Grading and Transcripts
St. John Fisher College operates on a semester basis with final examinations at the close of each semester.
These grades indicate passing work:
Outstanding: A, A-
Good: B+, B, B-
Satisfactory: C+, C, S
Passing: C-, D+, D, D-
These grades indicate work below the passing standard:
Failure: F
Unsatisfactory: U
Failure due to excessive absence: FA
To earn credit, a student must repeat and pass the course in which a grade of “F,” “FA,” or “U” has been received.
Other grades:
Audit: AU
Incomplete: I
Withdrawal: W
Calculating the Grade Point Average (GPA)
| Grade | Points Per Credit |
| A | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.70 |
| B+ | 3.30 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.70 |
| C+ | 2.30 |
| C | 2.00 |
| C- | 1.70 |
| D+ | 1.30 |
| D | 1.00 |
| D- | 0.70 |
| F | 0.00 |
The grade point average is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of graded credits attempted. Thus, a student who has attempted 60 credit hours and has accumulated 120 grade points would have a grade point average of 2.00 or a “C” average. Failures are included in the calculation of the grade point average until the course has been repeated and passed.
Audit Grade
The grade of “AU” is assigned to students who have officially registered to audit a course. With permission of the instructor, any student may register to audit a course. Although the student does not earn credit, the course appears on the student’s transcript with the grade “AU.” Students must choose between credit and audit by the date published in the academic calendar. At the time of approval for the audit, the instructor and student will agree upon the amount of work the student is required to complete and the nature of the student’s participation in the course and the assignments. Generally, an auditor listens to the lectures, reads the material, writes brief quizzes, and may participate in class discussions. Courses which require ongoing, active participation in the work of the course, such as Independent Study and Elementary Foreign Language, are not open for audit. The current per-credit tuition charge applies to audited courses.
Note: Non-matriculated students who wish to audit a course must meet the criteria outlined in the Non-Matriculated Students section.
Incomplete Grade
The grade of Incomplete (I) is used ONLY when required assignments are not completed due to serious circumstances which are clearly beyond the student’s control. The instructor, after consultation with the student, submits an Incomplete (I) grade.
The final grade must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the published Incomplete grade deadline date* found on the academic calendar. Therefore, missing coursework should be submitted to the instructor in advance of the Incomplete grade deadline.
If the final grade is not submitted by the Incomplete grade deadline, the Incomplete grade will be converted to a Failing (F) or Unsatisfactory (U) grade as appropriate.
The instructor and students will receive periodic email reminders until the Incomplete grade is resolved.
A written appeal for an extension of the published Incomplete grade deadline must be filed in writing with the Academic Standing Committee at least two weeks before the I grade is scheduled to convert to an F or U. The written appeal should be sent to the Undergraduate Academic Standing committee in care of the Registrar’s Office. The appeal must contain a full explanation of why an extension of being requested and have the written support of the instructor. The decision of the Committee will be communicated to the student and instructor by email.
Note: A student may not graduate from St. John Fisher College with an incomplete grade on his/her record.
*The Incomplete grade due deadline is six (6) weeks from the Friday of final exam week for the term.
For information on Incomplete grades earned while participating in study abroad program see Foreign Study Program.
Withdrawal Grade
The grade “W” is assigned administratively when a student withdraws from a course within the appropriate time frame as published in the academic calendar. The grade of “W” may be requested by the provost or school dean when there is evidence presented before the end of classes to show that the student is compelled to withdraw for a non-academic reason, such as a serious health emergency or call to military service. The withdrawal grade does not affect the grade point average. After the deadline date to withdraw from a course has passed, all appeals for late grades of “W” must be directed to the Committee on Academic Standing. If approved, these changes will be subject to the Course Change Late fee.
The last day on which the grade of “W” can be assigned is indicated in the academic calendar. Withdrawal forms submitted to the Registrar’s Office after this date will be assigned a grade of “F.”
When a student withdraws on or before the last day for “withdrawal without academic record,” the course does not appear on the transcript.
Note: Students who have a repeated pattern of withdrawals from some or all courses in a semester will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Committee on Academic Standing and may be placed on an Academic Contract.
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading
To encourage students to enroll in courses for which they might be reluctant to register on the basis of the traditional grading system, a student may elect to take courses on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis.
Any course may be taken S/U except:
- Courses in the major department (some internships may be taken S/U).
- Courses outside the major department, which are specifically required for the major.
- Honors courses for students in the College Honors Program.
Credit is earned only by the grade of “S,” which is given for work equivalent to a “C” or higher. A grade of “U” is given for work which merits a grade below “C” and no credit is earned. Neither the “S” nor the “U” grade is included in the calculation of the grade point average.
No more than four courses may be taken using the S/U grading option. Freshmen may not take a course S/U, sophomores may take one course per semester; juniors and seniors may take two courses per semester. If a student enrolls in a course S/U and subsequently changes to traditional letter grading prior to the deadline or withdraws, the course will not be included in the four-course S/U limit. Courses graded solely as S/U are not included in the four-course limit.
A student electing S/U grading may designate a minimum acceptable grade “A” through “C.” If the earned grade equals or exceeds this minimum grade, then the actual earned grade will be recorded on the transcript and computed in the GPA. This does not change the course’s S/U basis, and the course counts toward the maximum of four.
The student shall declare an intention to be graded S/U by the deadline published in the academic calendar.
To be considered for honors, a student must have earned at least 60 credits beyond those earned S/U. Transfer students should be aware of this requirement when considering the decision to take a course S/U.
Repeating Courses
A course may be repeated as many times as desired. When a course is repeated, the original grade is not removed from the student’s record, but the most recent grade is calculated in the GPA even if the second grade is lower than the first grade earned. When a student repeats a course in which any passing grade has been earned, additional credits are not earned for the course. The S/U option is not available for the repeat of a failed course.
Content courses which carry both the LC (Learning Community) attribute and another core attribute may not be taken as repeats of one another. For example, PSYC 100C – P3 Intro to Psychology may not be taken as a repeat of PSYC 100C – LC Intro to Psychology. Credit may not be earned twice for the same content; and the student risks losing the Learning Community (LC) requirement.
Any student considering a repeat of a Learning Community (LC) course for any reason must consult with the associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences for advisement. Failure of one or both courses in a Learning Community necessitates a special course arrangement for completion of this core requirement.
Note: Repeated courses cannot be used to achieve the full-time status required for TAP funds.
Grade Reporting
Final grades are available at the end of each semester on the College website. Mid-semester grades are available on the College website for freshmen only.
Parental Access to Grades
The College does not routinely send reports of final grades to parents. Information, including grades, concerning dependent students as defined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 may be released to parents upon request. To obtain a grade report, parents must submit to the Registrar’s Office a written request citing the specific information desired and stating that the student is a dependent.
The Registrar’s Office will verify the dependency of the student in question with the Financial Aid Office or the parent can submit a copy of the most recent tax return that shows the student is claimed as a dependent. If documentation exists proving dependency, a grade report may be sent to the parent(s) and the student will be notified. If dependency cannot be proven, the grade report will not be released.