Grading System

In Progress Grades

In progress (IP) grades are given only for courses taken under the Independent Learning Program or special project courses requiring more than one semester to complete. An IP grade is changed to an F one year after the beginning of the term in which the course was begun. Approved IP graded courses include:

• Independent Scholarship
• Internship
• Senior Seminar
• Independent Study
• Practicum
• Student Teaching

Incomplete Grades

The student must initiate a request for an incomplete grade (I) before the end of the academic term. An incomplete (I) is a temporary grade which the instructor may choose to give a student. The assignment of an incomplete grade is only appropriate when extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as illness or necessary absence, have prevented the student from completing the course requirements at the end of the academic term. Incomplete grades are not to be given due to unsatisfactory work done in the course.

The student must have successfully completed a substantial portion of the course’s work in order to receive an incomplete grade.

The standard due date for all course work and grades will be midterm of the following semester. (Fall and Interim incomplete grades due late March; Spring and Summer incomplete grades due late October.) If an alternate date is arranged with the student and the instructor, the instructor must notify the Office of the Registrar. In no event may the due date exceed one year.

Once the due date has passed, if a Change of Grade form has not been submitted to the Office of the Registrar, the incomplete grade will automatically change to an “F”.

When a student is assigned an incomplete grade, that individual is not eligible to be included on the Dean’s List for that particular term.

Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Grading

Students at Augustana University may request to utilize the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading system as an alternative to the A-F grading system. In the S/U grading system, a grade of "S" (Satisfactory) indicates a performance equivalent to a C- or higher, while a grade of "U" (Unsatisfactory) reflects a performance of D+ or lower. A student may request the S/U grading system for a maximum of two courses graded A-F throughout their enrollment at Augustana University up to graduation. The student must be currently enrolled in and actively attending the course for which the S/U grading option is requested, and the request must be submitted before the deadline listed in the academic calendar. Students are discouraged from using this option for courses required for their major or minor, and if they want to pursue this, they must obtain departmental approval prior to submitting an S/U request for a course requirement within their major or minor.

If a student's S/U request is approved, their grading system cannot be reverted back to the A-F grading system. Instructors are not notified when a student submits an S/U request for their class and will award the student's earned letter grade during the grading period. Letter grades will be appropriately changed to an S or a U by the Registrar's Office at the end of the final grading period. Since a minimum of 12 letter-graded credit hours are required to qualify for the Dean's List, an S/U grade may disqualify a student from that list.

Grade Review and Grade Changes

Academic excellence and integrity are important to the faculty and students of Augustana University. If a student disagrees with a grade, they have the right to voice their concern. Evaluation of student work and assignment of grades on the basis of established academic criteria are the responsibility and prerogative exercised by each individual instructor. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain all documentation for his or her classes, including copies of all syllabi, assignments and grades earned.

If an instructor discovers a grading error, he or she may submit a Grade Change Form to the Office of the Registrar no later than the end of the following term. The only basis for a grade change is an error in grade assignment or calculation. Grades cannot be changed on the basis of additional work submitted or examinations retaken after a grade has been submitted, with the exception of "I" and "IP" grades.

If a student believes a grade was assigned in error, because of a mistake in calculation or an error in recording a grade, the student should consult the instructor before the end of the second week of the following term. Students should be aware that, as a result of review, a grade may be raised, lowered or left the same. If the instructor agrees that a change should be made, a Grade Change Form should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than the end of the following term.

Fall semester grade review requests – no later than mid-February

Interim (January term) grade review requests – no later than mid-February

Spring semester grade review requests – no later than mid-September

Summer term grade review requests – no later than mid-September

Grades may not be changed for any reason after one year. If the student needs a changed grade, he or she will need to repeat the course.

Grade Appeals

Students have the right to be protected against prejudiced or capricious academic evaluation. A student who wishes to appeal a final course grade on these grounds should first appeal to the instructor. This action should end the matter in most cases, but if not, the student should follow the Academic Grievance Procedure in the Catalog.

Grade Appeals fall under the same timeline as Grade Reviews. The process must begin no later than two weeks into the term following the contested grade:

Fall semester grade review requests – no later than mid-February

Interim (January term) grade review requests – no later than mid-February

Spring semester grade review requests – no later than mid-September

Summer term grade review requests – no later than mid-September