A. Basis of Grades

Each student shall be responsible for the completion of all required work, in each course for which he/she has enrolled, by the time of the last scheduled meeting of the class, unless his/her assignment to the course has been properly cancelled. Each student shall receive from his/her instructors a grade in each course for which he/she is enrolled at the close of the session. This grade shall indicate the student’s achievement with respect to the objectives of the course.

B. Semester Grades (University Senate Document 76-7, as amended and approved, February 21, 1977, and University Senate Document 96-8, April 28, 1997.)

The following grades shall be available to be assigned by the instructors and reported when they are called for by the registrar:

1. For Credit Courses
   A+, A — Highest passing grade.
   A–
   B+
   B
   B–
   C+
   C
   C–
   D+
   D
   D– — Lowest passing grade; marginally passing minimal objectives of the course.
   E — Conditional failure; failure to achieve minimum objectives, but only to such
   limited extent that credit can be obtained by examination or otherwise without repeating the entire course. This grade represents failure in the course unless and until the record is duly changed within one semester. It cannot be improved to a grade higher than D. (See Section VII-E.) When an instructor reports a grade of E, he/she shall file in the departmental office a statement of what is required of the student to receive the passing grade.
   F — Failure; failure to achieve minimal objectives of the course. The student must repeat the course satisfactorily in order to establish credit in it.
2. For Credit Courses Taken under Pass/Not-Pass Option
   P — Passing grade; equivalent to grade A, B, or C.
   N — Not passing.
3. For Zero Credit Courses (including thesis research but not including laboratory portions of courses in which, for purposes of scheduling, separate course designations are used for the laboratory section).
   S — Satisfactory; meets course objectives.
   U — Unsatisfactory; does not meet course objectives.
   AU — Audit Grade; does not meet degree objectives.
   NS — Not Submitted; assigned when a grade is not submitted by the instructor.
4. For Incomplete Work, Either Credit or Noncredit (University Senate Document 83-8, March 26, 1984; revised by University Senate Document 97-7, April 27, 1998, and University Senate Document 00-5, March 19, 2001)
   A grade of incomplete is a record of work that was interrupted by unavoidable absence or other causes beyond a student’s control, which work was passing at the time it was interrupted and the completion of which does not require the student to repeat the course in order to obtain credit. The incomplete grade is not to be used as a substitute for a failing grade. The incomplete may also be used to delay the awarding of a grade in courses (e.g., self-paced courses, mastery courses, and practicums) the completion of which normally requires one semester, but the structure of which allows specified additional time. An instructor may consult with the dean of students to determine whether the circumstances may warrant a grade of incomplete. When an instructor reports a grade of incomplete, he/she shall file in the departmental office registrar’s form 60 stating the reasons for the grade and what is required of the student to achieve a permanent grade. He/She shall also indicate the grade the student has earned on the work completed, and the weight to be given to the remainder of the work in computing a final, permanent grade. The student must achieve a permanent grade in the course no later than the 12th week of the second subsequent semester of enrollment, or the incomplete grade will revert to a failing grade. (See Section VII-F.) If the student is not enrolled for a period of three years following the semester in which the incomplete is given, then the incomplete grade will be permanent. The grade will not revert to a failing grade, nor will the student be able to earn credit for the course by completing the work.
   
   Appropriate incomplete grades for courses are as follows:
   I – Incomplete; no grade; the student was enrolled in a credit course under the regular grade option.
   PI – Incomplete; no grade; same as I except that the student was enrolled in a credit course under the pass/not-pass option. (See Section VII-C.)
   SI – Incomplete; no grade; same as I except that the student was enrolled in a zero credit course.

C. Pass/Not-Pass Option

In order to provide students with the opportunity to broaden their educational foundations with minimum concern for grades, an alternative grading system, the pass/not-pass option, is established. Students will register for the pass/not-pass option in accordance with procedures in Section V-A of these regulations (University Senate Document 73-6, January 28, 1974).

1. The option is open to all students in the University subject to the regulations of the school in which the student is enrolled. In particular, the school will specify under what conditions a course that is passed under this option may be used to satisfy its graduation requirements. A department or school may specify that certain courses intended only for students in that department or school are available only on the pass/not-pass option (University Senate Document 75-10, as amended and approved, April 19, 1976).
2. Subject to the regulations of his/her school, a student may elect this option in any course that does not already appear on his/her academic record and in which he/she is otherwise eligible to enroll for credit with letter grade. A student may not elect this option for more than 20 percent of the total credit hours required for graduation.
3. The registrar’s class roster will indicate which students have elected this option.
4. A student who is enrolled in a course under this option has the same obligations as those who are enrolled in the course for credit with letter grade. When the instructor reports final grades in the course, he/she will report that any such student who would have earned a grade of A, B, or C has passed the course, and that any other such student has not passed. The registrar will make an appropriate notation on the student’s academic record in place of a letter grade, but will not use the course in computing grade indexes.

