Credit and Grading System Policies

Grades and the Grading System

Course grades are reported using this scale:

* FN grades will no longer be assigned.
** Credits count toward graduation but not included in GPA.
*** Credits do not count toward graduation and are not included in GPA.

Explanation of Grades

A/B/C
Considered pass grades to apply toward program and credit requirements. Graduate students are allowed a maximum of six (6) semester hours of credit with the grade of C+ or C toward graduation requirements. No courses with a grade lower than C may be applied toward program requirements

D
Undergraduate students who receive D grades in general education or elective courses may apply this coursework toward fulfilling graduation requirements as long as they meet the minimum cumulative grade point average required for graduation. D grades are not acceptable for baccalaureate-level major or specialization requirements. No graduate student may apply a grade of D toward program requirements.

F
An F grade is counted as a course attempted, but it does not constitute a passing grade nor does it satisfy major or institutional requirements. Grades of F may impact financial aid or military benefits. Students should contact their advisor with questions.

FN
The university no longer awards FN grades for non-participation as of the 2013-2014 Winter-B term. Prior to the 2013-2014 Winter-B term, an FN was awarded when less than 60% of graded assignments (discussion board, mastery exercises, critical thinking assignments, etc. each counting as one (1) graded assignment) have been completed by the student. Grades of FN may impact financial aid or military benefits. Students should contact their advisor with questions.

W
A W is given when a student withdraws from a course prior to the end of the regular withdrawal period or when a student is approved for retroactive withdrawal from all courses in a term. Grades of W may impact financial aid or military benefits. Students should contact their advisor with questions.

WA
A WA is recorded when the student is administratively withdrawn from a course due to non-attendance. Grades of WA may impact financial aid or military benefits. Students should contact their advisor with questions. (WA grade notation effective Fall-A 2016.)

I
A grade of I is recorded at the end of the term when a student is granted an extension of time to complete coursework. The incomplete will be replaced by the grade earned at the end of the extension period.

S
A grade of S is available only for certain approved courses and is defined as coursework at 70.0% percent or higher.

U
A grade of U is available only for certain approved courses and is defined as receiving less than 70.0%.

Grade Point Average Computation

Cumulative grade point average is calculated by dividing quality points earned by the number of attempted credit hours. Quality points are computed by multiplying the quality point value by the number of credit hours of the course. A student’s term GPA is calculated by dividing the number of quality points by the number of credits attempted within the term. Final GPA calculations are carried to two decimal points and are not rounded up.

Earned grades of S, U, W, and I are not computed in the GPA. Only CSU Global credits are used for the purpose of computing a student’s GPA.

Grade Appeal Process

Each CSU Global course clearly defines the instructional objectives of the course at the beginning of each term and provides guidelines for evaluating student achievement in a manner consistent with the stated objectives. Students are responsible for maintaining standards of academic performance established for each course in which they are enrolled. Instructors are responsible for determining and assigning final course grades. Course assignments, discussions, and other graded materials used when evaluating a student’s achievement will be available to the student for inspection and discussion. Prior to considering a grade appeal, students are expected to discuss course-related questions or concerns with their instructor directly so that the instructor has the opportunity to work with the student to seek resolution. Students are also expected to contact their student success counselor as soon as questions or concerns arise so that administration has an opportunity to help facilitate immediate resolution prior to the end of the course.

If direct communication with faculty and staff does not bring satisfactory resolution and the student feels that institutional standards and policies have not been upheld, an appeal of the instructor’s grading decision may be made. The burden of proof rests with the student to demonstrate the grade assigned for the course was made on the basis of any of the following conditions:

• A grading decision was made on some basis other than performance and other than as a penalty for academic dishonesty.
• A grading decision was based on unreasonably different standards from those applied to other students.
• A grading decision was based on a substantial, unreasonable, or unannounced departure from the course objectives and assignments.

Appeals which do not demonstrate that grading was made on the basis of one of these conditions will be dismissed. The student must submit the grade appeal request, including all supporting documentation, within three (3) weeks after the final grade is recorded. Appeal requests are submitted in the Student Portal. Grades shall be considered final if no appeal is filed within this time.

