FHB D1125 GRADES AND GRADE REPORTING

There are no F+ grades available. Graduate students may not receive C - or D grades. Cumulative GPAs will not exceed 4.00.

Grade Weighting. The relative value a faculty member assigns to any given evidence of class learning such as an examination, quiz, paper, etc., is a matter of the faculty member's choice. The selection of standards, whether relative to class performance on a distribution curve or to some absolute based on the subject matter itself, is also a matter of individual faculty determination. The only requirement is that whatever the relative weights or however standards are set, results should be given in letter grades expressing the levels of quality described in the General Catalog. The Catalog explains special grades approved for General Honors and Departmental Honors courses. Requests for use of special grades (grades which depart from the standard A, B, C, D, and F) in other courses should be channeled through the faculty member's department chairperson and college dean to the Faculty Senate Curricula Committee.

Change of Grades. No grade (except a grade of Incomplete) can be raised by completing extra work or by taking a special examination. If a grade must be changed after submission of the faculty grade report to the Records and Registration Office, a Grade Change Form must be completed by the instructor. Forms for changing grades are available at all department and college offices. Completed grade change forms including department or college approval should be forwarded directly to the Records and Registration Office by the instructor of the course no later than 30 days after the semester ends. Grade changes hand carried by students will not be accepted.

Incomplete. The grade of I is given only when extenuating academic or personal circumstances beyond the student's control have prevented completing the work by the official ending dates of the course. The I automatically becomes an F if not removed (1) by the published ending date of the next semester of residence, (2) within the next four semesters, if the student does not re-enroll in residence. The student should not re-enroll in the same course in order to remove a grade of Incomplete.

Prior to the end of the semester deadline, the requests for extension may be obtained in the Records and Registration Office.

Credit-No Credit Option (Pass-Fail) Enrollment. The following limitations apply:

Up to four credits per semester will be allowed.

A maximum of 24 hours under this option will be allowed toward the degree.

The following may not be taken under this option:

(a) courses in University Honors Program and the Undergraduate Seminar Program;

(b) courses which are a part of the student's major (as defined by the major department), with the exception of those courses especially approved for use of credit-no credit grading (such as Counseling Guid. 429, Workshop in Counseling); however, students cannot be penalized by a department if, in the process of selecting or changing major fields, they have taken a course in their major on a credit-no credit basis;

(c) in some departments and colleges, courses which are a part of the student's minor (see specific colleges and/ or departmental requirements);

(d) correspondence courses.

Hours are not computed in the scholarship index, even though a final grade of CR (Credit) indicates satisfactory completion of a course. CR is equivalent to at least a grade of C.

Students may not enroll on the credit-no credit basis when repeating a course in which they have previously been enrolled under the regular grading system.

Graduate students have the option of enrolling in a 100 or 200 level course on a credit-no credit basis. In no case will such enrollment count towards graduate degree requirements, nor can the grade be computed in the graduate grade point average. If a graduate student with undergraduate deficiencies is required by his or her major department to take a lower division course, the credit-no credit option is not available to the student.

Graduate Credit Option. With the exceptions noted below, graduate credit may be earned only by a student who is admitted to the University for graduate study and properly registered in courses that have been approved for graduate credit.

Graduate credit cannot be earned by examination, as in the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).

Upper-Division Courses

Graduate students who enroll in upper division courses (300 or 400 level) may receive graduate credit provided:

1. The course is approved for graduate credit and listed in the Graduate Bulletin.

2. The student is formally enrolled in graduate status.

3. Additional work requirements for graduate students are met.

4. If the course is only available for graduate credit, for graduate students outside the major, the student must file a Graduate Credit Authorization card, (green card).

Graduate Credit Option for Undergraduate and Non-degree Students

Non-degree and undergraduate students may take graduate courses for graduate credit provided they meet requirements and follow procedures listed below:

Non-degree Students

No special action needs to be taken by non-degree (with degree) students who wish to enroll in 500-level courses. These courses automatically carry graduate credit. To receive graduate credit for a 300- or 400-level course, the course must carry graduate credit. The student should obtain a Graduate Credit Authorization (GCA) card from their department. The student must obtain the instructor's signature in the appropriate place on the card. After obtaining the instructor's signature, the student must bring the card to the Office of Graduate Studies. OGS will verify that the course is available for graduate credit and that the student is in non-degree status. The student will submit the GCA, complete with all appropriate signatures, to the Records and Registration Office for proper notation on the student's permanent record. The student must comply with the deadlines for changing grading options. See page 4 for non-degree enrollment limitations.

Undergraduate Students

An undergraduate student who wishes to enroll in a graduate course for graduate credit must first meet the following requirements:

1. Must be within 10 hours of the baccalaureate degree.

2. Must have an overall GPA of 3.0.

3. Seeks no more than nine hours of graduate credit during that semester

If these requirements are met, the student should obtain a GCA card from the department and obtain the instructor's signature in the appropriate place on the card. The student must then obtain a signature from the advisement office of their undergraduate college certifying that they meet the above requirements. The student must then bring the card to the Office of Graduate Studies. OGS will verify that the course is available for graduate credit and that the student is in undergraduate status. OGS will sign the card and forward it to the Records and Registration Office. The course(s) taken will apply toward an advanced degree after completion of the baccalaureate degree. The same course cannot count for both graduate and undergraduate credit. Both non-degree and undergraduate students must have the card filed by the last day of the fourth week of classes during the regular semester. No changes will be permitted after these deadlines.

Undergraduate Credit in 500-Level Courses

Although courses numbered above 500 are normally open only to graduate students, senior students with GPAs of 3.0 or higher may receive undergraduate credit. They must obtain approval in advance from the instructor concerned, the chair of the department, and the dean of their undergraduate college. Undergraduates may not enroll in graduate problems for undergraduate credit.

Grade Reporting. Grades for all students are submitted online through the Web Grade site for all courses completed at the end of 8 weeks and at the end of the semester. This includes all miscellaneous start and end date courses that occur during those time frames. It is the responsibility of the faculty to be able to advise students of progress in their courses, especially from the mid point of the semester to its conclusion. A special class list (Web Grade List) by which the grades are to be entered and submitted is available on line. Web Grades will be available the last day of the 8-week session and the last Friday before final exam week for entering and submitting grades. Web Grade will be available for all short courses on the last scheduled day of the class. The faculty will be notified by e-mail of a successful submission of their grades.

Deadlines. Faculty grades are expected to be entered and submitted using Web Grades within 48 hours after the final exam.

Several factors indicate the importance of prompt submission of faculty grades online. These reports are electronically read by the University’s Computer Center to record student grades. Submission of grades which are delayed beyond the deadline for processing and updating result in incomplete student academic record reports and an inaccurate semester scholarship index, both of which are important to the faculty advisor and to the college advisement offices which must determine the student’s academic status. Reports for financial aid, scholarship and suspension and probation are a few of crucial reports that are processed using the student’s scholarship index. Students obtain their grades through I-TEL-UNM or the UNM web site.

Summer Session. Grade reporting for the summer session follows essentially the regulations outlined above for regular semesters. No special final examination period is provided during the summer; examinations are usually given during regular class hours during the final week of classes.

Final Grade Verification Report. After all grades have been reported and recorded, the faculty member receives class lists from the Records and Registration Office showing the grades of the students as they have been recorded. The faculty member is to check these lists to ascertain that the correct grades have been recorded. Discrepancies between these lists and the original faculty grade reports should be reported to the Records and Registration Office. (Note that this check is to determine only clerical or machine errors; it is specifically not an opportunity to change the previously reported grade.