D. Directed Grades (University Senate Document 83-8, March 26, 1984; amended by University Senate Document 01-3, November 19, 2001)

The registrar is directed to record the following grades and symbols under special circumstances in lieu of semester grades. The registrar may request from the faculty such information as he/she needs and on such forms as the registrar shall prescribe.
W — Withdrew; a record of the fact that a student was enrolled in a credit course and withdrew from the course after the second week.
WF — Withdrew Failing; a record of the fact that a student, with a classification of 3 or higher, was enrolled in a credit course and withdrew from the course after the fourth week at which time, according to a statement from the instructor, the student was not passing in his/her work. This grade does not affect index computations. A grade of WF may be directed by the Committee on Scholastic Delinquencies and Readmissions.
WN — Withdrew Not Passing; the same as WF for a credit course taken under the pass/not-pass option.
WU — Withdrew Unsatisfactory; the same as WF for a zero credit course.
IF — Unremoved Incomplete-Failing; for a credit course in which a student received an I grade, a directed record of the student’s failure to achieve a permanent grade by the 12th week of the second subsequent semester of enrollment. This grade counts in all respects as a failing grade.
IN — Unremoved Incomplete-Not Passing; for a credit course taken under the pass/not-pass option and in which the student received a PI grade. The same as an IF grade except that it does not affect index computations.
IU — Unremoved Incomplete-Unsatisfactory; for a zero credit course in which a student received an SI grade. The same as an IF grade except that it does not affect index computations.
IX — Permanent Incomplete; if the student is not enrolled for a period of three years following the semester in which the incomplete is given, then the incomplete grade will be permanent. The grade will not revert to a failing grade, nor will the student be able to earn credit for the course by completing the work.

E. Improvement of E Grade (University Senate Document 76-7, as amended and approved, February 21, 1977)

A student who receives a grade of E may request the opportunity to improve the grade provided that he/she can complete special requirements by the time he/she completes another semester enrollment. A student who successfully achieves all minimal objectives in the course will receive a grade of D. The value of the D grade shall replace the E grade in the computation of future graduation indexes. If the student fails to achieve within the specified time a D grade in any course for which he/she received a grade of E, it shall become the permanent grade and the registrar shall not thereafter honor a request to change that grade. However, on the recommendation of the head of the student’s school and the approval of the department head, the time for accomplishing this improvement may be extended. Certification of the improvement of an E grade to a D grade shall be reported on such forms as the registrar shall prescribe. The D grade shall be added to the permanent academic record and reported to the student no later than his/her next grade report.

F. Completion Grades (University Senate Document 83-8, March 26, 1984)

A student who receives a grade of I, PI, or SI in a course and who successfully completes his/her work in the time interval specified by the instructor, but no later than the 12th week of the second subsequent semester of enrollment, will receive from the instructor whatever permanent grade his/her work would have deserved if it had been completed on time. The value of the final grade resulting from the late completion of the course requirements shall be incorporated in future cumulative GPAs. If the student fails to achieve within the specified time a permanent grade in any course for which he/she received a grade of I, PI, or SI, the registrar shall record a permanent grade of IF, IN, or IU for the grade of I, PI, or SI, respectively. The value of an IF grade shall be incorporated in future cumulative GPAs. If the student repeats the course within two subsequent semesters of enrollment, the original grade of Incomplete shall not revert to a failing grade. The value of a completion grade or an IF grade shall not be included in Graduate School index computation if the original grade of Incomplete was received while the student was enrolled as an undergraduate.

The registrar shall not honor a request to extend the time for completing the course requirements except when such a request is prompted by causes beyond the student’s control, and a documented explanation of the circumstances is submitted to the registrar along with the recommendation of the head of the student’s school and the approval of the
department head.

Requests for the addition of a permanent grade to the record shall be submitted on such forms as the registrar shall prescribe. Any addition of grade as provided in this section shall be entered on the student’s permanent academic record and be reported to the student no later than his/her next grade report.

G. Grade Corrections

An instructor who discovers that an erroneous grade was reported for a student shall immediately submit to the registrar a statement, countersigned by the department head, of what retroactive correction is to be made. A correction of grade should be reported to the registrar within 30 days after the start of the regular semester following the session in which the erroneous grade was reported. Any correction reported after this time must be accompanied by the instructor’s explanation for the delay in reporting in addition to the approval of the department head, unless the grade change is the result of a grade appeal. When a grade correction is recorded, the appropriate semester and graduation indexes will be corrected (University Senate Document 79-4, November 19, 1979).

H. Current Reports on Grades

At the end of the seventh week of a full semester, the registrar shall call for reports from the faculty on all students enrolled in a course whose work up to that time is not clearly passing. The instructor shall make his/her report directly to the student with copies for distribution by the registrar.

I. Final Grade Report

At the end of each session, a final report will be made by the instructor for each student enrolled in a given class in accordance with the conditions of the registration and following instructions issued by the registrar. The complete record for the session will then be reported to the student, to the head of the school, and to such other designated parties as may be entitled to the report.

