K. Grading

The essential purpose of grades is to differentiate accurately and appropriately among the students as to their achievement in course work.

2. Seriousness in Grading ^*

* Students have the right to appeal final grades, academic or cooperative education determination under certain circumstances. For specific criteria and procedures, please consult the current undergraduate and graduate or University College Student Handbook as appropriate.

In order to avoid embarrassment to himself or herself and to the University, an instructor should exercise great care in determining the final grades of students, for often a great deal may be at stake. When he/she has once submitted a grade to the Registrar, the grade is expected to remain as he/she originally submitted it. No change is to be made by him/her without good cause, and such changes must be approved by the department head and submitted on a special change-of-grade card which is obtained from the Office of the Dean.

No grades or scores arrived at by allowing students to grade their own or each other's papers shall enter into the computation of the final grade which is assigned a student in any course.

(This rule does not apply to work for an instructor by an approved student assistant).

3. Grading System

A student's grade is officially recorded by letter. The following grades, listed with their numerical equivalents, are used.^*

* Begun in September of 1980 by resolution of the Faculty Senate, May 7, 1979 for undergraduate, School of Engineering Technology and University College students. For the graduate school grading and Law School student evaluation systems, please consult the individual school catalogues.

A	Outstanding	4.0	B-		2.667	D+		1.333	
A-			3.667	C+		2.333	D       Poor	1.0	
B+			3.333	C  Satisfactory	2.0	D-		0.667	
B	Good		3.0	C-		1.667	F     Failure	0.0	

Individual faculty members may choose not to use the plus and minus designations. If they elect to use the whole letters only, they must announce this to the class at the beginning of the quarter.

When a numerical equivalent is used in figuring a scholastic average, it is weighted on the basis of the number of credit hours carried by the course in which the letter grade was given. For example, a grade of "A" in a course carrying three credit hours is weighted at 12. A grade of "C" in a course carrying two credit hours is weighted at 4. The numerical equivalent for both courses would be 12 plus 4 divided by 5, or 3.2.

Freshmen who are taking a full academic program and who have a weighted average for the year below 1.4 will not be permitted to register for advanced work. Upperclass students should consult the Student Handbook to ascertain the level of continuing achievement required of them by the faculty of their college.^*

* For specific information on college retention minimum averages at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, consult the current applicable Student Handbook.

An "I", or "X" (Incomplete), grade is used to show that the student has not completed the course requirement.

The current policy for the "W" grade is as follows:

a. Course withdrawals will be permitted through the second week of the quarter, without any grade recorded on the record.

b. Course withdrawals anytime during the third through the eighth week of the quarter will be indicated by a "W" posted to the record.

c. After the eighth week of the quarter, no withdrawals will be accepted for any reason. At this point, a letter grade will be posted to the record.

An official University grade report is mailed to each student at the end of each quarter.

Commencing with grades given in the fall quarter of 1979, the University policy shall be that "I" grades outstanding for twelve or more months shall remain permanently and irreversibly as an "I" grade on all records. ^*

* Approved by the Faculty Senate, June 9, 1979.

4. Clearing Incompletes and Grade Changes

Beginning with the Fall 1986 quarter, no grade can be changed after one year. This expands the one-year limit policy for "I" grades to include all grade changes. Any exception to the policy on change of grades must be recommended by the Academic Standing Committee of the college in which the course was offered.

For the student's protection, a form, in triplicate, will be available through the college Dean's Office for which the precise arrangement for the clearance of an "I" grade can be specified and then signed by the instructor and the student. One copy will be retained by the student, one will be left with the instructor, and one will be filed with the Dean of the student's college. With the adoption of the new form, it will no longer be necessary for faculty members to take the initiative in filing an "I" Grade Report Form for each incomplete given. The new form contains essentially the same information.

Any exception to this policy on incomplete grades must be recommended by the Academic Standing Committee of the college in which the course was offered, and must be forwarded in writing by the Dean to the Registrar for implementation.

* Approved by the Faculty Senate, November 23, 1981.

5. Clearing Failures

Each college's faculty decides for its own students the method of clearing failures.

6. Posting of Grades

University legal counsel advises that the public posting of a student's name and grade is a violation of the Buckley Amendment (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) which does not allow disclosure of recorded data or information without the individual's written consent.

