Grading System
Randolph-Macon College employs the symbols A, B, C, D and F as grades, while the symbols I, NG, S, U, W, WP, WF, and AU are used for informational purposes only but are not considered grades.
The grades are interpreted as follows:
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| A | Excellent |
| B | Good |
| C | Satisfactory |
| D | Lowest passing grade |
| F | Failure |
Instructors may append a “+” or a “-” to any one of these grades (except F).
The other symbols carry the following interpretation:
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| S | Satisfactory |
| U | Unsatisfactory |
| AU | Audit |
| I | Incomplete |
| NG | Assigned when all work has been completed but there is no grade available to report |
| W | Withdrew from course or college |
| WP | Withdrawn from college, passing |
| WF | Withdrawn from college, failing |
Only courses which are graded enter into the determination of the GPA.
AUDITS
With permission from the instructor and the student’s advisor, a student may sign up to audit a course, or may change a course from credit-bearing status to audit status, through the last day to add a course in any semester. An audited course carries no credit hours (but is counted by the business office in the fee structure). Should a student not meet the attendance and course requirements stipulated by the instructor, the instructor has the right at any point in the term to revoke audit status. Revocation of audit status must be submitted in writing to the Registrar’s Office and will result in the course being dropped from the student’s record.
INCOMPLETE GRADE
The symbol “I” is to be reported only if
- a grade is called for, but
- the student has not completed some required work
- the instructor is willing to accept that work after the final grades are due.
When an I is reported, the instructor must set a specific deadline for submission of the missing work and inform the student of that date. The date must be selected so that the instructor can report a final grade not later than 31 calendar days from the end of the final examination period. In cases where the instructor believes that more than 31 days is warranted, he or she must submit a written request for an extension to the Committee on Academic Policies, giving the reasons for an extension. If that committee grants an extension, it is the duty of the instructor to notify the student of the duration of the extension granted. Otherwise, at the expiration of the 31-day period, the Registrar is required to replace the symbol I with the grade of F.
Students will not be reviewed for academic standing (i.e., academic probation and separation) until all pending incomplete grades have been resolved. If, upon receipt of all final grades, the review results in a change to academic standing, that change will take effect at the time of review, even in cases where a student may be separated for academic deficiency following the start of the next term.
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE COLLEGE
The symbol W will be recorded when a student withdraws from the college prior to the end of the 9th week of classes in a fall or spring term or prior to the end of the 3rd week of the January term. Students who withdraw from the college after these indicated times will receive the grade of F in every course in which they are currently enrolled, unless the registrar authorizes a W. The registrar will grant such permission only in cases of illness or other compelling circumstances and only through the final day of regular classes in a semester. Grades of F are recorded on the student’s academic record, are included in the student’s GPA, and result in automatic separation from the college.
The symbols W, WP, and WF will be recorded when a student is withdrawn from the college at any point during the semester prior to when grades are awarded.
WITHDRAWAL FROM A CLASS
A student will receive a W when withdrawing from a course between the 5th and the 35th day of semester classes, or the 3rd and 10th day of January or summer term classes. Students who withdraw from a course after these indicated times will receive the grade of F in the course unless the registrar authorizes a W. The registrar will grant such permission only in cases of illness or other compelling circumstances and only through the final day of regular classes in a semester.
Students may withdraw from any course of 0 credit hours at any time through the last day of classes with no notation on the transcript. A student who does not satisfactorily complete the course, including any required work that occurs after the last day of classes, such as a final examination or culminating experience, and who fails to withdraw prior to the last day of the term, will receive a U.
SYMBOLS S AND U
The symbols S and U are used only in ungraded courses, such as zero-credit physical education courses at the 100-level, or in two-term courses for which the final grade is entered after completion of the second term. Additionally, the symbols S and U are used in the BSN program for credit-bearing clinical courses without a didactic component.
GRADE REPORTS
Grade reports, including midterm reports of unsatisfactory progress, are distributed to students through their MyMaconWeb accounts.
Grade Review
Whenever students wish to have a grade explained, they should consult the instructor in the course. In the case of a final grade, if after consultation with the instructor, students still believe that this grade was improperly awarded, they should confer with the chair of the department in which the grade was given. If, after conferring with the chair, the student still believes that the grade is not appropriate, the student may bring the matter to the Provost’s Office, who may confer with the instructor and the department chair/director. If they consider that the matter warrants further review, then they may refer the matter to the Committee on the Faculty, which may hold an investigation into the student’s allegations and make recommendations to the instructor in the course.
Statute of Limitations
Grades appearing on a student’s academic record may not be changed after one calendar year from the end of the term in which the grade was received. Final grades appearing on a student’s academic record cannot be changed after graduation.
Grade Point Average
The college assigns quality points in order to indicate the quality of the student’s work. The college uses quality points to calculate the GPA, which is referred to in recognizing superior academic achievement and in making decisions about probation and separation. Every grade is assigned a quality point weight as follows:
QUALITY POINTS PER CREDIT HOUR
| Grade | Quality Points |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.3 |
| 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 | 0.0 |
No other grade notations (W, WF, WP, AU, I, S, U) are assigned quality points.
The college calculates a cumulative GPA for every student by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of semester hours attempted in graded courses. The GPA is truncated at the hundredths place. The GPA is final upon graduation from the college.
Repeated Courses
No student may take the same course twice for credit.
A student may repeat a course in which he or she has received a grade of D+, D, D-, or F. When a course is repeated at Randolph-Macon, both the initial grade and subsequent grade(s) appear on the transcript. Credit is awarded once and only the most recent grade is computed into the grade point average. Course repeated via transfer credit will not result in change in GPA.
Certain courses are designed to be repeatable for course credit. In such cases, the repeat policy does not apply.
For nursing majors, see Department of Nursing section of the Catalog for progression and dismissal policies related to repeated courses.
Duplication of Credits
Once a student has been awarded credit for a course, either through successful completion of that course at Randolph-Macon, through transfer credit acceptance which includes dual enrollment credit, or through various credit-by-examination, the student may not receive duplicate credit for the same course through any other means.
Dean’s List
A dean’s list is produced following each fall term and spring term and is based on the student’s performance in that term. Students earn a place on the dean’s list for that term only if they were full-time; completed all of the courses in which they were enrolled; and earned a GPA of at least 3.25 with no grade lower than C-.
Work done at another institution may not be used to qualify a student for the dean’s list.