Course Grades
Course Credit and Grades
Any student who is regularly registered for a course and who satisfies the course requirements shall receive credit for that course. A student is regularly registered for a course only if that student has conformed to all university or college regulations or requirements when applying to register. Note that course credit by examination is not allowed as a means of accumulating credits to meet the requirements for advanced degrees.
Instructors are required to file grades with the Office of the Registrar for all credit-bearing courses taken by a student. Although instructors are free to set the standard of performance expected in their courses, the uniform scale below is published to encourage general agreement on the meaning of grades. Students are required to maintain in their course program at least a “B” (3.0) average, for which a grade point average will be computed using the chart below.
Instructors grade graduate courses based on the following letter and point system.
| Explanation | Final Grade | Grade Points |
|---|---|---|
| Distinction | A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 | |
| Good Quality | B+ | 3.3 |
| B | 3.0 | |
| B- | 2.7 | |
| Below Expected Standard | C+ | 2.3 |
| C | 2.0 | |
| C- | 1.7 | |
| Unsatisfactory Quality | D+ | 1.3 |
| D | 1.0 | |
| D- | 0.7 | |
| Failure | F | 0 |
| Satisfactory (Good Quality) | S | N/A |
| Unsatisfactory/(Failure) | U | N/A |
| Withdrawl | W | N/A |
| Non-Credit Registration | R | N/A |
Final grades of “S” (Satisfactory) or “U” (Unsatisfactory) are associated only with certain courses designated as such by the Executive Committee of The Graduate School. An “S” is a passing grade and is not computed into the student’s grade point average. A “U” is viewed as a failing grade and is grounds for academic dismissal. For more information, refer to the Termination of Status and Academic Dismissal section.
With permission of their major advisor, graduate students may convert any course, undergraduate or graduate, to a Pass/Fail basis. A course that has been converted to a Pass/Fail cannot be used to meet the requirements for a graduate degree or certificate and cannot be included on a student’s final Plan of Study. For graduate students converting a course to Pass/Fail, a passing grade is defined as a grade of C- or higher. Students who are selecting a course for the Pass/Fail option or want to convert a Pass/Fail back to a graded basis must do so by the eleventh week of the semester. For courses taught outside of the fall and spring semesters, these deadlines will be adjusted in a pro-rated fashion by the Registrar.
The grades “R,” “T,” and “W” on a transcript signify the following:
| Letter | Explanation |
|---|---|
| R | Administrative symbol signifying that a student is registered. Any zero-credit course (e.g., GRAD 5997, GRAD 5998, GRAD 5999, GRAD 6998, or GRAD 6999) for which a student registers appears on the permanent academic record with the letter “R” as the grade. |
| T | Course credit has been accepted in transfer from another institution. |
| W | Withdrawal from a course after either the 10th day of a semester course or the first week of a summer session course. Except in extraordinary cases where academic factors or extreme or unusual circumstances warrant it, this mark is not deleted from the permanent academic record. |
Note that an official transcript of an individual’s graduate academic career includes grade point average calculations based on all coursework completed during the student’s graduate career (including any 1000-level courses). Plus and minus values that are assigned to grades are entered on the permanent record and are computed into the student’s grade point average. However, neither credits completed elsewhere and accepted in transfer by The Graduate School nor S/U or P/F grades affect the student’s University of Connecticut grade point average in any way.
Temporary Grades
Temporary grades signify that credit has not been earned in that course and may subject the student to scholastic probation or dismissal. Temporary grades shall not prevent the calculation of either the semester or the cumulative grade point average.
An instructor may assign one of the following temporary grades for a course when student work is not completed within the semester.
| Temporary Grade | Conditions for Assigning a Temporary Grade |
|---|---|
| N No basis for grade | A student has completed few or no assessments and no make-up schedule has been agreed upon with the instructor; the instructor has no basis for a grade. |
| I Incomplete Grade | A student has not completed all of the assessments but work completed is of passing quality and a make-up schedule has been agreed upon with the instructor. |
| X Final assessment absence | A student did not submit a final assessment and might by means of a satisfactory performance on the assessment complete the course with a passing grade. If in the opinion of the instructor such a student would fail the course regardless of the result of the assessment, the student shall be given a grade of “F.” |
If all work required to change a mark of “I” or “X” is not submitted to the Office of the Registrar within 12 months following the end of the semester or session for which the mark was recorded, or within a shorter period of time specifically designated by the instructor, no credit is allowed for the course. For grades of “I,” it is the student’s responsibility to reach and to maintain an understanding with the instructor concerning the timely completion of the work. For grades of “X,” it is the student’s responsibility to seek the required permission to submit the final assessment (e.g., take the final examination) from the instructor as soon as possible.
