NC State University

(Ex: 11.15.1 or REG 11.15.1)

Grading

REG 02.50.3

Academic Policies and Regulations
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Authority: Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

History: First Issued: 1966. Last Revised: Fall 1998.

Additional References: Semester Reminders

Contact Info:  Dean, Undergraduate Academic Programs (919-515-3037)

 

General

  1. Evaluation of a student's performance in a particular course or section is the prerogative of the faculty member responsible for that course or section. No grade assigned to a student in a particular course or section may be changed without the consent of the faculty member responsible for that course or section.

  2. Each faculty member who assigns grades has the responsibility to implement grading procedures that are fair and equitable, and to provide a reasonable evaluation of the student's performance in the course.

  3. Each student should be informed at the beginning of the semester of the means to be used to determine grades in each course or section.

Regular Grading Scale and Grade Points

The following grade points are used in the calculation of grade point averages:

Grade Grade Points
A+ 
A 
A-		 4 1/3 
4 
3 2/3
B+ 
B 
B-		 3 1/3 
3 
2 2/3
C+ 
C 
C-		 2 1/3 
2 
1 2/3
D+ 
D 
D-		 1 1/3 
1 
2/3
F 0

A grade of C- satisfies all "grade of C or better" prerequisites and other "C-wall" requirements.

A+ grades will contribute to the Grade Point Average up to a maximum of 4.000.

(See REG02.50.4 Grade Point Average.)

Exemption

This exemption is not in effect for any students for any courses taken during or after the 1998 Fall Semester. As a part of the preceding grading regulation this exemption was scheduled to expire effective with the beginning of the Fall 1998 Semester. The exemption is included here for reference relative to grades which were earned during Fall 1994-SS2 1998:

    Any student registered in a degree program during a regular semester prior to 1994 Fall Semester will not be subject to the grade point values associated with the plus/minus grading scale in effect at that time as long as the student remains in the same degree level. (There are five degree levels: undergraduate, graduate, professional, Agricultural Institute, and Veterinary Medicine.) Thus, when the teacher of a course chooses to award +/- grades, any +/- grades received by such a student will appear on that student's grade report and transcript, but the grade points used in calculating the students GPA will not reflect the +/- differentials. (Teachers are expected to inform students as a part of their syllabus or outline at the beginning of the course of the grading scale to be used.) This adjustment will be made only for students registered in a degree program. Students who are registered as non-degree students prior to the fall/summer 1994 will be subject to the full grade point range along with students who enroll as a degree student in the Fall 1994 Semester and thereafter. An exception will be made for students enrolled as Undergraduate Studies (UGS) students who had been enrolled in and subsequently suspended from an undergraduate degree program. These students will be treated as undergraduate degree students for the purposes of this policy.

    A student who is not subject to grade point values associated with +/- grading will continue to be so until the student enrolls in a different degree level. For example, a student who is not subject to grade point values associated with +/- grading as an undergraduate student will be subject to grade point values associated with +/- grading upon enrollment in a graduate program. Once the student is subject to grade point values associated with +/- grading, the grade point values associated with +/- grading in all future terms even if the student returns to the student's original degree level.

    Whether or not a student is subject to the grade point values associated with +/- grading will not be affected by length of time enrolled or by breaks in enrollment. Students pursuing additional degrees in the same academic level will maintain their exemption status.

Other Grades


Grade Usage
AU - AUDIT Given in recognition of successful completion of a course audit. (See REG02.20.4 Audits)
CR - CREDIT Used by the University Registrar to indicate course credit received by examination or advanced placement as certified by appropriate departments or colleges. Awarded only when the advanced placement testing indicates that the quality of the student's work in the course would have been expected to be of C- or higher level.
IN - INCOMPLETE Temporary grade. At the discretion of the instructor, students may be given an IN grade for work not completed because of a serious interruption in their work not caused by their own negligence. An IN must not be used, however, as a substitute for an F when the student's performance in the course is deserving of failing. An IN is only appropriate when the student's record in the course is such that the successful completion of particular assignments, projects, or tests missed as a result of a documented serious event would enable that student to pass the course. Work undertaken to make up the IN grade should be limited to the completion of the missed work. An IN grade must be made up by the end of the next regular semester (not including summer sessions) in which the student is enrolled, provided that this period is not longer than twelve months from the end of the semester or summer session in which the work was due. In the event that the teacher or department offering the course is not able to provide a student with the opportunity to make up the incomplete work by the end of the next regular semester in which the student is enrolled or within twelve months, whichever is shorter, the teacher or department offering the course must notify the student and the Department of Registration and Records of the date of the extended deadline for removing the IN grade. Requests for extending the deadline for graduate students beyond the end of the next semester in which the student is enrolled or beyond the twelve months, whichever is shorter, must be made through the Graduate School.

Any IN grade not removed by the end of the next regular semester in which the student is enrolled or by the end of twelve months, whichever is shorter, or by the extended deadline authorized by the instructor or department offering the course and recorded by the Department of Registration and Records, will automatically become an F grade and will count as a course attempted.

Students must not register again for any courses in which they have IN grades. Such registration would not remove IN grades, and the completion of the course on the second occasion would automatically result in an F for the incompleted course.

In the case where a graduating senior has received an IN, the following procedures will apply:

  1. If the course is needed for graduation, the student will not be allowed to graduate until the work has been made up; and
  2. If the course is not needed for graduation, the college dean must notify in writing the Department of Registration and Records either
    1. that the course and the IN grade are to be deleted from the student's record; or
    2. that permission has been given for the IN to remain and that a deadline has been established for the completion of the course. In the event that the course is subsequently not completed satisfactorily, the college dean shall notify in writing the Department of Registration and Records that the course and the IN grade should be deleted from the student's record or that the IN should be changed to F.
LA - TEMPORARILY LATE An emergency symbol to be used only when grades cannot be reported on time by the teaching department or the professor. The LA differs from the IN grade in that the student receiving the LA has completed the work of the course including the examination.

The LA should not be used by a teaching department or the instructor unless it is absolutely necessary. When it is used the following procedure applies:

  1. The Grade Report Roll(s) must be returned at the regularly scheduled time with the LA clearly marked; and
  2. A Grade Change Report form must be secured from the Department of Registration and Records, completed, and returned at the earliest possible time and not later than 15 days after the examination.
The semester grade reports of those students who receive an LA will not be complete. This situation often causes students to be uninformed as to their academic eligibility and as to the correctness of their schedule for the following semester.
NR - NO RECOGNITION Given for unsuccessful completion of a course audit. (See audits)
S - SATISFACTORY A passing grade to be awarded only when the quality of the student's work is judged to be C- or higher level. It is used as the passing grade for students who are taking free elective courses under the credit-only option. It may also be used for certain courses such as orientation courses, seminars, and research problems, in which regular grades are not appropriate. (See REG02.20.15 Credit Only Courses)
U - UNSATISFACTORY Used to indicate that the student is not to receive credit for a credit-only or other course for which the passing grade would be S (Satisfactory). (See Credit only courses)
W - WITHDRAWAL/LATE DROP Used on students' grade reports and transcripts to indicate all courses for which they have received official approval to drop or from which they have received official approval to withdraw after the deadlines for dropping.