Grading

Student progress in a course is measured at the end of each semester in the form of a grade assigned by the course instructor based on the student’s completion of course requirements as stated in the course syllabus.  The grade for a course is officially recorded on the student’s academic transcript in the Registrar’s Office.  The student is notified of his/her final grades via the college’s web-based academic records system.  Final grades can be accessed by semester and reflect a semester grade-point average as well as a cumulative grade-point average of all work completed at Georgia Gwinnett College.  The deadlines for grade submission may be found in the academic calendar.

Grading System

Georgia Gwinnett College complies with the University System of Georgia uniform grading system.  The final grades and their definitions are as follows:

The minimum passing grade for most courses is the “D” grade.  ENGL 1101, ENGL 1102, MATH 1111 (or equivalent courses) and all Student Success courses must be passed with a minimum grade of “C.”  Courses in Area F of the Common Core as well as all courses in the student’s major must be passed with a minimum grade of “C.”

The following grade symbols will be used in the cases indicated but will not be included in computing the student’s grade-point average:

I = indicates an incomplete grade for the course due to non-academic reasons which prohibited the student from completing the requirements for a course.  The assignment of the “I” grade is at the discretion of the course instructor but should only be assigned if the student has completed satisfactory work up to the last two weeks of the semester then faced extreme personal hardships in completing the semester.  Prior to the last two weeks of the semester, the grade assigned should be “W” or “WF.”

Assignment of an “I” grade indicates that the instructor and the student have worked out a plan for completing the remaining course requirements unless otherwise stated in the incomplete contract.  The deadline for removing an “I” grade is the last day of the following semester.  If the “I” grade is not removed within the defined time period, the “I” converts to a grade of “F” and is then factored into the student’s grade-point average.  Requests for the approval of extensions must be made to the office of the dean.

IP = indicates a student has made progress in a Student Success course, but not sufficient progress to meet the requirements for the next course in the Learning Support sequence.  The “IP” grade is not included in the calculation of the student’s grade-point average.

K = indicates credit given by external examination (CLEP, AP, etc.).  The “K” grade is not included in the calculation of the student’s grade-point average.

S = indicates successful completion of the Regents’ Writing Skills course and/or the Regents’ Reading Skills course and successful completion of the corresponding Regents’ Test.  The “S” grade is not included in the calculation of the student’s grade-point average.

U = indicates unsuccessful completion of the Regents’ Writing Skills course and/or the Regents’ Reading Skills course and unsuccessful completion of the corresponding Regents’ Test.  The “U” grade is not included in the calculation of the student’s grade-point average.

V = indicates that a student was given permission to audit this course. Students may not transfer from audit to credit status or vice versa. Students may register, however, on a credit basis for a course that has previously been audited.

W = indicates that a student was permitted to withdraw without penalty.  Withdrawals without penalty will not be permitted after midsemester except in cases of hardship as determined by the Registrar.

WF = indicates withdrawal with penalty (0 quality points are factored into the grade-point average).  WF is assigned for withdrawal after midsemester (except for cases of hardship as determined by the Registrar).

WM = indicates a student was permitted to withdraw under the Board of Regents policy for military service refunds.  The use of this symbol indicates that this student was permitted to withdraw without penalty at any time during the term.

Grade Point Average

The cumulative grade point average will be calculated by dividing the number of hours scheduled in all courses attempted in which a grade of A, B, C, D, F or WF has been received into the number of grade points earned on those hours scheduled.  The cumulative grade point average will be recorded on the student's permanent record.  Institutional credit shall in no way affect the cumulative grade point average.  The grade point average is computed by multiplying the quality points earned by the credit hours of each course and dividing the total quality points earned by the total credit hours attempted.  Below is an example of the GPA computation for a 12 credit hour semester load where the grades earned were an “A”, two “B’s”, and a “C”:

3 sem hrs of B = 3 x 3 =   9 quality points

3 sem hrs of A = 3 x 4 = 12 quality points

3 sem hrs of B = 3 x 3 =   9 quality points

3 sem hrs of C = 3 x 2 = 6 quality points

12 hrs                          36 total quality points

36 quality points
12 hours attempted = 3.0 GPA

Grade Appeals

Students wishing to appeal a final grade in a course must first discuss the grade appeal with the course instructor within 30 calendar days of the assignment of the final grade. If the student still wishes to appeal beyond the discussion with the course instructor, the student may then file a grade appeal with the appropriate dean or director. The student must submit a written request along with all supporting documentation to the dean or director within 15 calendar days of the instructor’s decision. An interview with the student and/or the course instructor may be a part of the dean’s or director’s decision. If the student wishes to appeal the dean’s or director’s decision, he/she may then appeal to the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs submitting the same documentation as was submitted to the dean or director within 15 calendar days of the decision.   The decision made by the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs is binding.

Grade Changes

Errors in grades must be reported to the Office of the Registrar immediately.  In general, no grade changes will be made after the end of the next semester after the grade was assigned, except with the approval of the Dean or Director.  No requests for grade changes will be considered beyond the end of the following semester in which the grade was assigned. A petition for a grade change will not be accepted after the date of graduation.

Mid-Term Grades

Instructors will post mid-term grades to the student’s web-based academic record, but the mid-term grades do not calculate into the student’s grade point average for that semester or into the student’s cumulative grade point average.  The mid-term grade on a course is not an official grade report and therefore is not permanently recorded on the student’s academic transcript; it is a periodic evaluation of the student’s progress in a course in the middle of the semester.