Policy and Process
The Registrar's Office is responsible for processing all grade changes. The links below provide more information on the related Catalog policies. Faculty are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these policies to be aware of on bases and in what timeframes changes of grade are allowed. The policies also outline the use of the Incomplete grade and how that deficiency is removed. There are deadlines stated within the policies for these changes.
In order for a student to receive a grade change, the faculty member who taught the course must make the request through the online change of grade system. The Registrar's Office or the School office can provide the link. Once the request is entered through the online form, the designated official in the School/Program/College office reviews it and either approves it or contacts the faculty member for further information or to discuss it. Once the School/Program/College designated authority approves it, the change is in the queue for the Registrar's Office where it is again reviewed. If more information is needed, the Registrar's Office staff member reaches out to the faculty member. If not, the Registrar's Office approves the change, and makes the update to the student's record in the SIS (Banner).
The online grade change requests are reviewed as they come in and are processed at least once a week. There are times during the year, grading periods for example at the end of the term, when no grade changes can be made. Any requests received in this period of time until the system is again open for this action.
A grade of "NR" (Not Reported by the faculty member) is to be removed as soon as the faculty member can submit final grades and is only assigned in the case of an extreme emergency when the normal grading deadline cannot be met. Faculty should contact the Registrar's Office for assistance.
With the exception of grades changed via the grade substitution policy, only the final grade earned in a course for a given term is shown on the official transcript. The official transcript displays on the most recent grade assigned to a given course. Prior grades assigned to the course are tracked in the database but are not displayed on the official transcript. When a change of grade is made in the database, it is immediately reflected in the student's record and on the transcript. Academic standing, including Dean's List and Faculty Honors, are revised through 24-hour automated process when a change of grade occurs and are calculated at the end of the term when final grades are processed.
Guidance
- Faculty are encouraged to consider a change of grade only within the parameters that are outlined in the Catalog policy. Students should not be allowed to complete additional work after the term is over and the course is graded to try to improve their grade. This type of opportunity provided to some students and not others is inherently unfair. A student who is worried about their grade point average should speak with their academic advisors about their concerns. Grade substitution is sometimes an option for students to improve the GPA, for example.
- If an I grade has reverted to an F grade, the grade of record is an F, and it is not possible to convert it back to an I.
- At this point, this is not about renegotiating an I grade; it's about whether a change of grade is appropriate to replace the I/F with a letter grade.
- Unless the timeline for a change of grade to be possible has passed, the faculty member could agree to accept the missing work and file a change of grade. There should be some non-academic mitigating circumstances as to why the student did not make up the work for the Incomplete before it reverted to an F grade.
- It is up to the faculty member to decide this, but it is strongly suggested that if the faculty member agrees to let the original work be made up, a specific due date for the work is set before the deadline for a change of grade expires. Faculty should contact their School/Program/College if they have questions.