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Policy and Procedure Statements

G/PPS 02.12 - Grades and Changes of Grades

Grades and Changes of Grades

G/PPS No. 02.12
Issue No. 3
Effective Date: 12/13/2023
Next Review Date: 12/01/2026 (E3Y)
Sr. Reviewer: University Registrar

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to maintaining a fair and transparent grading system that accurately reflects the academic performance of our students.

  1. GRADES AND GRADING DEADLINES

    1. The following policy outlines the principles and procedures governing the assessment and assignment of grades.

    2. Grades assigned at the end of the semester are most commonly A-excellent, B-good, C-average, D-passing, and F-failing.

    3. Grading deadlines for each part of term are set by the Office of the University Registrar (OUR).

    4. An undergraduate degree may not be conferred with an I grade in the student’s record unless the course is being used toward a second degree or certificate.

  2. DEFINITIONS

    1. AU Grade – grade used when a student audits a course.

    2. CR Grade – designates satisfactory completion of a thesis course, dissertation courses, student teaching, some internship courses, a remedial course or credit by examination, and to award credit for work life experience.

    3. DA Grade – grade is used beginning fall 2014 if a student never attends class. Grade is non-punitive and is not included in grade point average (GPA), excessive hours, or repeat calculations. The OUR assigns the grade when faculty certifies the student as never attending on census class roster.

    4. EP Grade – emergency passing (EP) grade accommodation; applies during significant disruptions to academic operations created by health pandemics or natural disasters. The EP grade indicates passing credit given and counts toward attempted hours, excess hours, and repeat calculations. The EP grade does not count in GPA calculations.

    5. I Grade – conditional and temporary grade assigned when a student fails to complete a portion (e.g., final assignment or final examination) of the course for non-academic reasons beyond their control. The grade of I is not issued for student or faculty convenience. The instructor will enter the grade of I, along with the date the student last participated in an academic-related activity, which typically will be after the withdrawal deadline. The grade of I is treated as a non-punitive grade.

    6. N Grade – grade used prior to fall 2014 if a student never attended class and did not complete any assignments or tests. Grade was assigned by the instructor at the end of term.

    7. NC Grade – not completed; grade administratively assigned when a student does not complete a correspondence course within the established timeframe. The NC grade is a non-punitive grade.

    8. NR Grade – temporary grade used when a grade is not recorded or left blank during grade processing.

    9. PR Grade – temporary grade used in selected courses where the required clock hours necessary to complete the course extend beyond the regular semester or session. For remedial courses, the PR grade denotes progress in basic skills preparation.

    10. R Grades – to be used for developmental courses and are non-punitive. RF is equivalent to F, RU is equivalent to U, RN is equivalent to N, RI is equivalent to I, and RP is equivalent to PR.

    11. U Grade – grade used when a student does not complete a course (e.g., did not take a final exam, stopped attending, etc.), and fails to achieve the course objectives. For a grade of U, the instructor will enter the date the student last participated in an academic-related activity.

    12. W Grade – automatically assigned by the student information system during the automatic W period or assigned by the instructor if a student withdraws from the university and is earning a passing grade at the time of withdrawal.

    13. X Grades – are non-degree credit and used for leveling courses.

    14. Y Grades – are non-punitive and used for fresh start or bankruptcy.

  3. PROCEDURES FOR AN I GRADE

    1. The temporary grade of I is assigned when a student, for non-academic reasons beyond their control, has not completed a portion of the course. The student is expected to:

      1. be currently registered in and passing the course or have a reasonable chance of passing the course, in the judgment of the instructor;

      2. contact the instructor immediately regarding the reasons that prevented the student from completing the course, final assignment, or final examination, and request a grade of I, preferably before the end of the term. Per G/PPS No. 02.08, Schedule Changes, Drops, and Withdrawals, a grade of I may be issued when a student is called to active military duty;

      3. not re-enroll for the course in which their grade is currently recorded as an I; and

      4. make arrangements with the instructor to complete the course requirements.

    2. The only way to have a grade of I changed to a passing grade is to fulfill the course requirements in accordance with the conditions specified by the instructor. The grade of I must be changed by fulfillment of the course requirements within one year from the semester the grade of I was assigned, or a time period specified by the instructor, whichever is shorter. If the course requirements are not completed, the grade of I will be converted automatically to an F. The grade of I may be changed only to another letter grade and may not be extended beyond one year from the term in which the original grade was assigned. If the student does not complete the course requirements in the time allotted, the grade of I will convert to an F and computed in the student’s GPA. A grade of I, once changed to an F or another letter grade, may not be changed back to a grade of I.

