Academic Credit and Classification of Students

Competency Standards

By meeting competency standards as described below, students are excused from taking some courses to satisfy the General Education requirements. The awarding of competency does not carry academic credit. Rather, it gives students more program flexibility by increasing their number of elective courses and allowing them to move to higher levels of study at a faster pace if they wish. If a student elects to take a course for credit after being awarded competency for that course, the competency is removed (except in foreign language).

Biology Competency may be attained in Biology 101 by satisfying either of the following requirements: (1) a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Test, or (2) a score of 630 on the SAT II Test in Biology and no secondary school grade lower than a "B" or its equivalent in a biology course.

Chemistry Competency may be attained in Chemistry 101 by satisfying either of the following requirements: (1) a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Test in Chemistry, or (2) a score of 630 on the SAT II Test in Chemistry and no secondary school grade lower than a "B" or its equivalent in a chemistry course. Competency may be attained in Chemistry 111 by scoring in the 50th percentile or better on the ACS Exam in General Chemistry. For competency in advanced courses, a student must score in the 50th percentile or better on the appropriate ACS Exam. Credit for Chemistry 111 will be granted to candidates with a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test in Chemistry.

English Competency in General Studies 101 may be granted for the achievement of any one of the following: (1) a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Examination in Language and Composition or in Composition and Literature; (2) a score of 680 on the SAT II Test in English Composition together with a score of 600 on the SAT I: Verbal, or a score of 660 on the SAT II Test in English Composition together with a score of 670 on the SAT I: Verbal; (3) a score of 670 on the SAT I: Verbal and no secondary school grade in English lower than a "B" or its equivalent; (4) a score of 620 on the SAT I: Verbal together with a ranking in the upper one-fifth of the secondary school graduating class. Credit for General Studies 101 may be granted for the achievement of a score of four or five on the Advanced Placement Examination in Language and Composition or in Composition and Literature.

Foreign Language Competency for the 101 and 102 courses in a foreign language may be attained by students who earn: (1) a minimum score of 570 on the SAT II Subject Test in a foreign language or (2) a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Test Foreign Language Advanced Placement Test. (Academic credit in a foreign language will be awarded for a score of four or five on the Advanced Placement Test.) Competency will be determined otherwise on an individual basis by scores on an examination administered by Roanoke College and a personal interview. Students who successfully complete the 102- or 103-level foreign language course will be awarded competency at the 101-level. Students who successfully complete the 201-level foreign course will be awarded competency at the 101 and 102-level.

If competency is received at the 101 level in Latin, the student must: (a) complete one term of study in a modern language; or (b) be judged competent at the 101 level in a second, modern language; or (c) complete an additional term of study in Latin (Latin is available to Roanoke College students through a cooperative program with Hollins University).

History Competency may be attained in United States History and/or Western Civilization by satisfying either of two requirements: (1) a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Test, or (2) a score of 590 on the SAT II Test and no secondary school grade lower than a "B" or its equivalent in American or World Civilization courses.

Mathematics Competency may be attained in Mathematics 121 with a score of three on the Calculus AB Advanced Placement Test. Competency may be attained in Mathematics 121 and Mathematics 122 with a score of 3 on the Calculus BC Advanced Placement Test. Credit for Mathematics 121 will be granted to a candidate with a score of four or five on the Calculus AB Advanced Placement Test. Credit for Mathematics 121 and Mathematics 122 will be granted to a candidate with a score of 4 or 5 on the Calculus BC Advanced Placement Test.

Competency may be obtained in Mathematics 111 with a score of 80 percent on the competency test developed and administered by Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics department. The test will be administered during the orientation period preceding the beginning of classes for the Fall term. Requests to take the test must be made in writing to the chair of the MCSP department.

Competency for all other mathematics courses will be determined on an individual basis by considering secondary school grades, standardized test scores, and scores on examinations administered by Roanoke College.

Music Competency may be attained in Music 150 with a minimum of one year of high school theory, with a grade of "B" or better.

Physics Competency may be attained in Physics 101 by satisfying either of these two requirements: (1) a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Test, or (2) a score of 650 on the SAT II Test in Physics. Competency in advanced physics courses may be determined on an individual basis upon completion of an examination administered by the department.

Physical Education Competency will be granted in one team sport or one individual sport through a full season of varsity intercollegiate participation.

