Purpose: The purpose of this procedure is to establish fair and consistent procedures for grading students’ coursework for students attending credit classes at South Central College.
Part 1. Final Grade Submission
The final grading deadline for each term will be determined by the registrar and communicated to faculty and administration. Faculty will be given, at minimum, two business days following the last day of finals week to submit grades. During summer terms, faculty will be allowed a minimum of two business days after the session end date to submit grades. Final grade reporting is completed in Minnesota State eServices.
Exception to Grade Deadline
The following circumstances allow the temporary or permanent assignment of grades prior to course completion:
- Student or college-initiated withdrawal. After the drop period ends and prior to the withdrawal deadline (80% point of the term or course), a student may withdraw from a class. A final grade of W will be assigned. South Central College administration may also assign a grade of W.
- Last date of attendance reporting. Faculty are required to report students’ non-attendance as soon as they are reasonably certain the student has not or will no longer attend. Default grades of FN are assigned for students who have never attended and FW for students who attended at least one day. Students may visit the Records Office to change their FN or FW grades to W through the end of the withdrawal period. The last date of attendance as reported by faculty will not change with the grade change.
Exceptions to Faculty Submitting Grades
Certain circumstances may permit the registrar, a college administrator, or a designee to submit final grades.
The registrar shall assign final grades in the following circumstances:
- When faculty grade entry results in error or omission and the documentation in the registrar’s possession reflects a final grade.
- When approving a student’s appeal for a late course withdrawal.
- In the absence of the instructor of record, a designee may be assigned to submit final grades.
Grade Changes
Faculty and others may submit grade changes when a student’s initial grade has changed. Grade changes are accepted by the registrar in writing with the instructor’s dated signature or via email from the instructor’s official college email address. A change of grade will be accepted by the Office of the Registrar only if properly authorized by the instructor or at the discretion of the academic dean/director if the instructor is not currently employed by the college. Grade changes will be accepted for up to two semesters (not including summer) or up to two calendar years from the original term of enrollment for the course with Dean Approval. Changes will be accepted for I (incomplete), Z (grade unknown) and in the event of error in the calculation of the original grade.
Part 2: Grading Options
Students can elect any valid grading option at the time of course registration.
Subpart A: A-F Grading Option
The default grading option for all courses is A-F unless otherwise specified.
Subpart B. Pass/Fail Grading Option
Some courses may be graded on a “Pass/Fail” basis. All required coursework must be completed to receive a grade of “P”. A student may take more than one course per term on the “Pass/Fail” system. Internships, health clinicals and Farm/Small Business Management courses may be graded “Pass/Fail”. A pass indicates that the student has completed the coursework at a “C” level or better. The “P” will not be used to calculate GPA but the credits will count toward graduation. A fail grade is equivalent to an “F” and will be used in the GPA calculation.
Subpart C: Audit Grading Option
All courses in the curriculum can be audited: A grade of AU will be assigned. Once this grading method is selected it cannot be changed after the class start date. The fee for such a course is the same as for credit.
Part 3: Repeated Courses
Subpart A: Courses in Which a Grade of C- or Lower is Earned
When a course in which a grade of C- or lower was earned is repeated, the repeated grade is used in determining grade point average. The transcript will mark both the first and second course to indicate the repeat. The first course will be marked with parenthesis around the credits indicating it no longer applies to the GPA. The second occurrence will be marked with an “R”. Repeating a course will not remove the previous attempt from the student’s transcript.
Subpart B: Courses in Which a Grade of C or Above is Earned
Students may choose to repeat a class to meet academic requirements, to improve their GPA, or to refresh their knowledge of the subject material. If a grade of C or above was earned in the initial course, both the initial and repeated course grades will be calculated into the GPA totals. Repeating a course will not remove the previous attempt from the student’s transcript.
Date of Final Approval / Policy Adoption: April 21, 2017