GRADING AND QUALITY POINT CALCULATIONS

The following grading system is used by the faculty:

**An "X" symbol on a student's grade report means "no grade given."  The "X" symbol must be removed from the student's record by the end of the next semester of enrollment or it will automatically be converted to an "F."  If an "X" is awarded during a student's last semester and the course is not required to graduate, the "X" symbol will remain permanently on the student's record.

SPECIAL GRADES

INCOMPLETE GRADES (I)

        The assignment of incomplete grades is the prerogative of the individual faculty member, under circumstances permitted by the University administration.

        An incomplete grade is granted only when extenuating circumstances prevent students from completing the course requirements within the regular time period.  Faculty also reserve the right to set any deadline for the completion of incomplete work: however, students receiving an incomplete grade will have a maximum of 12 months after receiving the incomplete to finish all course work and receive a change of grade.  If a faculty member does not submit a grade change card within 12 months, regardless of whether or not the student attends the University, the grade will automatically convert to an "F."

    I - Incomplete - Students will receive no credit for an "I" grade.  If, however, the incomplete grade is resolved by the close of the following semester and a passing grade is received, the credits will be counted.

        The last grade earned is always used in calculating the QPA.  If the student failed the course the first time but passed it the second time, the appropriate number of credits will be received after the second attempt.  If, however, the student passed the course the first time, repeats it in an attempt to improve the QPA but receives a failing grade, the appropriate number of credits will be deducted from the cumulative credits earned total.  Maximum hours earned for any course cannot exceed the number of credits listed for that course in the catalog.

GRADE REPORTING POLICY

        In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (Buckley Amendment), a final grade report addressed to the student is sent to the home address at the close of each semester.  Final grades are sent to the parents of students who complete a "grade release" form in the Office of Academic Records and Summer School.  

        Additionally, at mid-semester a report for all freshmen and those upper-class students who have less than satisfactory grades ("D" and "F") is sent to the student's local/campus address.  Mid-term grades are also sent to the parents of students who complete a "grade release" form.  

        Students with outstanding financial obligations (examples:  library fines, bookstore balances) will not have official transcripts released by the University.

ACADEMIC STANDING

I.  Good Academic Standing results when a student's cumulative quality point average is 2.0 ("C") or higher.

DEAN'S LIST

        The Dean's Scholarship List is published each semester.  To attain the Dean's List, students must earn a minimum QPA of 3.5 while attempting and earning at least 12 graded new (not repeated) credits for the semester.  The student's cumulative QPA must be at least 2.0.  Repeated courses and Pass/No Credit courses will not be computed into the 12 credit hour minimum.  The Office of University Relations will submit names of these students to their hometown newspaper for publication.  During the Academic Honors Convocation, these students will be formally presented to the University community.  No Dean's List is computed during the summer terms.  (SEE THE UNIVERSITY CATALOG FOR ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT RECOGNITION ACTIVITIES).

II.  Academic Probation results when a student's cumulative quality point average falls below 2.0 or a student earns less than a 1.0 in any given semester and has at least a 2.0 cumulative QPA.

III. Academic Suspension will occur as a result of any of the following conditions:

        1.  Earning a QPA of less than 1.0 for any given semester after the first semester and having a                 cumulative QPA of less than 2.0.

        2. Earning 90 or more semester hours (senior standing) and having a cumulative QPA less than 2.0.

        3. If the cumulative quality point average is less than 2.0 for three consecutive semesters.

        4. The following table outlines other conditions under which a student may be subject to academic                 suspension.

IV. Permanent Academic Dismissal results with the third academic suspension.  The student may appeal to the Academic Dismissal Review Board requesting a review of his/her academic history after waiting at least one academic year.

ACADEMIC STANDING:  RELATED INFORMATION

1.  Ordinarily, a first suspension is for a period of one academic term, and a second suspension is for a period of two semesters.  These semesters of suspension normally must be fall and/or spring semesters. Summer generally does not count as a semester of suspension.  Students under suspension are not permitted to register for summer classes at Slippery Rock University.  Suspension may result whenever any student incurs grade deficiencies as stipulated above in item four at the conclusion of any semester or summer session.

2.  Should you wish to attend another institution while on academic suspension or probation at Slippery Rock University, you must complete and have approved by the Dean's office a Transient Student Clearance form and comply with all regulations cited on that form.  Copies of the Transient Student Clearance form are available in the department chairperson's office, Academic Advisement, Academic Records and Summer School, and are obtainable through a telephone request.

Please contact the Director of the Academic Advisement Center, 009 Bailey Library, 724.738.2009, should you have any questions regarding these policies.