Upon receiving a grade appeal request and supporting documentation, the Office of Student Affairs will forward the appeal to the Program Chair (or designee) who oversees the faculty member. The Program Chair will make a determination and the student will be notified of the determination within two (2) weeks of appeal’s initiation. Grade appeal determinations will include one of the following recommended actions:

• Lowering the original grade(s) in accordance with the grading review.
• Confirming and upholding the original grade(s) from the instructor.
• Raising original grade(s) in accordance with the grading review.

If the decision is made to deny the appeal and uphold the original grade, the student may appeal the decision to the Provost or designee, who will appoint a review panel consisting of other faculty and Program Chair(s) not involved in the original appeal. The appeal, with supporting documentation, must be filed within two (2) weeks of the receipt of the original decision. The review panel may request additional information as determined necessary. The panel will review the submitted documentation and recommend one of the following actions:

• Lowering the original grade(s) in accordance with the grading review.
• Confirming and upholding the original grade(s) from the instructor.
• Raising original grade(s) in accordance with the grading review.

No later than three (3) weeks from the filing of the appeal with the Provost or his/her designee, the student will be notified of the final decision.

Incomplete (I) Grade Guidelines

CSU Global courses are offered in an eight (8) week accelerated format. While Late and Incomplete Policies are designed to recognize that obstacles can arise, it is imperative that students stay on pace and meet submission deadlines in order to successfully complete their course work. A student may request an incomplete grade by submitting a completed Incomplete Form to their instructor by midnight MST on Sunday, the last day of class, including the reason for the request. If approved, the faculty member must submit the approved Incomplete Request Form to the Office of the Registrar by the Thursday after the last day of the course, when final grades are due. Incomplete grades will be evaluated by the original instructor.

The link to Incomplete Grade Request eform may be found in the Documents Center of the student’s portal.

Incomplete Request Submission Deadline

Students must have completed and submitted the Incomplete Request Form to the course instructor with the reason for the request by midnight MST on Sunday, the last day of class, for it to be considered. Incompletes are awarded based on instructor discretion after a student meets the below eligibility criteria.

If approved, the instructor must review and submit the Incomplete Request Form to the Office of the Registrar by the Thursday after the last day of the course, when final grades are due.

Eligible Assignments

Un-submitted critical thinking, un-submitted mastery exercises, and un-completed discussion assignments from the first five (5) weeks of class fall outside of submission requirements as defined by the Late Policy and will not be included in an incomplete contract. Critical Thinking, Portfolio Milestone, and Portfolio Projects from modules 6-8 may be subject to a 10% late penalty if submitted more than 7 days after original due date.

Student Eligibility

A grade of I (incomplete) may be awarded to a student who:

• Is requesting to submit incomplete work from weeks 6-8 only; which may include the portfolio project, critical thinking exercises from weeks 6 and 7, and mastery exercises from weeks 6-8. All other work falls outside the deadline standard established by the late policy and will not be considered.
• Has the potential to earn a passing score for the course based on work submitted during the first 5 weeks of class and potential points from assignments included in the request.
• Has submitted their request and the signed and completed form to the instructor by midnight Sunday, the last week of class.

Incomplete Deadlines and Final Grades

The instructor and the student shall agree to a deadline not to exceed four (4) weeks beyond the last day of the course.

Final Grade Adjustment

Instructors will update Canvas scoring and submit a Change of Grade Request form to the Registrar’s Office upon final review of all submitted incomplete work. Students who fail to meet their extension deadline will not receive additional extensions, and the final grade will be awarded based on the work submitted and the score achieved at the time of the extension deadline.

Academic Success Alert

Students with two (2) incomplete grades in any one (1) term should carefully consider waiting a term before taking new coursework to allow successful completion of all outstanding incomplete assignments.

Impact on Graduation

Students with outstanding grades of Incomplete (I) will not be cleared for graduation until all incomplete grades have been resolved. Students who have an incomplete grade at the end of their final term will not be able to graduate at the end of the month and must file a new graduation application for the month in which their work will be completed.