J. Scholastic Indexes (University Senate Document 76-7, as amended and approved, February 21, 1977; University Senate Document 84-10, March 25, 1985; University Senate Document 94-2, December 12, 1994; and University Senate Document 7-5, April 21, 2008.)

The scholastic standing of all undergraduate students enrolled in programs leading to a degree shall be determined by three scholastic grade point averages GPA. The semester index GPA, the cumulative index GPA, and the program index GPA.

1. The semester GPA is an average determined by weighting each grade received during a given academic session by the number of semester hours of credit in the course.
2. The cumulative GPA for an undergraduate student is a weighted average of all grades received as an undergraduate student. With the consent of his/her academic advisor, a student may repeat a course not intended for repeated registrations. In the case of such a repeated course, the same course* is to be used and only the most recent grade received shall be included in the cumulative GPA. In the case of a course in which a conditional grade has been improved by examination, the most recent grade received shall be used.
   
   

   * An equivalent course may be used when authorized by the faculty member in charge of said course. Transfer credits from other colleges and universities may be used to fulfill degree requirements, but cannot be used to remove Purdue recorded grades from GPA calculations.

3. The program GPA is derived from a degree audit and will be used as a criterion to accept a student to a program during the process of Change of Degree Objective (CODO). The degree audit relevant to the program to which a student transfers is used to determine the program grade point average. In a case where no courses of the initial program apply to the new program, the same criteria for acceptance to a program may be used as for a student applying out of high school.
4. The cumulative GPA for a student enrolled in the professional curriculum in pharmacy is a weighted average of all grades received by the student while in the professional curriculum plus all grades included in the student’s undergraduate graduation index, as defined in section J-2 above, prior to entering the professional curriculum. With the consent of his/her academic advisor, a student may repeat a course not intended for repeated registrations. In the case of such a repeated course, only the most recent grade received shall be included in the graduation index.
5. The cumulative GPA for a graduate student is a weighted average of all grades received by the student in graduate-level courses (those numbered 500 or higher) since entering a graduate program, plus all grades received in undergraduate-level courses, taken while in the graduate program as part of the graduate plan of study. With the consent of his/her major professor, a student may repeat a course not intended for repeated registrations. In the case of such a repeated course, only the most recent grade received shall be included in the graduation index. Grades received in foreign language courses to establish reading knowledge as specified by the Graduate Council are not used in computing graduation indexes.
6. For the purpose of averaging, each grade shall be weighted in the following manner (University Senate Document 96-8, April 28, 1997).
   
   

   Grade	Weight
   A+,A	4xsem hrs=index pts
   A-	3.7xsem hrs=index pts
   B+	3.3xsem hrs=index pts
   B	3xsem hrs=index pts
   B-	2.7xsem hrs=index pts
   C+	2.3xsem hrs=index pts
   C	2xsem hrs=index pts
   C-	1.7xsem hrs=index pts
   D+	1.3xsem hrs=index pts
   D	1.0xsem hrs=index pts
   D-	0.7xsem hrs=index pts
   E, F, EF, IF	0.0xsem hrs=index pts
   P, N, I, PI, SI, W, WF, WN, WU, IN, IU, S, AU	Not included

   
   
7. The semester GPA is the sum of all index points for one semester for grades A+/A, A–, B+, B, B–, C+, C, C–, D+, D, D–, E, EF, IF, and F divided by the sum of all corresponding semester hours. This index is represented by the following formula:
   
   

   S =	4NA+4NA+3.7NA–+3.3NB+3NB ... +0NF
   	NA+NA+NA–+NB+NB ... NF

   
   In the formula, NA+ , NA , NA– , NB+ , etc., are, respectively, the number of credit hours of A+, A, A–, B+, etc.
8. The cumulative and program GPAs are computed similarly using the grades specified in Sections VII-J-2 and VII-J-3. (University Senate Document 7-5, April 21, 2008).
9. The registrar shall compile and report semester and cumulative GPAs after the close of each academic session.

K. Academic Renewal (University Senate Document 8-12, April 20, 2009).

Academic renewal is a recalculation of the Scholastic Indices.

1. All courses that comprise the Academic Record prior to Re-entry or Readmission will receive zero credit, are not included in the credit hour total, and make zero contribution to the calculation of the Program GPA or the Cumulative GPA.
2. The original Course grade record will remain unchanged on the transcript.
3. The Academic Renewal Policy shall be a University-wide policy and be independent of the student’s School or College.
4. Academic Renewal applies to students who have been admitted to the University under the current University Standards and Policies for Re-Entry or Re-admission and have not been enrolled at Purdue University in the preceding five years.
5. Students must petition the faculty Committee on Scholastic Delinquencies and Readmission (CSDR) to have their Scholastic Indices recalculated using the Academic Renewal Policy. This recalculation will not be implemented unless the student is in good standing according to university policy, and has completed at least 12 credit hours after reentry or readmission. The petition for recalculation of the Scholastic Indices must be made by students within one full year from the start of the semester in which they are readmitted or granted reentry.
6. Academic Renewal may only be granted once for a student
7. The faculty CSDR will administer the Academic Renewal Policy.