The request to add the WE grade type for graduate students

Date: February 4, 2016
To: The Graduate School
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: January 18, 2016
Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Spring 2016

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.

Catalog Copy

Grades

Letters are used to designate the quality of student academic achievement.

Grade of I (Incomplete)

The grade of I is assigned at the discretion of the instructor when a student who is otherwise passing has not, due to circumstances beyond his/her control, completed all the work in the course. The missing work must be completed by the deadline specified by the instructor, but no later than 12 months. If the I is not removed during the specified time, a grade of U as appropriate is automatically assigned. Time extensions for the completion of an I beyond one year cannot be approved except by a Graduate Academic Petition to the Graduate School under extraordinary circumstances. The grade of I cannot be removed by enrolling again in the same course, and students should not re-enroll in a course in which they have been assigned the grade of I.

Grade of IP (In Progress)

The grade of IP is based on coursework for courses that extend over more than one semester. For example, a course that requires enrollment for two consecutive semesters would be eligible for an IP grade in the first term (i.e., Certificate Project, Master’s Thesis, Master’s Project, Doctoral Dissertation, etc.). The grade in the second term is also awarded for the course in the first semester. A grade of IP should not be given for coursework to be completed in one given term. It cannot be substituted for a grade of I. For a student in good standing in a certificate program, an IP grade expires after four years, and if no final grade has been awarded by that time, the IP grade will default to a grade of N (no credit). For a student in good standing in a master’s degree program, an IP grade expires after six years, and if no final grade has been awarded by that time, the IP grade will default to a grade of N (no credit). For a student in good standing in a doctoral program, an IP grade expires after eight years, and if no final grade has been awarded by that time, the IP grade will default to a grade of N (no credit).

Grade of W (Withdrawal)

No grade will be given for a course dropped on or before the last day to drop a course without record. After this period, a student is permitted to withdraw from a course with a grade of W. The deadline to withdraw from one or more courses (including withdrawing from all courses) is 60% of the way through the term, which for Fall or Spring semesters is during the 9th week. The precise date for each term is published in the Academic Calendar. After this deadline, withdrawal is only allowed for approved extenuating circumstances. Unsatisfactory academic performance itself is not an extenuating circumstance. The date of withdrawal is determined when the “Withdrawal” notification is received by the Office of the Registrar. The grade of W is posted on the academic transcript.

Grade of WE (Withdrawal for Extenuating Circumstances)

After the deadline to withdraw from a class, a student may, in certain circumstances, request to withdraw from his or her coures based on an extenuating circumstance (i.e. a medical emergency, a death in the family, or other serious event.) The student must provide documentation to support his/her request. WE requests are submitted through the Office of the Dean of Students. If approved, a grade of WE is noted on the student’s transcript.