Political Science Competency may be attained in American National Government (Political Science 102) by satisfying either of these two requirements: (1) a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Test, or (2) a grade of "A" in a secondary school advanced placement American Government and/or Comparative Government course. Credit for American National Government (Political Science 102) may be granted if the candidate scores 4 or better on the appropriate Advanced Placement Exam.

Advanced Placement and Credit

Roanoke College grants advanced placement and unit credit on the basis of the Advanced Placement Tests of the College Entrance Examination Board, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination for courses which normally would be introductory for new students at the College. Generally, on the Advanced Placement Test the candidate who scores 3 will be granted competency. Unit credit will be granted if a candidate scores a 4 or 5. For the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations, the candidate who scores a 4 will be granted competency, and unit credit will be granted if a candidate scores 5, 6, or 7. Students scoring a "C-" (or equivalent) or higher on the College Level Examination Program test will receive unit credit. However, no student may accrue more than eight units of credit through Advanced Placement tests, College Level Examination Program tests, International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations, and/or Credit by Examination. Specific information can be obtained from the Associate Dean/Registrar.

Credit by Examination

Currently enrolled and former students of the College may stand for examination in a course provided they fulfill conditions which allow such examinations. A student who has previously enrolled in, failed, audited, or unofficially attended a course may not stand for examination in it. An examination may not be given in a term when the course is offered. No more than one credit by examination may be taken during any term. Also, no student may accrue more than eight units of credit through Advanced Placement tests, International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations, Credit by Examination, or College Level Entrance Program tests. The approval of the instructor, the chairperson of the department offering the course, and the Associate Dean/Registrar must be obtained. A special fee is charged and must be paid prior to taking the examination. For credit to be obtained in a given term, the examination has to be administered no later than three weeks prior to the beginning of the regularly scheduled examination period of the Fall and Spring terms or one week prior to the regularly scheduled examination period of the Summer session.

Transfer Credit

Credit for academic work completed elsewhere will be accepted by official transcripts from regionally accredited colleges and universities if the courses are appropriate to the academic curriculum of Roanoke College. At least 17 of the total units required to graduate from Roanoke College (excluding physical education activity courses and co-curricular learning and service) must be earned at Roanoke College. At least one-half of the minimum number of units required for a major must be completed at Roanoke College. After a student has registered with Roanoke College, degree credit will be granted only for elective courses and, in exceptional cases, up to a total of two units in the student’s major or minor or concentration taken at another institution. Approval for courses taken in the major, minor, or concentration must be obtained in advance from the departmental chairperson and the Registrar. Approval will not be granted for courses previously failed at Roanoke College. Credit will be granted for work in which a grade of "C-" or higher has been earned; transfer grades will neither appear on the Roanoke College transcript nor be used in calculation of the cumulative or major grade point average. Exceptions to these policies may be made in extenuating circumstances as approved by the Panel on Admissions, Readmissions, and Appeals.

Through long-standing, consortial agreements with Hollins University and Wagner College, Roanoke College will grant academic credit for courses appropriate to a Roanoke College program, including grades and quality points, to those regular students who, with the approval of the appropriate advisor or departmental chairperson and the Office of the Registrar, enroll in a course at either institution, assuming that the courses concerned are not currently available to the student through Roanoke College.

There are additional conditions and limitations on transfer credit for persons seeking a second degree. (See "The Second Bachelor’s Degree" section.)

Degree credit will not be granted to a student for courses taken at any institution when the student is in a status of suspension or expulsion from Roanoke College or from any other college or university.

Units and Credit for Courses

Most regular courses carry one unit of credit, though some offer only one-half unit of credit. Research and honors projects may be taken for either one or one-half unit of credit. Applied music, music ensembles, physical education activities and theatre workshops carry one-quarter unit of credit. Co-Curricular Learning and Service carries one eighth unit of credit per term. The College recommends that a unit be considered the equivalent of four semester hours for transfer purposes.

Classification

The classification of students is determined according to the number of units earned. Classification as a freshman means a student has earned fewer than eight units.

Classification as a sophomore requires a minimum of eight units earned; as a junior, a minimum of 16 units earned; and as a senior, a minimum of 25 units earned. The determination will be made at the end of each term.