Instructors posting grades in public areas should use a pre-determined code. Although we recognize some inconvenience to the faculty member does result, we urge continuation of posting, a service which students find extremely helpful.

Though Social Security numbers can be thought of as "personal identifiers" under the law, and use of that number is widespread at the University, the public use of such numbers for the purpose of posting grades is permissible because student access to such numbers has been limited in the Registrar's public-access files.

7. Pass/Fail System

The University adopted a pass-fail system beginning with the fall quarter of 1969. The individual colleges will publicize the applications and limitations of this system as they apply to their students. The general plan is outlined below as adopted by the University.

a. The System

1) Any student not on academic probation may, beginning in quarter four, register for one pass/fail course per quarter in accordance with Sections 2 and 3, below, if permitted by the college in which the student is enrolled. Freshmen and upperclass students may take a one-quarter-hour course in Physical Education on a pass/fail basis in any quarter. For upperclass students, enrollment in these one-credit-hour courses does not prevent students from also electing an additional four-quarter-hour course on a pass/fail basis.

2) Such courses will normally be restricted to freely chosen electives outside the major field of specialization, so that no part of the specifically prescribed curricula will be affected. However, in cases where the pass/fail system of grading appears pedagogically sound for required courses within a program, nothing contained in this provision shall hinder a college faculty from adapting such a plan to its specific needs.

3) Individual faculty members may determine whether or not any courses offered by them may be taken on the pass/fail system of grading, except in those cases where, because of multiple sectioning, uniformity is necessary. In such cases, the decision concerning the use of the pass/fail system of grading must be devolved upon the department and/or college faculty directly offering the course.

4) The grades recorded on the basis of the pass/fail system of grading will not figure in the computation of the QPA.

5) Satisfactory completion of the work in all courses taken on the pass/fail system of grading will be designated on the transcript by the letter "S". Unsatisfactory work will be designated on the transcript by the letter "U". Any unsatisfactory grade must be handled according to the existing policy of the University, but must never be cleared through the election of the same course on the basis of the pass/fail system of grading, except where this system is the only one used by the college for grading the course.

6) An Incomplete in a course taken on the pass/fail basis will be designated by the letter "X" on the transcript and must be treated according to the normal procedure for Incomplete grades.

1) Students wishing to use the pass/fail system of grading for a course must meet all prerequisites for such a course.

2) Students have until the end of the second week of the quarter to declare to the instructor their intent to receive a pass/fail grade; however, this deadline may, at the option of the instructor, be extended to the end of the eighth week.

All end-of-quarter grades are final grades. Shortly before the end of each quarter, grading sheets will be delivered to each departmental office for distribution to its faculty. Each faculty member is then responsible to report his/her final grades to the Registrar's Office no later than five calendar days after the final examination has been given, with the exception of final examinations which are given on Friday which are due by Tuesday at noon.^* Failure to turn in final grades in a timely fashion may result in withholding of pay and/or other disciplinary sanctions.

* Faculty of the School of Law are required to hand in grades and written evaluations no later than forty-five days after the last day of the examination period for upper-level courses and sixty days for first-year courses provided that in the Spring Quarter grades for graduating third year students are due at least two days before the date of graduation.

9. Dean's List

An Honors or Dean's List, issued at the end of each quarter, contains the names of students who have a 3.25 weighted average or higher with neither an "I" grade nor a grade below "C". A student who is on any form of probation, who is enrolled in a course on a pass/fail basis (except where there is no alternative or where required by the program), or who is not carrying a full load as determined by his or her college will not be eligible.

Dean's List			3.25-3.49
Dean's List with High Honor  	3.50-3.74
Dean's List with Highest Honor  3.75-4.00

Each college's faculty, at the annual June faculty meeting, determines those students who will graduate with honors.

Cum laude		3.25 or better
Magna cum laude  	3.50 or better
Summa cum laude  	3.75 or better

* Adopted by Basic College Administrative Committee, December 21, 1971.

a. Nature of Credit Courses

Academic credit is awarded students for study at Northeastern University under certain clearly defined conditions.

In essence, credit work is simply a planned sequence of learning which is organized as a discrete University course, assigned a course number and name, and recorded along with an appropriate grade in the permanent records of the University. It may, or may not, be used to satisfy requirements of an existing University degree. In some cases it may be a supplementary elective course which is outside minimum degree requirements of an established degree program.

