Grades and Grading

Grade Changes

Normally, the instructor is the final authority for all grades. Grades are changed only in the event of error, and changes require authorization by the faculty member and approval by the dean of the appropriate school. All grade changes must be submitted within one month from the end of the semester in which the grade is assigned. If a student is assigned an incomplete, the grade change policy is effective one month from the date the incomplete is resolved. See the Incomplete (I) Grades policy in this catalog for deadlines related to assigning and resolving incomplete grades.

A student may not raise a final grade by doing additional assignments after the course has concluded or by revising previously submitted assignments. Any grade conflict that cannot be resolved between the faculty member and the student shall be referred to the department head. If the conflict cannot be resolved at the departmental level, the issue may be referred to the dean of the school.

Grading System and the GPA

Each letter grade from A to F carries a designated number of quality points per semester hour. These points are used to calculate the grade point average (GPA). To determine the GPA for each semester, the number of quality points earned that semester is divided by the number of semester hours taken that semester. To compute the cumulative GPA, all quality points earned at Susquehanna are divided by all semester hours attempted.

The following values are used in the computation of quality points:

The following grades carry no quality points and do not affect the GPA:

* Coursework accepted for transfer from other institutions will be recorded only as credit earned toward graduation. It will not be included in the student’s GPA.

Extended Course (EC) Grades

Some courses, especially senior seminars and advanced research courses, may require more than one semester to complete. In such cases, the instructor will give a temporary grade of EC. Students then submit all remaining work by the end of the next fall or spring semester in which the student is enrolled at SU. Students who fail to complete all assignments by the required date will be graded on the work submitted up to that point. Grades of zero or F may be calculated for missing assignments.

Students may not graduate with an “EC” grade recorded on their transcript. Therefore, any extended credit grade that is not resolved by the applicable deadline will be automatically converted to an F by the Registrar’s Office, unless an official extension is granted. Such grades may be revised in accordance with the grade change policy listed in this catalog.

Incomplete (I) Grades

Occasionally an illness or family emergency may prevent a student from completing all assignments before the end of the course. Under these circumstances a professor may award the temporary grade of Incomplete, which is noted as “I” on the student’s transcript. If the I is for a seven-week course in the first half of the semester, the student must complete all outstanding work by the end of the 14th week of classes in that term. If the I is for a full-semester course or a seven-week course in the second half of the semester, the student must complete all outstanding work within the first two weeks of the next fall or spring semester in which they are enrolled at SU. Students who are assigned incompletes for summer and/or winter courses must complete all outstanding work within the first two weeks of the next fall or spring semester in which they are enrolled.

Students may not graduate with an “I” grade recorded on their transcript. Therefore, any incomplete grade that is not resolved by the applicable deadline will be automatically converted to an F by the Registrar’s Office unless an official extension is granted. Such grades may be revised in accordance with the grade change policy listed in this catalog.

Extensions for Incompletes

Note that an extension for a previously assigned grade of “I” may not be changed to “EC,” which is only granted for the circumstances listed above. Extensions for I grades must be approved by the instructor and filed with the registrar. Extensions for incompletes may not exceed the end of the fall or spring semester immediately following the one in which the student took the course. If, for any reason, the student takes a leave of absence during the extension period, the regular deadline (two weeks into the term in which they re-enroll) will apply.

Students who do not finish all assignments by the required date will be graded on the work submitted up to that point. Grades of zero or F may be calculated for missing assignments. If no grade change is received by the end of the approved extension period, the incomplete will be automatically converted to an F by the Registrar’s Office. Such grades may be revised in accordance with the grade change policy listed in this catalog.

Any student who receives an I during the semester is ineligible for the Dean’s List.

The S/U Option

Susquehanna encourages students to explore different disciplines and pursue new interests by enrolling in a wide variety of courses. The S/U, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory, option allows students to take an elective in an area in which they have had little or no prior experience without taking a chance of lowering their GPA. Under the S/U option, students who earn a grade of C- or higher receive a grade of S, or satisfactory. Students who earn a grade of D+ or lower receive a grade of U, or unsatisfactory. Neither grade is calculated into the student’s GPA, but a course completed with a grade of U does not earn credit toward graduation. Courses for which students choose the S/U option may not be counted toward Central Curriculum or major/minor requirements. Courses offered on an S/U basis only, may be used toward these requirements.

Students must officially declare their intention to use the optional S/U grade by submitting a completed S/U form to the Office of the Registrar. Students may declare or cancel the S/U option through the end of the eighth day of classes for 7-week courses and the end of the 3rd week of classes for 14-week courses.

A student may not take more than four semester hours of S/U coursework in any one semester except in the case of certain internships. A maximum of 12 semester hours of electives may be taken on an optional S/U basis. Courses graded only on an S/U basis are not included in the optional S/U maximum total.

Auditing

Another way to take advantage of the university’s diverse curriculum is to audit a course. Students who choose the audit option are not required to take examinations. They are expected to attend and participate in class regularly. Audited courses carry no academic credit, but the university does note audited courses on transcripts. Students should notify the Office of the Registrar of their intent to declare or cancel an audited course by the eighth day of classes for 7-week courses and the end of the 3rd week of classes for 14-week courses.

Repeating a Course

To improve their knowledge or to earn a higher grade, students are permitted to repeat courses. If a course is repeated, only the highest grade is included in the calculation of the cumulative GPA. Students will not earn additional credit toward graduation by repeating a course in which they previously received a passing grade. All instances of repeated courses, including the original attempt, are displayed on the student’s academic transcript.

The repeated course must have the same subject code and course number as the original unless listed as equated in the course catalog or is an approved independent study. Variable topic courses that share the same course code and number may be repeated under a different topic and do not fall under this repeat policy. This policy also does not apply to courses marked as repeatable for credit. A grade that was originally received in a course may not be changed by repeating the course under the satisfactory/unsatisfactory option. A grade of W (withdrawal) also does not replace the previous grade.

A course may be repeated at another institution and transferred to Susquehanna. If a grade of C- or higher is earned at the transfer institution, a grade of TR will be recorded on the transcript. TR grades do not calculate into the GPA. The original grade would then be removed from the GPA calculation. If the number of credits earned for the repeated transfer course is less than that earned for the original Susquehanna University course, the student will retain the credits already earned but no additional credits will be earned for the transfer. If the number of credits earned for the repeated transfer course is greater than that earned for the Susquehanna University course, the transfer credits will replace the previously earned credits. If a student repeats a transferred course, the student may request to remove the transfer course from their transcript.

A student may repeat a course more than once, but must receive permission from the academic advisor, dean, and Student Financial Services (if the student is a federal student aid recipient) for the third and subsequent attempts. Students are responsible for determining any academic or financial implications for repeating courses.