System of Grading

GRADES AND QUALITY POINTS

Student work is graded according to the following scale:

LETTER GRADE QUALITY POINTS PER UNIT

A ............................................................... 4.0
A- .............................................................. 3.7
B+ ............................................................. 3.3
B ............................................................... 3.0
B- .............................................................. 2.7
C+ ............................................................ 2.3
C ............................................................... 2.0
C- .............................................................. 1.7
D+ ............................................................ 1.3
D ............................................................... 1.0
D- .............................................................. 0.7
F ................................................................ 0

P (Work passed under pass/fail) Not Assigned
W (Withdrawal from a course prior Not Assigned to the beginning of the ninth week of the term.
 

The grade designation "W" will not be counted as a unit attempted and will therefore not affect the
student’s cumulative grade point average.)

WP (Withdrawn from course passing) Not Assigned
WF (Withdrawn from course failing) 0
DP

(Involuntarily withdrawn from Not Assigned course passing)

DF (Involuntarily withdrawn from 0 course failing)
XF (Dismissed from course for 0 violation of academic integrity)

In addition to the above grades, the following notations are used in reporting temporary term grades, but these notations do not become a part of the student’s permanent record:

"IN" represents incomplete and indicates that the student has not completed, for valid reason approved by the instructor, the work of the course. The incomplete work must be submitted to the instructor not later than two weeks after the beginning of the next term, including the Summer session, at which time the instructor will assign the final course grade. Grades of "IN" are not included in determining a student’s grade point average. When the "IN" is converted to a permanent grade, the student’s GPA will be recalculated.

"SP" is recorded by authorization of the Office of the Registrar for the student who is under the care of a physician at the time of the final examination or who has not completed the work of the course by reason of extended illness. Written verification by the physician is necessary to receive an "SP." The work of the course must be completed before the end of the next term. At the beginning of each term in which a student does not enroll, the grade of "SP" must be renewed by submission of a physician’s statement and be approved by the Office of the Registrar.

Students who have received either an "IN" or an "SP" and who fail to complete their work will be immediately subject to the rules of academic discipline (warning, suspension, expulsion) which would have applied when the original course should have been completed.

A student who is absent from a final examination without valid reason will receive a "zero" on the examination. If there is a valid reason for the absence, the grade of "SP" or "IN" may be given.

"NG" represents no grade and indicates that the instructor does not submit, at the time grades are due, a final grade. A grade of "NG" is recorded in consultation with the Office of the Registrar. An "NG" must be converted to a final grade by the end of the next term, including the Summer session.

The "WP,""DP,""WF," and "DF" reflect the grade in the course as of the date of official withdrawal. The grade designation "WP" or "DP" will not be counted as a unit attempted and will therefore not affect the student’s cumulative grade point average. A "WP" is recorded only if a student officially withdraws from the College through the Office of the Registrar. In each case that the grade designation "WF" or "DF" is assigned, the course will be considered as a unit, or partial unit, attempted and will be considered an "F" in the computation of the cumulative grade point average.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE

The cumulative grade point average is determined by dividing the sum of the student’s quality points by the sum of the units attempted, excluding grades that do not carry a unit attempted.

PASS/FAIL ELECTIVE OPTION

The primary purpose of the pass/fail elective option is to encourage students to explore an unfamiliar academic area without fear of lowering their cumulative grade point average.

In addition to internships, theatre workshops, co curricular activities and other courses that must be taken on a pass/fail basis, students may complete one elective course on a pass/fail basis. The pass/fail elective course, taken on a pass/fail basis, cannot be in the same academic discipline as the major, minor or concentration nor can it be a required course for the major, minor or concentration which is outside the discipline. In addition, the course may not be one of a group from which courses may be taken to satisfy major, minor or concentration requirements. No course satisfying a core requirement can be taken on a pass/fail basis.

One course completed on this basis may be offered as a part of the 33 units (excluding the two one quarter unit physical education activities) required for the degree, but if passed will not be used to determine the cumulative grade point average. Courses failed will be charged as courses attempted in determination of the cumulative grade point average. At least 30 of the 33 academic units used to meet degree requirements must be taken for a letter grade. Courses failed will be charged as courses attempted in determination of the cumulative grade point average.

If a major, minor, or concentration is declared at some future time in an academic discipline for which the pass/fail course is part, the "pass" grade will be converted back to the original grade submitted.

Students seeking a second degree may not exercise the pass/fail elective option for elective courses but may enroll in courses which are automatically graded on a pass/fail basis.

