Policies & Procedures

Administrative Procedure: 3003

GRADING SYSTEM AND GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)

Grading System

The College records academic achievement each semester according to the following grading system:

The following grades/codes have no effect on GPA calculations, but apply to all students at the

College:

W – Withdrawal Grade

A student intending to withdraw from a course or courses is responsible for initiating and completing the process at Student Services prior to the announced end of the withdrawal period – the end of the tenth week of a regular semester or two-thirds through short semesters. Signatures from personnel in other offices may be required. A student who officially withdraws from a course will receive a “W” grade that will not affect the student’s GPA. However, students involved in financial aid programs, college activities including athletics, or who have other circumstances that require a minimum number of enrolled credits, may be adversely affected.

AU – Audit Grade

If a student wants to attend a class regularly, but does not want to receive credit, the student can choose to audit the course. The student must register for the course, pay the tuition and any fees then switch to audit status.

Requests are not accepted unless an Audit form is completed by the student, the course instructor, and the Director of Advising granting approval. All audit enrollments must occur by the last day to drop for 100% refund or its equivalent. Once processed, the course cannot be changed back to credit. The instructor will determine the conditions of the audit to which the student must adhere in order to maintain an “AU” grade, signifying successful completion. If the student fails to meet the conditions, a “W” will be assigned, signifying audit withdrawal. Audit courses are not covered by financial aid and do not fulfill degree requirements.

NA – Never Attended Grade

A student who registered for a course and never attended a class session will receive a final grade of Never Attended (“NA”). They will no longer be eligible to withdraw from the course. The grade of “NA” does not affect a student’s GPA, but may have an adverse effect on financial aid. For a student in a traditional face-to-face course, an “NA” would be assigned if the student has never attended a class session. For a hybrid course, an “NA” would be assigned if the student has never attended a class session in person or online. For a live online course an “NA” would be assigned if the student has never attended a live session and never completed an instructional activity related to the student’s course of study. For a traditional online course, an “NA” would be assigned if the student never attended an online session and never completed an instructional activity related to the student’s course of study. Note: Logging into a course does not count as a course-related instructional activity. (Academic Engagement in Federal State Aid 34 CFR 600.2)

I – Incomplete Grade

A grade of incomplete (“I”) may only be reported for a student who has carried a course with a passing grade, but due to illness or other unusual and substantiated cause, has been unable to complete the final examination or some limited amount of assigned work by the end of the semester.

The faculty member must complete the Incomplete Grade Request Form prior to a grade of “I” being assigned. Once approved by the dean, the grade of “I” will be assigned by the Registrar’s Office. An incomplete grade must be changed through a Grade Change Request Form by the last day of the next semester. An incomplete grade not changed by the end of this period automatically becomes an “F”.

For purposes of financial aid, the grade of “I” will affect the student’s Quantitative Progress. Incomplete grades not completed will be automatically charged to an “F” and will affect both the Quantitative and Qualitative Progress.

TR – Transfer Credits Grade

RCSJ will count transfer credit hours that are accepted toward a student’s educational program as both attempted and completed. Transfer credits are not counted in GPA.

Education Foundation Course Grades

PA – Pass, Education Foundations

PB – Pass. Education, Foundations

PC – Pass Education Foundations

PP – Pass

NP – No Progress, Education Foundations

Course grade for education foundation courses will not transfer nor have impact on GPA.

Academic Amnesty Grades

ZD = Academic Amnesty D

ZD+ = Academic Amnesty D+

ZD- = Academic Amnesty D-

ZF = Academic Amnesty F

ZFA = Academic Amnesty Failure Attendance

Any student who previously attend RCSJ is qualified for academic amnesty as outlined in Administrative Procedure 8201. These grades will be associated with the courses that qualify for amnesty. Previous grades of “C“ or better will be counted for the purposes of determining the cumulative GPA and for purposes of counting credits toward graduation.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculation

GPA is a standard quantitative measure of academic achievement on courses taken by a student. GPA is calculated as follows:

• Multiplying the number of credits attempted by each course by the quality-point value for each grade.
• Adding the number of credits attempted and the number of quality points earned.
• Dividing the total quality points earned by the total credits attempted.

For example:

Course Grade Quality Point Credits Quality

Code Received Value Attempted Points

ENG 101 A 4.000 x 3 = 12.000

BIO 101 B- 2.700 x 4 = 10.800

PSY 101 F 0.000 x 3 = 0.000

HPE 101 A- 3.700 x 1 = 3.700

The Student’s GPA is 2.409 (26.500 divided by 11)

Students should note that:

• GPA is unaffected by courses taken at other colleges.
• If a course is repeated, only the higher grade is included in GPA calculation.
• Educational Foundations courses other than CIA 100, COS 103, and PSY 100 are not included in GPA (Gloucester Campus).

The GPA is the only quantitative assessment of the student’s achievement at college and may have a significant impact on:

• Eligibility for federal and state aid grants
• Future employment opportunities
• Academic Progress
• Graduation
• Acceptance for advanced degrees
• Graduation honors and admission to honorary societies
• Participation in athletics

Midterm Grades

Prior to the middle of each 10- or 15-week child term, faculty members are required to submit midterm grades through the RCSJ portal for each class they teach. Faculty will submit the letter grade being earned at that point in the term so students may seek appropriate interventions for student success.

References:

Rowan College of South Jersey Board of Trustees Policy Manual, 3003 Grading System

and Grade Point Average (GPA)