Repeating Courses for Credit

If a student (undergraduate or graduate) does not receive a passing grade for a course, they may repeat the course one time per course (tuition rates apply). Only the grade and credit for the most recent attempt will be used in calculating the student’s total hours earned and total cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Withdrawal grades do not replace a previous letter grade earned (A through F) in the CGPA calculation. The original graded attempt and any subsequent failed attempts will still be listed on the student’s transcript. Undergraduate students are discouraged from repeating courses in which a grade of C or higher has been earned. Graduate students may be required to repeat a course in which a grade of C was earned to maintain a 3.00 cumulative grade point average and/or meet institutional degree requirements. At the graduate level, a maximum of six (6) semester hours of credit with the grade of C+ or C may apply toward graduation. No courses with a grade lower than C may be applied toward program requirements. For both undergraduate and graduate students, failure to successfully complete a repeated course may jeopardize graduation, as additional retakes may not be approved.

If the student is required to repeat a course for a third time, they must be approved by their Student Success Counselor or a recognized CSU Global Committee, and are expected to be in good standing, or making adequate progress, or have a path toward a return to good standing in order to be considered for approval. An approved Provost Appeal or approval from a recognized CSU Global Committee will be required for a student to attempt a course beyond the third repeat attempt since no course substitutions for graduation requirements will be made if a student fails to successfully complete a course on the third attempt.

Federal Financial Aid students who have previously received a passing grade in a course will only be eligible to receive financial aid funds for one repeat per course. For financial aid purposes, per the Federal Financial Aid program, grades of D or higher are considered passing. Financial aid students should contact Student Financial Services for more information.

All transcripts contain appropriate indications that the course has been repeated and the grade point average has been recomputed.

Transcripts of Credit

Official transcripts are issued by the Office of the Registrar at the written and signed request of the student.

All accounts with CSU Global must be settled before an official transcript can be issued. Official transcripts on file from other institutions cannot be relinquished. Students may request a copy of their transcript through their Student Portal. Official transcripts on file from other institutions cannot be relinquished. Students may request a copy of their transcript using the Transcript Request Form; no email, fax, or mail requests will be honored.

CSU Global is a regionally accredited university; however, the amount of transferable credit accepted by other institutions is at their sole discretion.

How to Order CSU Global Transcripts

Students may print unofficial transcripts from their Student Portal. To order an official transcript, students must submit a request through their Student Portal. Students who are unable to submit the request through the portal should contact the Office of the Registrar with questions. Verbal, email, and mail transcript requests are not accepted. During busy periods, transcripts may not be immediately available.

Mailing of Transcripts

CSU Global’s preferred delivery method is electronic delivery. Official transcripts can be accessed via a secure server by anyone, anywhere once an email address is supplied. For additional information, contact Registrar@CSUGlobal.edu.

Grade Availability

Grades are due from faculty approximately one (1) week after each term ends, and will be available on transcripts once they are finalized.

Unit of Credit

The unit of credit is the semester hour. Credit earned in an 8-week intensive online course is designed to be equivalent to credit earned in a 16-week semester-long course. The assignment of semester credit is based on requirements set by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and corresponds to Carnegie Unit Guidelines. Students should expect to spend a minimum of 10-25 hours per week, per course, engaged in reading, interacting on the discussion boards, writing papers, completing projects, and doing research.

Retention of Academic Records

CSU Global retains student records in compliance with state and federal authorities. All records are securely maintained in an electronic format through the university’s Student Information System (CampusVue).

Admissions/Academic Records

Students who are accepted to the university will have their academic records retained for a minimum of five (5) years from their last date of attendance. Students who are denied admission will remain on file for a minimum of one (1) year from the date of the admissions decision.

Transcripts

Student transcripts will remain on file for a minimum of 75 years from the date of graduation or withdrawal.

Commencement Records

Students who have been conferred degrees from the university will permanently remain on file along with the degree requirements for their degree.

Financial aid records and other student information is retained in compliance of the associated university policies for these record types.

Classification of Students

Classification of undergraduate students is based on semester hours of credit earned as follows:

• Freshman: 0-29 credits earned
• Sophomore: 30-59 credits earned
• Junior: 60-89 credits earned
• Senior: 90+ credits earned
• Graduate students: Those who have earned a baccalaureate degree.