Examinations and Grading

  1. Examinations
    Students will be expected to take their final examinations at the regularly scheduled times. No exceptions will be made without the permission of the instructor of the course and the appropriate Dean. The request for an early exam must be made three weeks in advance of the final examination period. Makeup examinations or early examinations are not permitted unless the student satisfies the faculty member and the Dean that the absence involves an official college trip, a return or responsibility to another educational institution, or an emergency such as illness (doctor’s statement), death in the family, or court appearance.
  2. Grading System
    The quality of performance in any academic course is reported by a letter grade, the assignment of which is the responsibility of the instructor. These grades are assigned quality points as follows:
    A - 90-100 4 quality points per credit
    B - 80-89 3 quality points per credit
    C - 70-79 2 quality points per credit
    D - 60-69 1 quality points per credit
    F - 59 and below 0 quality points per credit

    Grades in the Health Sciences Division (excluding physical education, CPR, emer- gency services dispatcher, and fire science) are assigned quality points as follows:

    A - 90-100 4 quality points per credit
    B - 80-89 3 quality points per credit
    C - 75-79 2 quality points per credit
    D - 60-74 1 quality points per credit
    F - below 60 0 quality points per credit

    In all college divisions, the following grade options apply.
    W - Withdrawal No credit; a grade of “W” is assigned to a student who officially withdraws from a class or from the College on or before the date specified in the college calendar. If the withdrawal is re- quested after the date specified in the calendar, the student must be passing at the time of withdrawal and receive permission of the appropriate dean of instruction in order to withdraw passing (W). Only under extenuating circumstances will a student be allowed to withdraw passing (W) after the published deadline. Students who withdraw from a course after the date specified in the college calendar and who are failing at the time of the withdrawal will receive the grade of “F.”
    I - Incomplete No credit; used for verifiable unavoidable reasons. Since the “incomplete” extends enrollment in the course, requirements for satisfactory completion will be established through student/ faculty consultation. Courses for which a grade of “I” (incom- plete) has been awarded must be completed by the end of the subsequent term. Unless the deficiency is made up within the following term, the mark “I” automatically becomes “F”.
    AU - Audit No credit; a grade of “AU” is assigned for the completion of college credit courses audited by students. A student may change from credit to audit at any time prior to the last day of registration, but must meet all class requirements except tests in order to receive a grade of “AU”.
    The College may use grades of “S” and “U” for institutional credit courses, Training for Business/Industry courses, and internship experiences (cooperative education, practicums, sponsored work experiences, and other sponsored but not directly supervised instruction).
  3. Grade Reports
    At the close of each term, an individual report showing the scholastic record of each student is accessible on-line at www.suscc.edu. These grades are a part of the student’s permanent record and will be recorded on his/her official transcript. At the option of the instructor, midterm progress reports may be sent to students who are in danger of failing a course. Midterm alerts are posted on a student’s campus email account via BISONmail.

  4. Grade Point Average (GPA)
    The student’s academic standing or quality point average is obtained by dividing his/her total number of quality points by the total number of semester hours for which the grades of A, B, C, D, or F are assigned. A course repeated is counted as hours attempted each time a grade is awarded except in cases of academic bank- ruptcy and course forgiveness.

    A student must earn a total grade point average of 2.0 in order to be eligible for graduation. Grades earned in courses carrying institutional credit are not computed for graduation GPA.

    Any course for which the student has previously registered may be repeated. However, a course may be counted only once toward fulfillment of credit hours required for graduation.