Upon the recommendation of the instructor to The Graduate School, a limited extension of an incomplete may be granted. The Graduate School is not obligated to approve an extension if the instructor of the course is no longer at the University of Connecticut. If more than three courses have been left incomplete, the student may be required to complete those still viable before being allowed to register for additional coursework. Failure to make satisfactory academic progress may be grounds for the student’s termination or dismissal. An employment authorization for a graduate assistantship appointment may not be approved for a student who has four or more viable incomplete courses on their academic record.
For further information, the reader is referred to the document “Key to the Transcript,” available from the Office of the Registrar.
Changes of Course Grades
Grades are part of the student's permanent record. They should never be changed for reasons unrelated to course requirements or quality of work. Once the grade in the course has been submitted, an instructor may neither accept additional work nor give additional examinations.
Instructors should recalculate and, if warranted, change grades only for the following reasons: a computational error, clerical error, or the discovery of overlooked components in a student's body of work. In cases when the instructor concludes that a course grade ought to be changed, the instructor determines a corrected grade and initiates the grade change process. The head of the department or program offering the course and the dean of the school or college in which the course was taught will be notified of a grade change to ensure consistency.
Appeals of Assigned Course Grades
The Graduate School follows the grade appeal process adopted by the University Senate. Under that process, if a student believes that an assigned course grade is in error, the student has 10 working days from the posting of the grade or the last day grades are to be posted, whichever is later, to ask the instructor to review the grade. Allowable reasons for a grade change request comprise computational errors, clerical errors, and the discovery of overlooked components in a student’s body of work.
If the instructor does not respond to the student within five working days (or sooner if extenuating circumstances merit a more expedited review), the student should contact the department head in which the course is offered.
If the instructor agrees that a grade change is justified, the instructor will initiate the grade change using procedures described by the Registrar.
If the instructor notifies the student that the original grade is correct, the student has 10 working days to appeal the decision to the head of the department in which the course is offered. The department head will seek input from the instructor and the student to determine the merits of the grade appeal and provide a decision within 10 working days from date of the appeal.
If, after this review, the instructor and the department head agree that a grade change is justified, the instructor will initiate the grade change according to the procedures described by the registrar.
If the instructor and the department agree that a grade change is not justified, the department head shall notify the student in writing with a copy to the instructor. If the student is dissatisfied with the appeal decision, the student has 10 working days to request, through the dean of the school or college in which the course is taught, a review by that school/college’s Faculty Grade Change Review Committee.
If the department head thinks that a grade change is justified but the instructor does not agree, the department head shall request, within 10 working days, through the dean of the school or college in which the course is taught, a review by that school/college’s Faculty Grade Change Review Committee (FGCRC).
If, due to exigency, a grade appeal must be resolved and the standing FGCRC is not available, the dean or the dean’s designee of the school or college will convene an ad hoc FGCRC of three full-time faculty members to hear the appeal.
The FGCRC should perform an administrative review to determine if there are sufficient grounds to proceed with an appeal hearing. If so, the FGCRC shall schedule a hearing within 10 working days of notification of a case. Both the student appealing the grade and the course instructor must be present, either in person or via electronic communication, at the hearing. The student will speak first and state the grounds for the grade appeal, followed by the instructor’s response. Both parties must present supporting evidence related to the grade appeal and may request testimony of others. The FGCRC may request input from the department head.
If the FGCRC agrees (by a majority vote) that a grade change is warranted, the FGCRC chair will send a grade change notification to the registrar. If, however, the FGCRC does not agree that a grade change is warranted, the instructor’s grade stands. The FGCRC’s decision shall be considered final. The FGCRC will send a written report of the decision to the instructor, the student, the department head, and the dean of the school or college offering the course within 10 days of the decision.