at Judson and meet the degree grade point average (conditional upon the receipt of final grades) as listed below:
Honors: A degree grade point average of 3.50-3.69 at Judson merits graduation with honors and is denoted by one white cord.
High Honors: A degree grade point average of 3.70-3.84 at Judson merits graduation with high honors and is denoted by one navy blue and white cord.
Highest Honors: A degree grade point average of 3.85-4.00 at Judson merits graduation with highest honors and is denoted by one navy blue, gold and white cord

*Students who transfer to Judson must maintain the minimum summary grade average both in work at Judson and in all previous University work. Students must complete a minimum of 60 earned graded hours at Judson. All traditional student honors for commencement are based on GPA’s for the previous semesters, as the current semester grades will not be available until after commencement.

Honor Societies

Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society

Honors adult undergraduate students who are in the top ten percent of their class, having a minimum grade point average of 3.2 in at least 30 graded credit hours.