Special (non-degree-seeking) students may exercise the pass/fail elective option, but are advised not to do so in any course which they may want to apply toward core requirements, major, minor, or concentration credit should they become degree-seeking students.

Requests for pass/fail may only be submitted to the Office of the Registrar prior to, and during, the add period for the particular course. If a student has performed well in a pass/fail elective course being taken on a pass/fail basis, the student may submit a written request to the Office of the Registrar absolutely no later than the last day of classes for that semester to remove the pass/fail elective designation, thus reverting to having a letter grade recorded for the class. The student will then be eligible to enroll in another course using the pass/fail elective option, but a student may enroll in only one course under the pass/fail elective option in any given semester.

REPEATING COURSES

Students may repeat any course except for prerequisites for courses that have already been taken or are currently being taken. Such prerequisite courses may be repeated only with the approval of the department. All grades for courses will be reported on transcripts, but only the most recent grade for any given course will be used to compute the student’s grade point average, with the exception of grades of "XF, " which will be used in computing the grade point average. A grade of "W," resulting from a student’s withdrawal from a repeated course, will not remove a previous grade for that course, nor will courses retaken on an audit (AU) basis.

Units for a repeated course that has previously been passed will be counted only once toward graduation. A student’s academic standing, grade point average, and class ranking in any given semester will not be recalculated retroactively when a course is repeated in a later semester. Upon graduation, courses cannot be taken on a repeat basis. Transcripts will assign units attempted for each time a course is taken, but will mark repeated courses "R" to indicate that they are not to be assigned quality points or used in computing GPA.

DISMISSAL FROM A COURSE

Students who are either suspended or expelled from a course or from the College will be assigned a final grade of either "DP" or "DF" by the course instructors as of the date of dismissal if the final examination has not been completed. The only exception would be in the course in which a student has been found responsible for an academic integrity violation and received a penalty grade of "XF."

WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSES

In a regular term, if a student drops a course or withdraws from the College prior to the beginning of the third week of the term, the course is dropped from the student’s academic record. If a student withdraws from a course or from the College after the beginning of the third week but prior to the beginning of the ninth week of the term, the grade designation of "W" will be assigned. For courses that meet only a portion of the term, withdrawal rules will apply on a pro-rated basis using calendar days, counting from the first scheduled class meeting.

A student may withdraw from courses after the beginning of the ninth week of class and until two weeks before the beginning of the examination period only as a result of withdrawing from the College. A grade of "WP" or "WF" is assigned for each course.

If a student withdraws from a course or from the College after the second day and prior to the ninth class day of a May term, the grade designation "W" will be assigned by the instructor. The designation "W" will not be counted as a unit attempted and will, therefore, not affect the student’s cumulative grade point average. Withdrawal from a course or from the College within seven class days of the final examination will not be authorized except for medical reasons or other extenuating circumstances as authorized by the Registrar. If a student withdraws from a course or from the College after the second day and prior to the third week of a Summer session, the grade designation "W" will be assigned by each course instructor. The designation "W" will not be counted as a unit attempted and will, therefore, not affect the student’s cumulative grade point average. Withdrawal from a course or from the College within two weeks of the applicable final examination will not be authorized except for medical reasons or other extenuating circumstances as authorized by the Registrar.

A student may withdraw from the College for medical reasons until the beginning of the examination period. All courses are removed from the academic record in cases of medical withdrawal.

(Please see "Dismissal from a Course" for information regarding involuntary withdrawals.)

Any drop or withdrawal from a course or the College must be authorized by the Office of the Registrar and must be made in writing. Withdrawal forms are available in the Office of the Registrar. Students considering withdrawal from the College are expected to meet with the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs.

GRADE REPORTS

A report on unsatisfactory progress in courses ("D" or "F" grades only) is made approximately midway through the Fall and Spring terms for all students other than freshmen. Midterm reports for freshmen are published using letter grades ("A," "B," "C," "D," "F") for all courses. All midterm reports are considered advisory to the student and are not made part of the permanent record. Upon completion of Fall, Spring, May, and Summer terms, student grade reports are available through the WebAdvisor option on the Roanoke College Webpage.

CLASS RANK

A ranking of students by class is compiled at the end of the Fall and Spring terms. It is based upon the cumulative grade point average of each student. Grades earned in non-credit courses and pass/fail courses are not considered in determining class rank (unless the pass/fail course is failed).