Grading

Grades & Quality Points

The University of Saint Francis operates on a 4.0 grading system and determines the scholastic standing of students according to the following scale:

Audit Courses at the undergraduate level may be taken on a special non-credit basis, with the approval of the Office of Academic Affairs. 

* If a student receives an “F” in a required undergraduate level course, the course must be repeated the next term it is offered if permitted by program policy. 

Change of Grades

Only the faculty member who assigns a grade may make a change in that grade. Students who believe a grade was erroneously given should confer with the appropriate faculty member. If a resolution is not reached, refer to the procedures outlined in the Academic Grade Appeal Policy.

The grade submitted by a faculty member at the end of the semester is considered a final grade and ordinarily a grade change should not be requested unless one of the following two circumstances occurs:

1. The grade is an incomplete (I), and needs to be changed when the required coursework is completed.
2. An error was made in assigning the original grade.

Audits

Students may audit a course by indicating “Audit” at the time of registration. Students wishing to audit a course must have met all course prerequisites or have the permission of the instructor. Auditors are expected to attend class, but they are not required to complete written assignments or take examinations. No academic credit is granted; upon completion of the course, a grade of AU is entered on the records. Audited courses do not count toward degree requirements. Students may not change from audit to credit after the second week of class. Students may not change from credit to audit after mid-term. Fees for audit courses are listed in the current semester schedule.

Grade Reports

Midway through the semester, all students enrolled in 100-400 level courses shall be provided midterm grades by their faculty. Students earning low grades (“D” or “F” grades, and “C” grades for particular academic programs) shall be notified in writing and are responsible for setting up a conference with their instructors to discuss specific steps to improve their academic performance. Midterm grades will not become part of a student’s permanent record. 

Final grade reports are posted approximately two weeks after the end of a term. The grade reports of students who have not met their financial or other obligations will be withheld.

Academic Honors

The President’s List

Students are placed on the President’s List in a given semester if they meet these standards:

• Earn at least six semester hours of class credit
• Attain a scholastic semester GPA of at least 3.9000

The Dean’s List

Students are placed on the Dean’s List in a given semester if they meet these standards:

1. Earn at least six semester hours of class credit
2. Attain a scholastic semester GPA of 3.5000 to 3.8999

Honors at Graduation

Honors are conferred at graduation upon students who have maintained scholastic excellence. Those with a 3.5 cumulative GPA graduate “cum lauder”; those with a 3.7 “magna cum laude”; and those with 3.9 “summa cum laude”.

In order for honors to be announced at graduation, the student must have completed all classes by the end of the summer term of the academic year. The GPA used to determine honors at graduation includes quality points earned only from the University of Saint Francis.

Incomplete Grades

A grade of Incomplete (I) is a conditional grade granted when the student is unable to complete the basic course requirements. The granting of an Incomplete (I) is reserved for those times when (a) extenuating circumstances have interfered with the student’s studies and (b) there is an expectation the student will be able to complete the coursework within the extended time limit. Note: An “I” is not appropriate when a student has missed classes or has failed to complete assignments.

It is the student’s responsibility to request an Incomplete. The instructor must fill out the electronic Incomplete Grade Form on Form Central before final grades are due. This form must be signed by the instructor and submitted. Once submitted, a copy of it will be sent to the student and the appropriate administration to process the request. All Incomplete grades are given a deadline of no more than two weeks after the last day of a five-week or eight-week course and no more than four weeks after the last day of a sixteen-week course. If no grade is submitted or an extension is not requested, the Registrar’s Office is authorized to change the Incomplete to an F.

If an extension beyond two or four weeks as described above is needed, the student will be required to make a request to the faculty member supervising the course. If the faculty member determines the request is acceptable, it must be approved by the college dean. If an additional extension is granted, the faculty member must notify the Registrar’s Office (include the dean’s approval). If no grade is submitted before the start of the next term, the Registrar’s Office is authorized to record an F for the course.

Good Academic Standing

Students are in good academic standing if they meet the minimum cumulative GPA requirements in relation to the number of earned credit hours identified in the chart below.

The faculty, staff, and administration of the University of Saint Francis are deeply committed to the holistic success of every student. In order to do so, each student’s Grade Point Average (GPA) is reviewed at the end of each term to determine whether action or intervention should take place with respect to academic progress. A student who meets the minimum cumulative GPA requirements as listed above is considered to be a student in Good Academic Standing.

A student who falls below the minimum required GPA is placed on Academic Probation. Students who are not in good standing will be sent a notification by the Academic Progress Committee as well as their academic advisor(s) and letters will be mailed to students’ permanent addresses within one week following the submission of final grades by faculty. Students who earn a 0.0 GPA at the end of their first semester at the university will be automatically suspended from the institution.

