Grades and Related Policies
Types of Credit
Attempted Credits
Attempted credits are the number of credits a student has originally enrolled in during a specific session or term before grades are awarded.
Degree Credits
Degree credits are those credits earned that fulfill graduation requirements for a graduate program. Students must earn a semester grade of C or higher in a graduate course for the credits to count toward fulfilment of graduate program requirements at UW-Green Bay.
Earned Credits
Earned credits are the number of credits where a final grade is assigned. Quality points are awarded for graded credits, which is then used to calculate grade point average for the semester and cumulatively. Courses that are graded with a letter or passing grade are calculated in this total; temporary grades of I = Incomplete or N = Not yet graded, are excluded.
Graduate Grading System and Grade Points
Grade point averages are a means of measuring the quality of a student’s academic work. Grade point averages are computed on a 4.0 basis. See chart for letter grade point values.
| Letter Grade | Grade Points per Credit | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 4.0 |
| AB | Very Good | 3.5 |
| B | Good | 3.0 |
| BC | Above Average | 2.5 |
| C | Average | 2.0 |
| CD | Below Average | 1.5 |
| D | Poor | 1.0 |
| F | Unacceptable | 0.0 |
| WF | Unofficial Withdrawal | 0.0 |
| P | A "C" grade or better for gradaute courses | No effect |
| NC | No credit, letter grade of less than "C" | No effect |
| U | Unsatisfactory Audit | No effect |
| S | Satisfactory Audit | No effect |
| N | No acceptable report from instructor - temporary grade | No effect until an acceptable grade submitted |
| I | Incomplete, temporary grade | No effect until removed |
| PR | Progress in graduate thesis or internship | No effect |
| DR | Dropped Class | No effect |
| W | Withdrew | No effect |
Grade Point Average (GPA)
A numerical value derived from dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of credits attempted on a regular grade basis. P-NC, incomplete, grades removed by repeat and audit grades and transfer credits have no effect on grade point average. Only those courses attempted at UW-Green Bay are included in a student’s grade point average. Transfer grades may be used to compute eligibility for admission to certain programs/majors.
Example of GPA for a Semester
| Course | Grade | Credits | Grade Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOC WORK 702 | A | 3 | 12 |
| MANAGMNT 796 | BC | 4 | 10 |
| SOC WORK 703 | C | 4 | 08 |
| SOC WORK 704 | C | 4 | 08 |
| Total | 15 | 38 |
(An A is equal to 4 grade points, a B is equal to 3, and so forth. Three credits earning an A grade equals 12 points.)
38 divided by 15 equals 2.533 grade point average.
Cumulative Grade Point Average
Grade point average for all completed terms at UW-Green Bay. It is calculated by dividing the cumulative total grade points earned by the cumulative total grade point credits earned. Attempted courses where an F grade is received are also included in grade point calculations unless successfully repeated.
Final Grades
Final grades are posted to the student’s transcript and may be accessed via the Student Information System (SIS).
Grades
Every student receives a grade from the instructor of a course at the end of a semester or session. Instructors must enter grades on the course roster in SIS for processing by the Registrar’s Office no later than 96 hours or four days after the final examination or last date of that individual course. If an instructor finds they have made a grade error or missed entering a grade, the faculty member can complete a grade change in SIS, using the grading access they are provided, up through the end of the subsequent semester. Please contact the Registrar's office with any grading issues or questions as needed.
*Failure to add grades in a timely manner delays processing of academic standing, conducting satisfactory academic progress assessment, degree conferral, issuing diplomas and/or transcript documents, reporting of accurate enrollment and degree data to various entities for compliance and can prevent students from registering for subsequent courses.
Grade Changes
Missing (N) grades must be updated and submitted via SIS, for permanent change to the student’s academic record no later than the last day of classes in the following semester.
Incomplete (I) grades, faculty must submit an incomplete grade form to the Registrar's office documenting outstanding course work, deadline for completion. This grade change should be made no later than the last day of classes in the following semester. If the student does not meet the deadline identified, the grade will lapse to an F = fail grade for that semester.
Grade Changes AFTER two semesters
Grade changes considered after one subsequent semester must be requested to and approved by the College Dean from the faculty member. The approval should include student name, semester, course taken, new grade to the Registrar's office for an update to be made to the academic record. Grade change requests will not be accepted without Dean approval.
Grade Appeals
Any student who is dissatisfied and wishes to appeal a particular course grade, must first contact the instructor who issued the grade. If the student is still dissatisfied, he or she may appeal further to the department chair. The chairperson, in turn, consults with the course instructor. If a student wishes to appeal further, he or she should contact the appropriate academic dean who will consult with the instructor and the appropriate chairperson.
A faculty member may change the grade after appeal and can do so in SIS up through the end of the subsequent semester.
