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 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.)………Not Assigned
WP (Withdrawn from course passing beginning the ninth week of the term through the thirteenth week of the term.)…..Not Assigned
WF (Withdrawn from course failing beginning the ninth week of the term through the thirteenth week of the term.)………0
DP (Involuntarily withdrawn from course Passing by Conduct Board or faculty)………….Not Assigned
DF (Involuntarily withdrawn from course Failing by Conduct Board or faculty)………….0
XF (Dismissed from course for violation of academic integrity)……………….0

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, 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 grade point average.

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 with- draws 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 regard- ing 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 Associate Dean for Student Success Initiatives.

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 first-year students 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 Homepage.

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).