A student may be in good academic standing at the university and yet still not meet program progression GPA requirements required by an academic program, which in some cases are higher. Please consult the section pertaining to your academic program in this catalog for further details on program progression requirements.

Academic Standing is different than Satiasfactory Academic Progress for financial.  Please see Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Funding“ in this catalog for further details on financial aid eligibility.  

All decisions made by the Academic Progress Committee are final.

Definitions

Good Standing

When a student achieves a cumulative GPA at or above the minimum listed in the above chart, the student is in Good Academic Standing.  The student may enroll in future terms.

Academic Probation

A student whose cumulative GPA falls below the minimum requirements as listed above will be placed on Academic Probation. Students on Academic Probation are required to participate in the Mentoring for Academic Progress (MAP) program and to meet the expectations set forth by the program. Students may enroll in future courses; however, students on academic probatoin are not considered in good academic standing.

Students placed on academic probation have one semester during which to achieve good academic standing as indicated in the previous chart. Redetermination occurs at the end of each academic term, excluding summer terms if students are not enrolled in courses.

Students placed on academic probation are required to participate in a specialized mentoring program, Mentoring for Academic Progress (MAP). Attendance and participation in the MAP program are required. Students placed on academic probation are strongly encouraged to limit their course load to no more than 15 hours and limit extracurricular activities and work schedules. Students on academic probation are prohibited from participating in intercollegiate athletics.

Students who were accepted to the university through the MAP program must complete MAP requirements as laid out by the program. Information about MAP can be found by emailing the Academic and Career Development Center at acdc@sf.edu.

Students on academic probation who fail to achieve minimum GPA requirements as indicated in the chart above will be suspended from the university. Students who earn at least a 2.3 term GPA, but whose cumulative GPA is still below the required GPA listed in the above chart, may be granted continuing academic probation.

Academic Suspension

Academic Suspension: A student whose cumulative GPA falls below the minimum cumulative GPA requirements or who earn a 0.0 GPA in their first semester at USF may be placed on Academic Suspension. Academic Suspensions may be set for one academic semester or longer at the determination of the Academic Progress Committee. Suspensions for one semester apply toward the upcoming fall or spring terms and any currently enrolled courses. Students placed on academic suspension are not considered in good academic standing. The student is dropped from future course enrollments and will not have a degree conferred. Occasionally, due to the scheduling of the Academic Progress Committee reviews, students who are suspended may be actively enrolled in courses, typically either during the summer or fall terms. Suspended students will be administratively withdrawn from current term courses should this occur, but the summer term is not considered as a term for suspension.

Students are eligible to reapply upon the conclusion of their Academic Suspension; however, reapplying does not guarantee admission. Students who reapply must provide evidence to support academic preparedness and progression with their reapplication, which will be reviewed by APC. Details regarding the readmittance process are included in a student’s academic suspension letter.

Repeated Courses

In most cases, any currently enrolled student may repeat any course in the current catalog subject to the following conditions:

• The final grade for each enrollment in the course will be recorded on the student’s transcript. 
• Only the last grade will count toward the cumulative GPA and major index.
• The original grade will remain on the transcript.
• The student will receive credit for the class only once.
• A student may repeat a course once.

GPA

Students in Bachelor degree programs are required to earn a minimum of 120 hours of coursework (as required by the academic program curriculum) and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 to qualify for graduation. An Associate degree requires a minimum of 60 semester hours and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for graduation. Credit hours for the grades P, I, W, WP, and AU are not computed in the GPA. Some majors require cumulative grade point averages above the minimum of 2.0.

Students must check program requirements.

The cumulative GPA used to determine graduation is based only on coursework taken at the University of Saint Francis; it does not include quality points for coursework transferred in from other colleges or universities.

Transcripts

Transcripts may be requested and paid for online through the National Student Clearinghouse website, allowing a variety of ways to send the transcript, including electronically. Official transcripts can also be picked up in person or be mailed directly from the Registrar’s Office to a third party, but a form must be completed in the Registrar’s Office, and presentation of photo ID is required. Transcipts requested via the Registrar’s Office also require the payment of a fee of $20.00 per transcript, and credit cards cannot be accepted. Transcript requests are not processed until all financial and other obligations have been satisfied. The University of Saint Francis will not release a copy of a transcript of grades earned at another institution.

In accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, student records will not be released without the written consent of the student, except in emergency situations, or in the following situations:

• To school officials, including faculty, who have legitimate cause to view the records;
• In connection with application for and receipt of financial aid;
• Where the information is classified as Directory Information. Directory Information includes name, address, telephone number, dates of attendance, date of graduation, and birth date. At the student’s request, any of these items will be withheld.