Grading
College Grading System
Each course department or instructor establishes the system for assessing student performance in achieving course learning objectives. Students should consult the course syllabus for a description of the grading system used in each course. At the conclusion of each course, instructors are required to report a final grade reflecting the instructor’s assessment of each student’s performance. Shortly after the end of the term, students can access their grades through the my.senmc.edu portal. No other grade notification will be issued. The final grade is reported on the student transcript. Instructors may elect whether to use fractional grading (the use of the plus and minus) in assigning final letter grades.
SENMC system for final grades is expressed in letters, which carry grade points that are used in calculating the cumulative grade-point average, as shown in this table:
| Letter Grade | Grade Points per Unit of Credit |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 |
| A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C- | 2.0 |
| D+, D, D- | 1.0 |
| F | 0 |
| W - Drop (Withdrawal) | NA |
| N - Grade not submitted | 0 |
| CR - Credit authorized, but not letter grade | 0 |
| IP - In progress | 0 |
| S - Satisfactory work 1 | 0 |
| U - Unsatisfactory work | 0 |
| I - Incomplete work | 0 |
| AU - Audit | 0 |
1 S grades are grades that are satisfactory to the professor and are normally equivalent to the letter grade of C- or higher.
Any courses for which only CR or S is awarded, but no traditional letter grade is given, will be included in the total number of earned hours but is not computed in the grade-point average. Traditional letter grades are those which are used in the grade point average determination: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- and F. In computing the overall grade-point-average, the total credits in which grades of A+ through F have been assigned is divided into the total number of grade points earned.
Early Performance Grades
Early Performance Grades (sometimes referred to as Midterm Grade) will be posted and available to students through the my.senmc.edu portal. The purpose of the early grade posting is to ensure that students have an opportunity to address any performance issues. Students should be mindful that the Early Performance Grade (six-week for 16 week term, four-week for 8 week term) reflects a student's performance on only that portion of the total coursework that has been graded at that time. Any student who is doing poorly, or not as well as they would like, should meet with the instructor to discuss how they can improve. Students who have concerns about their progress in multiple courses or who are considering dropping (withdrawal) from course(s) must meet with their academic advisor. However, prior to the last day to drop (withdraw) from a course, upon request, instructors will provide information to students about their progress in the course.
Retention of Grading Records
Individual assignments and exams that are not returned to students should be retained by the instructor or department through the end of the subsequent regular semester. The records used to compute individual final grades should be retained for two years after the completion of a course. If a final grade is appealed, these records are kept for at least two years after the completion of the appeal. Departments or the library may require that records be kept for longer periods.
Minimum Grade Requirement
Degrees/Certificates require a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher for completion. Although D+, D, or D- can be considered passing, some programs have higher grade requirements for the courses within the program and/or the program as a whole. Students should check with their academic advisor regarding specific course grading requirements for their particular degree program.
S/U Grading
S/U grading allows the student to attempt to earn course credit without having a course grade included in their grade point average calculations. Under S/U grading, the instructor assigns an S grade for satisfactory achievement of the course learning objectives (normally equivalent to the letter grade of C- or higher) and a U grade for unsatisfactory performance in the class.
Designated S/U Courses
Each department may designate courses in which the grading will be on a basis of S or U for all students enrolled in the courses. Credits in designated S/U courses are not included in the limitations on the number of S/U credits a student may take, and are not subject to the student eligibility requirements described below.
Election of the S/U Grading Option
In courses other than those designated as S/U for all students, eligible individual students may elect the S/U Grading Option, subject to the regulations stated below. To be eligible for the S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) Grading Option, students must meet the eligibility requirements and obtain approval of an academic advisor. Eligibility requires completion of 30 credits. Non-degree seeking students may take courses under the S/U option without regard to eligibility requirements. However, these courses may not be subsequently applied toward an undergraduate degree at SENMC.
The S/U option must be elected as part of the course registration and may not be added once the course registration period closes. Other than honors courses and courses officially designed as S/U, the following limitations apply to courses in which the S/U option is elected:
- Students must have successfully completed 30 credits.
- No more than 7 credits per semester or 4 credits per summer session.
- Not to exceed a total of 15 credits towards a degree.
- Not a required course for the student’s major.
Students electing the S/U option should be mindful that upon a change of programs, the new program may require a traditional grade for a course within that program that was previously completed with an S grade. In such cases, the student may request that the original instructor process a change of grade form to apply a traditional grade, however, if more than 2 years have elapsed or if the instructor is no longer at SENMC, such a change will not be possible and the student may be required to retake the course or obtain a traditional grade through a course challenge.
I Grade Designation
The letter grade of I (incomplete) is given for passable work that could not be completed due to circumstances beyond the student’s control that develop after the last day to drop (withdraw) from the course. In no case is an I grade to be used to avoid the assigning of grades for marginal or failing work. Examples of appropriate circumstances include documented illness, documented death or crisis in the student’s immediate family, unexpected military deployment and similar circumstances. Other job related circumstances are generally not appropriate grounds for assigning an I grade. Students requesting an I grade are responsible for providing satisfactory evidence of such circumstances. (In the case of medical records, instructors should review the information provided, note that adequate medical documentation was provided for review, and return the documentation to the student. Under no circumstances should the instructor retain any medical records or indicate the specifics of any medical condition in the academic records.) The refusal to grant an I grade may be appealed in the same manner as any other final grade.
To assign an I grade, the instructor must complete the “I grade Information Form”. The instructor must indicate on the form whether the student will be given the option to complete the remaining coursework and have the I grade changed to the earned letter grade. If so, the instructor should indicate the steps necessary to complete the remaining coursework. The I grade form should either be signed by the student in person, or the chair must send a copy of the document to the student’s official permanent address, as recorded in the Registrar's Office, with a notation on the form that the student was not available for signature.
The student is entitled to have the I grade removed from the transcript only if, within 12 months or any earlier deadline established by the instructor on the “I Grade Information Form” and prior to graduation, the student completes the remaining coursework, as specified on the form, in a manner satisfactory to the instructor. If the student fails to complete the coursework, the grade will change to a failing grade after 12 months. To change the I grade, the instructor must complete a “Change of Grade Form,” obtain the signature of the department chair for the course, and submit the form to the Registrar's Office.
W Grade Designation
The W grade is assigned only in courses when the student drops which is equal to a withdrawal or is administratively dis-enrolled from the course after the last day to unregister the course. The W grade is permanent.
Effect of Change of Grade
The effect of a change of grade on a student’s academic standing (academic warning, probation or suspension) depends on the date the transaction is officially recorded on the student’s academic record. If the transaction is recorded before the student begins another semester, the grade change (such as replacing the I grade with an earned grade) is included in the grade-point average calculation in order to establish the student’s academic standing. If the transaction is recorded after the student begins another semester, for the purpose of calculating academic standing, the new grade is included with any other grades earned for the semester in which the grade change is processed.
Repeating Courses for a Change in Grade
Students may repeat courses, for a change in grade, when the original grade earned was a D or F. Once a grade of C- or better is earned, the course will then be substituted in the calculation of the grade-point-average and students will no longer be able to repeat that course for change of grade purposes. Student transcripts will continue to show the grade awarded for each course attempt. If the student’s original grade was a D and he/she repeats the course, but receives an F, the second grade will not be substituted for the original.
Grade Point Average
Grade point average (GPA) calculations are based solely on courses taken at SENMC or for students who elect the Include Grade Option for courses taken as a former NMSU-Carlsbad student.