Grades

Grade Definitions

Final passing grades are A, superior; B, good; C, acceptable; D, passing; and S, satisfactory. Final failing grades are F, failure; FA, failure for excessive absences; U, unsatisfactory; and WF, officially dropped with permission of the student’s dean but failing at time of withdrawal and is calculated into the GPA (For the definition of W, see the following section on Grade Assignment for Class Withdrawal.).

A TD, thesis and dissertation research credit, is assigned to courses 7990 Research and Thesis and 8990 Research and Dissertation.

A grade of IP (In Progress) is used by professional programs, specifically Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, and any other degree program designated as a “professional program” by the university, where completion of courses within that program may extend beyond the end of a regular term. Students who are making progress toward completion of their work but have not completed all course requirements may receive the IP grade. The IP grade is not calculated in the GPA until the grade is cleared. An IP grade must become a grade of A, B, C, or D within one year from the end of the term the IP grade was awarded or the IP grade will become an F.

Grades of SA and SN may be assigned in certain specialized classes in which progress to the next level of a program depends on performance in the class. In such cases, a grade of SA in a particular course may be required for advancement. A grade of SN will give the student appropriate earned credit but will not allow the student to advance in that program.

An NR (no grade reported) is assigned systematically when the instructor does not assign a letter grade. Grades of NR should be cleared as soon as the faculty member can submit final grades on the Incomplete Grade Memorandum of Understanding Form to the Office of the Registrar; in any case, grades of NR should be cleared by no later than four weeks from the final grade deadline of the previous semester.

Faculty Policy on Assigning Grades of Incomplete

1. Student (or appropriate representative) must contact the faculty member through Auburn email or in writing prior to the submission of final course grades to request a grade of Incomplete (IN) due to documented reason (illness/death in family/etc.).

2. If a student does not request an IN, the faculty member should grade the student based upon the percentage of course work completed to date and using a zero (0) for any exams/assignments not completed.

3. To be eligible for a grade of IN, the student must have completed (and have passed) more than half of all class assignments for the semester.

4. The faculty member must fill‐out the Incomplete Grade Memorandum of Understanding Form through the workflow process, indicating the:

Reason for the IN
Percent of course work currently completed at the time of submission and the grade average on that work,
Detailed information about the additional work needed to complete the course,
Timeline to complete the work (6 months maximum; preferably sooner), and
Grade the student should be assigned if the additional work is NOT completed by the deadline set for the completion of the work; the missing work is calculated as a zero (0).

5. Grades of Incomplete automatically become the grade identified by the faculty member, if not cleared within 6 months.

6. If the faculty member assigning a grade of IN leaves Auburn University, the department head should make a reasonable attempt to contact the former faculty member and then assign a grade based upon the work presented by the student and the information provided thru workflow on the Incomplete Grade—Memorandum of Understanding form. This information will be in extender under the student’s number.

7. Once an IN has been changed to another grade it may not be changed, in the future, to a different grade without approval of the provost.

8. Documentation of class work must be maintained by the student. The Incomplete Grade—Memorandum of Understanding workflow can be accessed in extender. For faculty members who submit the IN grade forms to the Office of the Registrar prior to course grades being rolled to academic history, the IN will be reflected on the electronic grade roster; faculty will be unable to change that grade on the electronic grade roster.

9. Faculty members should NOT enter a grade on the banner course roster for those students who are to be assigned the IN grade but leave the grade blank. Once the IN grade form is received by the Office of the Registrar through workflow, the IN will be entered on the student record.

10. When the student has completed the outstanding work, it is the responsibility of the faculty member to initiate the change of grade workflow.

Faculty Policy on Grade Changes

All grades (except IN, IP, and NR) are final when submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the instructor.
Once submitted, a final grade may be changed only by the request of the instructor, with the approval of the department head and dean, by means of a workflow submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
Changes to final grades must be submitted within six months of completion of the course.
Any grade changes submitted outside of this timeframe must also be approved by the provost.
A grade of F and additional penalties may be assigned for academic dishonesty, as prescribed in the Student Academic Honesty Code (1202.1.1).
Deferred grades (IN, IP, and NR), whether submitted by the instructor (IN) or assigned systematically (IP and NR) are to be cleared by the instructor as soon as possible and no later than the time period specified in the Faculty Policy on Assigning Grades of Incomplete or the Grade Definitions specific to these deferred grades.

Grade Assignment For Class Withdrawals

A student who withdraws from a course prior to the 15th class day during a semester (or the fifth class day of summer term) will have no grade assignment; however, from the 15th class day during a semester (or the fifth class day of summer term) through mid-semester (mid-term) a W (Withdrawn Passing) grade will be recorded for the course. A course may be dropped with a W after mid-semester only under unusual conditions and only with permission from the student’s dean. When approval for dropping the course under such circumstances is granted, a W may be assigned only when the instructor indicates that the student is clearly passing the course. Otherwise, a grade of WF (Withdrawn Failing) is assigned. All failing grades are calculated into GPA as grades of F.

Grade Average and Quality Point Computation

A 4.0 grade scale is used. An A equals 4.0; B, 3.0; C, 2.0; D, 1.0; and F equals 0.0. Only course work attempted at Auburn University is used in determining the grade report average and continuation-in-residence requirements. S and U grades do not enter into grade-point computations.

S-U Grading

Grades of S (Satisfactory) and U (Unsatisfactory) may be assigned only to courses approved to be graded S-U, and courses elected under the S-U option.

A junior or senior with a minimum overall grade average of 2.5 on at least 20 hours of credit earned at Auburn may elect any course to be graded on the S-U option, except for courses required in the Core Curriculum or for required courses as defined by the student’s curriculum. A total of 12 credits may be earned at the rate of one course per term. Students will receive credit toward a degree for these courses, provided credit is normally accepted in their curricula for these courses.

An unclassified student may schedule one or more courses on the S-U option with the approval of the dean. Courses completed on the S-U choice by unclassified students may not be applied later to degree requirements should the student become a degree candidate.

A graduate student may enroll in undergraduate courses, except for 6000-level courses taken for graduate credit, under the S-U option on the major professor’s recommendation.

Students are not permitted to change from S-U grading to conventional grading or vice versa after the fifteenth-class day of the fall and spring terms or the fifth class day of any summer term.

Grade Reports

Grade information may be obtained via AU Access at the Auburn University homepage, https://www.auburn.edu/.