    3. An undergraduate student cannot graduate with an I grade on their record. If the student wishes to graduate and if the course is not needed for a degree requirement, the I grade will have to be converted to an F, regardless of whether the one-year time period has passed or not. A grade change request may be submitted by no later than the end of the final examination period before the student’s graduation. If no grade change request is received, the grade of I will convert to an F and will be computed in the student’s GPA.

    4. In agreeing to award an I grade, an instructor:

      1. must report a final course grade within one year from the semester the grade of I was assigned, or it will automatically be converted to an F;

      2. may notify the student of a deadline that is shorter than one year. In this case, the instructor should complete a change of grade request via the Change of Grade Web Application when the work is completed or deadline expires; and

      3. may only change the grade of I to another letter grade. A grade of I, once changed to an F or another letter grade, may not be changed back to a grade of I.

    5. An instructor is urged to make any grade change requests, especially those involving I grades, before the next term begins. However, an instructor is permitted to request a grade change (for any letter grade other than W grade) to an I grade until the grading deadline of the next term. Note that grade changes from a passing grade to an I grade may impact a student’s federal financial aid eligibility and their eligibility to enroll in a future course (e.g., enforcement of prerequisites).

    6. Extenuating circumstances occur from time-to-time that necessitate a grade change request to an I grade after the grading deadline of the next term. In these rare instances, the grade change request to an I grade should be directed to OUR for a case-by-case evaluation.

  4. PROCEDURES FOR A PR GRADE

    1. The PR grade is a temporary, non-punitive grade given for progress in specified courses. The PR grade satisfies credit hour requirements for financial aid, residence halls, formula funding, and some other programs; however, it does not show as credit hours on the transcript and does not affect GPA. The department chair is responsible for determining courses that will be eligible for PR grades. Changes to this list must be recommended through the regular curriculum process.

    2. Department chairs are responsible for notifying instructors in which courses PR grades can be assigned.

    3. Each college dean will keep a list of courses approved for PR grades for that college on file.

    4. The PR grade procedure is used for remedial, student teaching, thesis, dissertation, and some internship courses. The student may enroll as many times as appropriate and will continue to receive a PR grade until the course is completed students. Students may enroll as many times as appropriate in thesis and dissertation courses and will continue to receive a PR grade (provided that they are making progress) until the thesis or dissertation is completed. When the course is completed or after the thesis or dissertation, a grade of CR will be awarded.

  5. PROCEDURE FOR A CR GRADE

    1. The CR grade is awarded at the end of the semester in which the student has completed the assigned work. In all other semesters in which the student has been enrolled for the course, a grade of PR will be assigned, except as noted in Section 04.04 for thesis and dissertation courses. PR grades will remain on the transcript until the thesis or dissertation is approved by The Graduate College. In the final semester, all the thesis and dissertation PR grades will be changed to CR grades.

  6. PROCEDURE FOR A W GRADE

    1. G/PPS No. 02.08, Schedule Changes, Drops, and Withdrawals, describes the circumstances under which a student may be assigned a W grade when dropping a course or withdrawing from the university.

  7. PROCEDURES FOR AN NR GRADE

    1. An NR grade will be used when a grade is not recorded or is left blank during grade processing.

    2. Once grading via the online system has concluded, the instructor must submit a change of grade request via the Change of Grade Web Application.

    3. The OUR will process the change and update the student’s record.

  8. PROCEDURES FOR CHANGE OF GRADE

    1. The change of grade procedure is used to correct errors in recording a grade, to change an incomplete grade, or to change a grade for any other valid reason. Sections 03.05 and 03.06 of this policy provide information regarding change of grade requests involving I grades.

    2. Grade change requests can be submitted up to two years after the grade was issued.

    3. Grades should not be changed once a degree has been conferred without approval of the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, or designee.

    4. All grade change requests are submitted through the Change of Grade Web Application.

    5. The grade change can be initiated by the instructor of record, departmental administrative assistant, department chair, dean delegate, or dean of the college.

    6. If the request is approved by the department chair and dean, a workflow will be sent to the OUR to process the grade change.

    7. If the request is denied, a reason must be selected from the drop-down list of denial reasons. This reason will be emailed to the student at the completion of the grade change process. The OUR will also notify the instructor, chair, and dean if a grade change request is denied based on university policy compliance issues.

    8. The OUR will process the change and update the student record. An email will be sent to the student notifying them of the grade change. If there are any problems, they will be referred to the college dean.

    9. In university declared emergencies, students are eligible to appeal for emergency passing (EP) grade accommodations.

  9. REVIEWERS OF THIS PPS

    1. Reviewer of this PPS includes the following:

      PositionDate
      University RegistrarDecember 1 E3Y

  10. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

    This PPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State Global policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

    University Registrar; senior reviewer of this PPS

    Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management

    Vice President for TXST Global