Grading System
Because students attend a college or university to extend their
education, grades are usually taken as an indication of the proficiency
of their endeavors. The student's semester grade in a course shall
be based upon performance and/or participation in class, exercises
and tests, laboratory work and final examination as applicable
to the course. The proportionate weight assigned to each of the
factors shall be determined by the department administering the
course.
The basis upon which the final grade will be determined shall
be distributed in written form to the class during the first two
weeks of a semester and during the first week of a summer term.
There are five passing grades at the undergraduate level, A,
B, C, D and S, representing varying degrees of achievement; these
letters carry grade points and significance as follows:
| A |
|
Excellent, 4 grade points per semester hour |
| B |
|
Good, 3 grade points per semester hour |
| C |
|
Satisfactory, 2 grade points per semester hour |
| D |
|
Passing, 1 grade point per semester hour |
| F |
|
Failing, no grade points (hours included in GPR) |
| I |
|
Incomplete, no grade points (hours not included in GPR) |
| NG |
|
No grade, course dropped without penalty (hours not included
in GPR) |
| Q |
|
Dropped course with no penalty (hours not included in GPR) |
| S |
|
Satisfactory (C or above), hours not included in GPR |
| U |
|
Unsatisfactory (D or F), no grade points (hours included
in GPR) |
| X |
|
No grade submitted (hours not included in GPR) |
| W |
|
Withdrew, hours not included in GPR (effective Spring 1996) |
There are two failing grades, F and U, indicating work of unsatisfactory
quality.
Repetition of a Course to Improve Grade
Any undergraduate student who wishes to repeat a course must
do so before he or she completes a more advanced course in the
same subject. What constitutes a more advanced course will be
determined by the head of the department offering the course.
Credit for a course failed may be obtained only by registering
for and repeating the course in class. The original grade will
remain on the student's permanent record, and both grades will
be used in computing the GPR. An F or U previously made is not
removed once the course is passed. Credit for each repeated course
may only be used once toward degree requirements.
A student repeating a course in which a grade of B or better
has been earned will not receive grade points for the repeated
course, unless the catalog states the course may be repeated
for credit.
I and X Grades
A temporary grade of I (incomplete) at the end of a semester
or summer term indicates that the student (graduate or undergraduate)
has completed the course with the exception of a major quiz,
final examination or other work. The instructor shall give this
grade only when the deficiency is due to an authorized absence
or other cause beyond the control of the student. When an instructor
reports an incomplete grade to the Office of the Registrar, he
or she will fill out an "Incomplete Grade Report," which
is filed with the department head. Copies are sent to the student
and to the student's academic dean. This report includes (1)
a statement of the instructor's reason for awarding the incomplete
grade and (2) a statement concerning the remaining work to be
completed before the last day of scheduled classes of the next
fall or spring semester in which the student enrolls in the University
unless the student's academic dean, with the consent of the instructor
(in the absence of the instructor, the department head), grants
an extension of time for good reason. If the incomplete work
is not completed within this time or if the student registers
for the same course again, the I will be changed to an F by the
Office of the Registrar. Grades of I assigned to 684, 691, 692
or 693 are excluded from this rule.
The X notation is assigned
to a course by the Office of the Registrar at the end of a
semester or summer term only when a grade is not submitted
by the instructor. The Office of the Registrar will notify
the dean of the college in which the course is taught that
an X notation has been made. The dean of the college offering
the course will request, through the department head, that
the instructor submit a Grade Change Report Form removing the
X notation and assigning a letter grade with a Grade Change
Report. The instructor will have 30 days from the beginning
of the succeeding semester or summer term to report a change
of grade to the Office of the Registrar. If a Grade Change
Report is not received during this time period, the Office
of the Registrar will automatically remove the X notation and
assign a grade of F. Grades of X assigned to 684, 691 or 692
are excluded from this rule.
Q-Drop and Add and Drop
1. A student may enroll in a class during
the first five class days during the fall or spring semester
or during the first four class days of the summer terms or
a 10-week summer semester. A student requesting to add a course
after these deadlines must have the approval of the student's
dean and department.
2. A student may drop a course with no record during the first
four class days of a fall or spring semester and during the first
three class days of a summer term or a 10-week summer semester.
Following this period, if approved by the dean of the student's
college, a student may drop a course without penalty through
the 50th class day of a fall or spring semester, the 15th class
day of a summer term or the 35th class day of a 10-week summer
semester. The symbol Q shall be given to indicate a drop without
penalty. Undergraduate students will normally be permitted three
Q-drops during their undergraduate studies. Additional Q-drops
will be allowed only in unusual circumstances as determined by
a student's dean.
3. Any course taught on a shortened format or between regularly
scheduled terms will have add/drop, Q-grade and withdrawal dates
proportionally the same as if the course were offered in a regular
term. These dates will be determined by the Office of the Registrar.
4. A student who drops a course after the Q-drop period has
elapsed will receive a grade of F unless unusual circumstances
exist as determined by the student's dean. A grade of W may be
recorded by the dean of the student's college if it is determined
such circumstances do exist.
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
1. Students must register for courses
on an S/U basis during the official registration periods and
shall not be permitted to change the basis on which their grades
will be recorded on their official transcripts, except for
unusual circumstances and with the approval of the student's
academic dean.
