Registrar: Grades & Credits

V. Grades and Credits

[A] Academic Warning At least by the mid-point of each semester, instructors shall give a written academic warning to each student who is doing failing or near failing work. A copy of this warning will be turned in to the Office of the Registrar.

[B] Change of Grade No one but the instructor of a course can give a grade in that course or change a grade once given. The change of any grade other than the I and IP must be justified in writing to the assistant to the provost.

[C] Cheating Because of the University’s commitment to academic integrity, cheating by a student in course work or examinations will result in penalties that may include assignment of a grade of F for the specific examination or project, an assignment of a grade of F for the course, or dismissal by the dean from the University. Any instance of cheating must be reported to the dean of the college or school in which the course is offered and to the dean of the college or school in which the student is currently enrolled.

[D] Grade Report A grade report (complete unofficial transcript) is mailed directly to each student at the student’s permanent address during the week following the close of each semester; the report is a complete listing of all courses taken at the University. There is a $6.00 fee for each additional copy, and $2.00 for each multiple copy requested. To have a grade report mailed to a temporary address or to a new permanent address, the student should notify the Office of the Registrar in writing. Grades will not be released or redirected over the telephone. If a student has any account balances or obligations such as tuition, library or parking fines, loans, etc., a “hold” will be placed on grade reports, transcripts, and/or diplomas until such accounts have been settled.

[E] Grading System The grading system is based upon achievement in course work attempted. The grades and honor points of this grade point average (G.P.A.) system are as follows:

Honor Points per Semester Hour Grade

In addition, the following symbols are used:

The G.P.A. is the total honor points divided by the total semester hours in which grades of A through F are received. All courses which the student does not successfully complete will be denoted on the transcript by the symbol I, IP, F, or NP.

[F] Incomplete The symbol I may be given only when no further formal instruction is needed in the course but when students, under circumstances beyond their foresight and outside their personal control, have been unable to complete some requirement of the course. The instructor is required to inform the dean in writing of these reasons. A student who receives a grade of I has one year to complete the unfinished work and receive a passing grade. Otherwise, the I automatically becomes an F.

[G] Pass/No Pass Certain courses, because of their content and scope, are graded on the pass/no pass basis. These courses are determined by the dean of the college or professional school which offers the courses involved upon recommendations of the faculty of a department or professional school. Such courses will not be subject to the regulations on student options below.

Courses that are required by the University core, college curriculum, or departmental program may not be taken pass/no pass. To fulfill the remaining credit hours for graduation, three courses may be taken pass/no pass. The student must have the approval of his/her academic advisor and dean.

Courses attempted under the pass/no pass system and completed successfully will carry academic credit, while unsuccessful performance will carry no credit but will be listed on a student’s transcript. However, neither result will be included in the computation of the grade point average. Grades assigned will include P for performance ranging from D- to A and NP for F. The instructor will not be made aware that a student is enrolled under the system.

The grades he/she submits will be translated into either a P or an NP by the registrar. Within the parameters above, one change in registration from regular status to pass/no pass or vice versa will be allowed in a given course up to two weeks after the midpoint in each semester.

[H] Repeating Courses Only courses in which a grade of C-, D+, D, D-, F, or NP has been received may be repeated at the University of Portland for academic credit. A course may be repeated only once and only the latest grade is included in the computation of the G.P.A. and the total number of credit hours required for graduation. Both courses and grades will remain on the permanent academic record, with the original course denoted by the symbol RP.

While courses repeated at the University of Portland may change one’s grade point average, equivalent courses taken at another institution, even when fulfilling University requirements, cannot be used to replace any course or grade entered on the permanent academic record, or to change ones University of Portland grade point average.

[I] Withdrawal To receive a W, a student must officially withdraw from a course in which he/she chooses not to continue. The withdrawal is effective the date it is filed in the registrar’s office, and in no instance later than the eleventh week of the semester.

Students who seek an exception from this regulation for individual courses after this deadline must meet with the appropriate department head and academic dean who will make a recommendation to the assistant to the provost in accord with Reg. XI e. In no instance will a request be considered for a late withdrawal from an individual course without academic penalty that has not been forwarded with the recommendation of the academic dean.

[J] Medical Leave of Absence Medical leave of absence is designed to allow an undergraduate or graduate student to pursue treatment for medical or psychiatric conditions, or to accommodate students too ill to complete the semester. A granted medical leave allows a student to leave school for not more than one year without subsequent financial or academic penalty. The student will have grades of W recorded for the semester. A medical leave of absence is granted at the discretion of the Office of the Provost; however, requests for a medical leave of absence originate at the University Health Center.

Grading Appeals

Students are responsible for maintaining standards of academic performance established for each course in which they are enrolled. Whenever students believe that their work has been improperly evaluated or that they have been treated in a capricious or prejudiced manner, they are expected to discuss this directly with the faculty member involved. If, after earnest inquiry, the matter remains unreconciled, the students may seek assistance through the following steps:

[A] Appeal the question to the head of the department (unless the department head is a party to the grievance).

[B] Submit the appeal to the dean of the academic college. The dean together with the department head shall take all reasonable and proper actions to resolve the question at their level.

[C] Should the aggrieved students believe that their rights were abridged at the departmental and college levels, they may file a request for review with the assistant to the provost, making clear the substance of the appeal. The assistant to the provost will consult with the dean, the department head, and faculty member in question and make a recommendation regarding the issue: that the original evaluation and decision should stand; or that there appears to have been unfair evaluation or treatment by the instructor. In the latter instance, the assistant to the provost will suggest that the instructor correct the wrong.