QUALITY POINT SYSTEM AND DEFICIENCY POINT CALCULATION

        Academic Standing is based not only on a prescribed quantity of work, but also on a prescribed quality of scholarship.  Letter grades are assigned "quality points" as follows:

        Quality points for a single course are calculated by multiplying the points assigned the letter grade (as above) by the number of the semester hours of the course.  Total quality points are calculated by simple adding the quality points earned in each course.  The QPA is computed by dividing the number of quality points earned by the number of semester hours attempted.

                Quality Point Average =             Total Quality Point Earned

                                                                Total Semester Hours Attempted 

        There are two kinds of QPAs: (1) semester QPA, and (2) cumulative or overall QPA.  The semester QPA is the grade average for all courses completed during the current semester.  The cumulative or overall QPA is the average of all courses completed at SRU.

Example:

Student's FIRST SEMESTER record -

credits attempted                    credits earned           quality points                QPA

        15                                              12                             27                           1.8

Student's SECOND SEMESTER record -

Course                            Letter Grade                 Semester Hours   Points      Quality Points

1. Art                                     C    (2 Qpts.)                    3       x        2                  = 6

2. History                              C     (2 Qpts.)                    3       x        2                 = 6

3. Biology                              B    (3 Qpts.)                     3       x        3                 = 9

4. Psychology                        D    (1 Qpts.)                     3       x        1                = 3

5. English                              C    (2 Qpts.)                     3       x        2                = 6

6. Library Research               C    (2 Qpts.)                     1       x        2                = 2

TOTALS                                                                       16                                      32

SECOND SEMESTER QPA = 32 (quality points)/ 16 (credits attempted) = 2.0

CUMULATIVE QPA = credits attempted                        quality points

                                            15                                            27

                                        +  16                                        +  32

                                            31                                            59

CALCULATION OF CUMULATIVE QPA:

                            59  =  1.9

                           31 

SAMPLES FOR PRACTICE:

I.  Previous Record:                   Credits Attempted       Credits Earned     Quality Points     QPA

                                                            21                                 18                          35               1.66 

            CURRENT Semester Record:

                    Biology             3 credits -     B

                    History             3 credits -     C 

                    Art                   3 credits -     C

                   Philosophy        3 credits -      F

                   Physics             3 credits -      F

                   What is the semester QPA?

                   What is the cumulative QPA?

II. Previous Record:                   Credits Attempted       Quality Earned     Quality Points     QPA

                                                            48                                 48                         120               2.5

                Semester Record:

                     Biology            3 credits -        B        

                   History             3 credits -       B

                     Art                   3 credits -       B 

                Political Science 3 credits -     B

                Philosophy        3 credits -      A

                What is the semester QPA?

                    What is the cumulative QPA?

    DEFICIENCY POINTS

        Deficient quality points are an important factor in determining a student's academic standing.  Advisors, as well as students, often have difficulty understanding what deficient quality points are and how they work.  Deficient refers to the fact that grades less than "C" or 2.0 QPA are not acceptable for good academic standing.  If the student receives less than a "C" in any course, he or she is "deficient" in quality points in that course.  If the student's semester or cumulative average is less than a C (i.e. 2.0), he or she is deficient in quality points.  The higher the number of quality points deficient, the further he or she is below a "C" average.

        A student earns 1 point each credit of a grade of "D" and 2 deficient points for each credit of a grade of "F."  The deficiency point is calculated by multiplying the point(s) assigned to the grade ("D" = 1. "F" = 2) by the number of credit hours for the course.  EXAMPLE:  Course = "D" grade  Point = 1 Credit Hours = 3 -- 1x3 = 3 Deficiency Points.

        To make up a quality point deficiency, the student must receive some grades of "B" or above while not receiving any grades of "D" or "F."  The most efficient way for the student to increase his/her QPA and reduce any quality point deficiency is to repeat courses in which one has received "Ds" or "Fs."  When the student repeats a course, only the most recent grade is used to calculate QPA; therefore, the student can remove the lower grade from QPA calculation while adding the higher to the computation.

         Whereas a 1 credit "D" created 1 deficiency point, a 1 credit "B" removes 1 deficiency point.  (Three deficiency points are removed for each new 3 credit course with a grade of "B").  Likewise, whereas a 1 credit "F" creates 2 deficiency points, a 1 credit "A" removes 2 deficiency points.  (Six deficiency points are removed for each new 3 credit course with the grade of "A").

        The impact is that a "D" and/or "F" is still recognized on the student record, but is counterbalanced by the new grades of "A" and/or "B".   

        The repeat of grade policy permits the most recently earned grade in a repeated course to be figured into the QPA calculation.  Therefore with the earned grade of "C" in a course where the first grade was a "D" or "F" only the "C" figures into the QPA.  The "D" and "F" grades still show on the student record but are not calculated into the QPA.  The most recent grade counts in the QPA calculation.  If a student initially receives a "D" grade and repeats the course and then receives an "F," the "F" calculates into the QPA.