Courses are eligible for credit if they are taught by the faculty of an instructional unit of the University designated by the Trustees as authorized to offer a degree program or to offer credit courses in a specialized area. Courses may also be offered for credit if they are officially endorsed by vote of an appropriate degree-granting college faculty.

b. Determination of Amount of Credit

The amount of credit to be awarded a course is determined by the dean or director of the school or college, on recommendation of the department chairperson and faculty members involved. The number of credit hours assigned to a course must be published in advance in appropriate catalogues, curriculum sheets, course schedules, and elective course listings so that the information is available to students at registration time. Except for typographical errors, there can be no alteration of the credit hours assigned to a course once the students have enrolled and the course has begun.

Credit hours are assigned to a course, based on the established educational standard that one credit hour is equal to approximately three hours of student learning time per week over a period of a quarter, semester, or term. (Usually one hour of lecture or discussion, plus two hours of individual study outside of class.) When much individual study is involved, as in directed study courses, certain graduate courses, etc., each additional hour of credit should represent at least three hours of student work. Since Northeastern University operates on a quarter calendar, its credit hours are quarter hours. A quarter hour is evaluated at 3/4 of a semester hour.

Faculty members should attempt to plan course requirements so that the total work load of the student is, on an average, equal to the credit-hour rating of the course.

c. Recording of Credit Courses

The Registrar of the University maintains the academic record for all course work registered for at the University, subject to the following regulations:

1) The individual must be properly enrolled as a student at Northeastern.

2) The student must have properly registered in the course.

3) The course designation (number and name) must have been given prior approval by the University Registrar.

4) The course grade must be submitted by an instructor, designated by the department chairperson or school director, as responsible for teaching the course.

5) The course grade shall reflect the evaluative judgment of an official member of the instructional staff, a person legally appointed by the President (or his/her authorized representative) as an officer of instruction at Northeastern University.

6) In form, the credit entry shall include reference to the number and the name of the academic course, the evaluative letter grade, and an indication of the number of credit hours associated with the course.

A recorded grade may normally be altered only by action of the faculty member responsible for the initial grade. If an error in calculation or evaluation is brought to the instructor's attention, or if missing work is submitted with the instructor's permission, he/she may alter the recorded grade by filing an appropriate change with the registrar. Such changes should be made within a reasonable time and, except under extraordinary circumstances, not more than one calendar year following the date of original entry. Changes after a year can be made only with the consent of the Academic Standing Committee of the college in which the course resides. In unusual circumstances, such as when the original faculty member has left the University, a change of grade may be initiated by the department chairperson responsible for the course and with the concurrence of the dean of his/her college.

When such a change of grade is initiated, the faculty member must be notified in writing and may appeal the grade change to his/her faculty colleagues within the department.

Under no circumstances may a record be altered to delete a valid course entry, once a recorded grade has been posted.

e. Recording of Credit Work Outside Undergraduate Day Colleges

With prior approval of the academic dean of the undergraduate college in which the student is enrolled, he or she may enroll in credit courses offered in University College, the Division of Continuing Education, or one of the Graduate Schools of the University. Credits and grades earned outside undergraduate day colleges may be entered on the student's permanent record, but may not count toward degree requirements unless specifically approved by the Academic Standing Committee of the college.

f. Transfer of Credits

With approval of the dean of the college in which a student is enrolled, degree credits may be allowed for academic work done at other institutions. Letter grades are transferred into the permanent record for course work outside of Northeastern University only in rare instances and at the discretion of the Academic Standing Committee of the college concerned. One exception to this is permitted in the procedure for making up failures by enrolling in an approved course at another institution. When a grade of "C" or higher is obtained in such make-up work, the Academic Standing Committee of the College will usually authorize the Registrar to record a grade of "C" with a 2.0 quality point assigned in place of the grade of "F".

g. Credit by Examination

Degree credit may be allowed on presentation of evidence of satisfactory accomplishments in special subject-matter examinations administered by the Educational Testing Service and the College Entrance Examination Board (Advanced Placement Examinations and the College Level Examination Program). Such credits will be recorded on the student's record by the Registrar, when evaluated and approved by the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled.

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