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.