Other Grade Options
Pass/No Credit Enrollment (P/NC grade)
- For Pass/No Credit enrollment, no letter grade or grade points are earned. Credits taken for pass/no credit grade option may not satisfy certain academic requirements.
- P/NC grading option is requested using the Change Grading Basis form, this must be approved by faculty instructor.
- P/NC grading option is not reversible after add/drop date of the course.1. Electives may be taken on a P/NC basis.
- For Pass/No Credit, grades of A, AB, B, BC, or C, are designated “pass.” Grades of CD, D, F or WF are designated as NC or “no credit.” An NC does not affect grade point average, nor does it add to earned credits.
- Students considering applying for graduate or professional schools or transferring to another undergraduate campus should keep in mind that P/NC grading may have an adverse effect on admission. Graduate and professional schools generally prefer letter grades because such grades enable them to better judge potential for academic success. This grading option is not reversible after enrollment.
| 1 | Add/Drop deadlines vary by length of course. 14 week courses have a two week add period in which Pass/No Credit grading option can be requested and approved using the appropriate form mentioned above. Courses of a shorter duration have shorter deadlines. Contact gboss@uwgb.edu if you are not able to find your course dates on the Registration calendar. |
Audit Enrollment (U/S grade)
- A student may not enroll as an auditor for any graduate-level course.
Incomplete grades (I grade)
- A student who is unable to take a final examination or meet other final coursework due to unusual circumstances may request an incomplete from the instructor.
- The decision to allow an incomplete is entirely at the discretion of the instructor. It is not a right.
- If an incomplete is approved by the faculty instructor, the student is granted an extension of time to complete course requirements.
- An incomplete form must be submitted to the Registrar’s office specifying the terms and conditions of completing the incomplete from the instructor.
- Incomplete coursework must be finished no later than the end of the subsequent semester.
- If no final grade is awarded or the work is not completed, the temporary grade is lapsed to a final F grade at the end of the subsequent semester.
- A student may file petition for an extension of the incomplete deadline if bona fide unanticipated extenuating circumstances prevented compliance with the deadline.
- The student has serious physical or mental health problems which are documented by statements from a physician or professional counselor.
- The student has had a death or serious illness in the immediate family and this is documented by a physician’s statement.
- The course instructor is on leave during the semester for removal.
- Once an incomplete grade is recorded for a course a student may not, under any circumstances, drop the course.
Incomplete grades for Graduating Students
Students who complete their coursework in December (fall graduates), January (January graduates), May (spring graduates) or August (summer graduates) must have all incomplete grades removed within 42 days following the end of the classes to have their degree conferred in that semester. If this deadline is not met, students will be removed and added to a future semester for degree conferral.
Repeating a Course
Repeating Courses for Credit
Courses can be repeated for credit only if they are officially designated as repeatable due to the nature of the course content. Performance courses in Music, Studio Arts courses or courses designated with differing topics are examples.
Courses that have been repeated for credit are recorded on the student’s transcript with the phrase Course has been Repeated after the course listing on the transcript.
Faculty members may not grant individual waivers for students to repeat a course for credit when the course is not already designated as repeatable in the college catalog. Creating a repeatable course can be accomplished via the course/curriculum change processes on an annual basis.
Repeating Courses to Improve a Grade
Courses can also be repeated to improve the grade received. If a course is repeated, the original attempt will still appear on the transcript with the grade earned. However, the grade received after the course is repeated will be used to determine the credit earned; attempted credits, grade points earned, and grade point average both for the term and cumulatively.
If a course is transferred in and then repeated at UW-Green Bay, the grade received when taken at UW-Green Bay will be used to determine the credits earned, attempted credits, grade points earned, and grade point average both for the term and cumulatively. The original transfer course and grade will no longer count toward degree requirements or total credits earned toward a degree. A course can only count once.
If a course is taken at UW-Green Bay, and then repeated at another institution and transferred to UW-Green Bay, the credits earned and grade received for the course taken at UW-Green Bay is still used to calculate the cumulative GPA, cumulative attempted credits, grade points earned and grade point average. The transfer course grade can, however be used to satisfy degree or course prerequisite requirements but the credits earned will not count toward the credits required for a degree.
The University does not guarantee the right to retake any course. Courses may be deactivated, discontinued, or offered on a different schedule.
Based on federal regulations which went into effect July 1, 2011, some repeat coursework may be excluded when evaluating a student’s credit load as it relates to federal and/or state financial aid eligibility. If not designated as a repeatable course, students may have aid reduced. In general, for financial aid purposes, students are allowed to repeat a course for which a passing grade was previously received ONE additional time, with financial aid eligibility. Students may repeat the course after that, but those attempts would not be eligible for funding by federal or state financial aid programs.