Students entering Texas
A&M University in the fall 2001 semester and later must
enroll in their first KINE 199 on an S/U basis. Effective fall
2003, Health and Kinesiology majors must enroll in KINE 199
as a graded course.
Students registered for KINE 198 or additional classes of KINE
199 who wish to change the grade type from a graded course to
S/U or from S/U to a graded course, may do so on the website
myrecord.tamu.edu. All requests for KINE 198 and 199 changes
must be completed on or before the Q-drop deadline for the fall,
spring or summer semester.
2. Undergraduate Students
a. Undergraduate students may be permitted to take courses
in their degree programs at Texas A&M University on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory
(S/U) basis consistent with the requirements of the student's
college.
b. The hours for which a student receives
a grade of satisfactory shall not be included in the computation
of the student's semester or cumulative grade point ratio;
a grade of unsatisfactory shall be included in the computation
of the student's grade points per credit hour as an F. A grade
of satisfactory will be given only for grades of C and above;
a grade of unsatisfactory will be given for grades D and F.
The hours earned on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis shall
not be included in the designation of distinguished student
or dean's honor roll.
c. Students on probationary standing may be required to take
KINE199 or electives on an S/U basis as determined by published
college policies.
3. Graduate students
a. Graduate students will
not receive graduate degree credit for undergraduate degree
courses taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Graduate
students may take any graduate courses that are not used on
their degree plans on an S/U basis.
b. A grade of satisfactory (S) will be given only for grades
of A and B in graduate courses, and for grades of C and above
in undergraduate and professional courses; a grade of unsatisfactory
(U) will be given for grades of C and below in graduate courses,
and for D and F grades in under-graduate and professional courses.
c. S/U grades are not included in the grade point ratio calculation
for graduate students.
4. Courses numbered 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 693, 695 and 697
are graded on an S/U basis only.
Semester Credit Hour
A lecture course which meets one hour per week for 15 weeks
is worth 1 semester credit hour. Thus, a course worth 3 semester
credit hours, meets three hours per week. Credit hours for laboratory
courses are determined to be some fraction of the number of hours
spent in class.
Grade Point Ratio (GPR)
For undergraduate students, only the grade made in course work
for which the student was registered in this institution shall
be used in determining his or her grade point ratio. Students
anticipating graduating with honors should refer to that section
of this catalog for information concerning the computation of
grade point ratios for that purpose.
An undergraduate student's grade point ratio for any period
shall be computed by dividing the total number of semester hours
for which he or she received grades into the total number of
grade points earned in that period. Semester credit hours to
which grades of F or U are assigned shall be included; those
involving grades of W, Q, S, X, NG and I shall be excluded.
Classification
Classification for academic purposes shall be based solely
on scholastic progress as shown by the official records in the
Office of the Registrar. Sophomore, junior and senior classification
will be granted students who have passed 30, 60 and 95 semester
hours, respectively.
Grade Reports
Midsemester Report
Near the middle of the fall and spring semesters, a preliminary
report, showing the current progress of all undergraduate students
who have completed less than 30 semester credit hours of course
work at Texas A&M, and of a selected group of other undergraduate
students that the academic deans/departments are monitoring will
be made available. Preliminary grades are not recorded on the
student's permanent record. Grades are available on myrecord.tamu.edu.
Final Grade Report
End of semester final grades are available on myrecord.tamu.edu.
No student grade that is personally identifiable may be posted
unless the student has given written consent in advance.
By means of reports at regular intervals and frequent conferences
with the deans, the Office of the Registrar, personnel in the
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and members
of the teaching staff, University officials keep in close touch
with the student's progress. Advice and counsel are offered
from time to time as seem justified in each case. For failure
to keep up with studies, the student may at any time be dropped
from the rolls of the University.
Parent/Guardian Access to Grades
A parent or guardian may access midterm and final grades
at myrecord.tamu.edu after the student sets the parent access
password. Please discuss this with your student. The Office
of the Registrar cannot see the passwords created by students
for parental access; therefore, you must receive a password
from your student.
Degree Audit
One degree audit will be produced on all undergraduate students
during the semester that their total registered hours and earned
hours are equal to or greater than 95 semester hours. No other
complimentary audit will be produced unless students change
their majors, options or become degree candidates. The audit
is distributed by the dean of the college through the major
department. The audit shows degree requirements completed or
in progress, requirements remaining, and completed courses
which will not apply toward this degree without approval of
the dean. The audit is intended for use in advising and may
contain errors. It remains the responsibility of the student
to fulfill all published catalog requirements. Undergraduate
degree audits may be purchased through Degree Audit, Room 104,
Heaton Hall, at any time during a student's academic career.
Transcripts
Students applying for admission
to Texas A&M are required
to submit transcripts of previous academic work and in some
cases, results of standardized tests. The submission of altered
documents or the failure to furnish complete and accurate information
on admission forms will be grounds for disciplinary action.
Individuals who have attended the University may obtain an
official transcript of their completed work, provided they
have no financial obligations to the University. A fee, which,
according to state law must be paid in advance, will be charged
for each copy. Transcripts will not be prepared during grade
and degree posting for students currently enrolled. Students
and former students may request an official transcript in person,
by mail, by fax or by completing the transcript request form
at myrecord.tamu.edu. A faxed or internet request must be paid
by using a credit card from a United States bank. Requests
made in person or by mail may be paid with cash, check, money
order, Aggie Bucks or a credit card.
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