        Deficiency quality points play a major role in determining whether or not a student is suspended or dismissed.  If you have any questions, please contact the Academic Advisement Center or Retention Services.  SEE "ACADEMIC STANDING: RELATED INFORMATION" FOR INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE ACCUMULATION OF DEFICIENCY POINTS CAN LEAD TO SUSPENSION.

Use of Summer School for Making Up Deficiency

        If a student is deficient in credits and/or QPA at the end of the academic year, he or she may use the following summer to eliminate the deficiency.  No financial aid will be provided to help defray these summer school costs.  The summer work need not be completed at Slippery Rock, but students should be aware that:

        Transient clearance must be obtained prior to taking any courses elsewhere if these credits are to be transferred back to SRU.

        Only credits transfer back to Slippery Rock, grades do not.  If the student's deficiency is in QPA, taking courses at another institution will not make up that deficiency.

        If the student chooses not to attend summer school to make up the deficiency, but opts instead to make up the deficiency during a subsequent semester, only credits successfully completed over and above the required twelve will work toward eliminating the deficiency.

ACADEMIC COMPLAINTS BY STUDENTS

    Students who have a complaint related to their academic performance should first contact the class professor.  Should the situation remain unresolved, contact the chairperson of the specific department offering the course.

    Further appeals, if deemed necessary, should be directed to the appropriate Dean and then to the Provost and VIce-President for Academic Affairs.

ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS OF GRADES EARNED

    Students receive a complimentary copy of their official transcript following graduation.  Additional copies may be obtained from the Office of Academic Records and Summer School upon a written request and payment of a $3.00 processing fee.  Students requesting that a transcript be raxed are assessed a $5.00 faxed transcript fee.  Transcripts are typically processed in 24-48 hours.  Students requesting "same day" service are limited to five transcript requests and will be charged $10.00 per transcript ($12.00 per transcript if faxed).  All requests should include a check or money order payable to SRU.  Transcripts are not released if there are outstanding financial obligations to the University.

    A student's academic transcript will indicate any disiplinary action taken that leads to separation from the University.  The notation will be removed upon expiration by action of the Vice President fpr Student Affairs.

  ACADEMIC PROGRESS FOR FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENTS

To be considered for all Title IV student financial aid programs (Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Perkins Loan, Stafford Loan, Parental Loans for Undergraduate Students, Supplemental Loan for Students, and College Work Study Program) the University requires the students to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Minimums requirements for undergraduates to meet the University's definition of academic progress for financial aid purposes are as follows:

Quantitative Standards (credits earned):

Full-time undergraduate students must complete a minimum of 24 new credits by the end of the academic year.  (three/quarter time students must complete 18 new credits;  half-time students must complete 12 new credits)

Qualitative Standards (QPA):

Students who have not completed 2 academic years or its equivalent must have at least a 1.5 cumulative QPA at the end of each academic year.

Students who have completed 2 academic years or its equivalent must have at least a 2.0 cumulative QPA at the end of each academic year.

Academic progress for Federal financial aid is measured annually in May after Spring grade processing. Undergraduate students may not receive Federal financial assistance for more than 6 years of full-time enrollment.  Credits transferred from another institution to SRU count toward the maximum time frame limits described above.

    *Half-time attendance requires 6 credits; three-quarter time, 9 credits; full-time, 12 credits.

Appeal Process for Extenuating Circumstances

If a student's aid is terminated and if the student feels that the academic deficiency is a result of extenuating circumstances (illness, injury, etc.) a written appeal may be submitted to the Academic Progress Appeal Committee, c/o Associate Director of Financial Aid.  The Committee may, if the circumstances  warrant, grant an exception to a student who does not meet the academic progress requirements.

Regaining Eligibility

A student who has been denied financial assistance due to lack of academic progress will regain eligibility at the end of the semester in which the credit and/or QPA deficiency is eliminated.

General

In order to receive Title IV assistance, a student must be making satisfactory progress regardless of whether or not he or she previously received Title IV aid.  If the student withdraws from the University during the course of a semester and chooses to accept financial aid for the semester, it will affect future eligibility as that semester will be included in the semester count used to measure academic progress.  If the student does not accept aid for that semester, it will not be counted.

All students are encouraged to review the entire academic progress policy for financial aid which is detailed on the financial aid website at www.sru.edu/pages/628.asp.  Additional information is detailed in the policy including requirements for graduate students and the impact of summer school on progress requirement.

Academic progress requirements for the Pennsylvania State Grant differ from those above for federal financial aid.  The state grant progress requirements are mailed to students with their state grant notification from the Pennsylvania Higher Education assistance Agency (PHEAA).