Credits Awarded for Courses

Credits Awarded for Courses

Traditional Courses

The standard for academic course credit, as identified by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and followed by USU, is that one credit be awarded for three hours of student work per week during a 15-week semester. For traditional courses, this is interpreted as one 50-minute class period plus two hours of study per week for each credit. Note that one 50-minute period per week throughout a 15-week semester equals 12.5 contact hours per credit. This standard should be used in determining credits for courses which do not meet for 50-minute periods.

Credits for Nontraditional Courses

In addition to courses taught during regular academic terms, other educational experiences, such as workshops, institutes, short courses, and conferences, are offered at USU.  Because of the short time period in which they are offered, these nontraditional courses may not require extensive out-of-class work by students.  When little or no out-of-class work is required, the standard for credit for such courses is 20 contact hours per credit.

Please read Credit Hour  for federal regulations.

Remedial Courses

Courses numbered 0010-0999 will not satisfy baccalaureate requirements, are not transferable, are not calculated in a student’s grade point average, and do not count toward earned hours.

Grading and Grading Options

For work in graded courses, A shall denote exceptional performance, B above average performance, C satisfactory performance, D poor performance, and F failing performance. Letter grades may be modified by plus (+) or minus (-) symbols (no A+ or D-).

Ordinarily, a standard grade is given upon completion of a course, unless a grading option of “Audit” or “Pass/D+, D, F” is indicated at the time of registration, on the syllabus, or within prescribed deadlines.

GPA Hours and Quality Points

A GPA hour is defined as a credit which is used in calculating a student’s grade point average (GPA). All graded credits, except for those in which the Pass (P) or Incomplete (I) grade is received, qualify as GPA hours unless otherwise noted. Quality points are assigned to each letter grade earned, as follows:

Scholastic Marks, which do not qualify for GPA hours, are as follows:

A grade of I, plus a companion grade, has no GPA hours or earned hours, but indicates that the student has up to one calendar year to finish the work.

Grade Point Average

When a student is graded, the quality points for the grade are multiplied by the GPA hours to derive the total quality points. The total quality points are then divided by the total GPA hours to determine the GPA. GPAs are truncated to the nearest hundredth of a grade point.

Repeating Courses

Students may repeat any course at USU for which they have previously registered. They may also retake a course originally taken at an institution where USU has an articulation agreement if the agreement identifies a specific USU course as being equivalent to the one the student desires to replace. All other decisions dealing with retaking courses, including courses taken under the quarter system, will be determined by the department in which the course is offered.

The number of times a student can take the same class is limited to a total of three times (once, plus two repeats). Beyond three attempts, the student’s dean must approve additional registration for the class.

The total number of repeats allowed is limited to ten. Students who exceed this limit will have an academic hold placed on their registration. Beyond ten repeats, the student’s academic dean must approve additional registration.

This policy does not apply to courses repeatable for credit. When a course listed in the General Catalog is identified as repeatable, the course may be taken more than once for credit.

When a course not identified as repeatable for credit is repeated, the most recent grade and GPA hours are used to recalculate the student’s grade point average. (Note: For courses repeated between Summer 2011 and Spring 2017 the highest grade and GPA hours were used to recalculate the student’s grade point average.) The previous grade and GPA hours for the same course will remain on the student’s academic record, but will not be calculated in the grade point average or total GPA hours completed, and will be designated on the student’s transcript with an E (exclude).

Once a degree is posted, all grades for that degree are frozen and cannot be modified. The only exception may be when a student completes an associate degree and then continues on to pursue a bachelor’s degree.  In this case, if a course is repeated, the most recent grade will be used.

Incomplete (I) Grade

Students are required to complete all courses for which they are registered by the end of the semester. In some cases, a student may be unable to complete all of the coursework because of extenuating circumstances. The term “extenuating” circumstances includes: (1) incapacitating illness which prevents a student from attending classes for a minimum period of two weeks, (2) a death in the immediate family, (3) financial responsibilities requiring a student to alter course schedule to secure employment, (4) change in work schedule as required by employer, (5) judicial obligations, or (6) other emergencies deemed appropriate by the instructor. The student may petition the instructor for time beyond the end of the semester to finish the work. If the instructor agrees, two grades will be given, an “I” and a letter grade for the course computed as if the missing work were zero. An Incomplete Grade Documentation Form must be filed by the instructor in the department or college office. Students may not be given an incomplete grade due to poor performance or in order to retain financial aid. An incomplete grade may be granted only if the student has completed the majority of the course and is passing the class at the time.

The student is required to complete the work by the time agreed upon (which may not be longer than 12 months). If no change of grade is submitted by the instructor within the prescribed period, the “I” will be removed and the letter grade originally submitted with the “I” will remain as the permanent grade for the course. Arrangements to complete the missing coursework are to be made directly with the instructor awarding the “I” grade and in accordance with departmental and other USU policies. In the absence of the original instructor, special circumstances must be handled by the department head. Documentation of the reasons for granting an “I” grade and required work to be completed in order to remove the “I” grade must be recorded on the Incomplete Grade Documentation Form, which must be filed with the departmental office. Resolution of the “I” grade does not involve a complete repeat of the course, only the completion of missing coursework. A student does not reregister for the course. All “I” grades must be changed to letter grades prior to graduation, regardless of whether or not the course is required for the degree. Dissertation, thesis, directed study, and independent study courses taken for graduate work are exempted from this policy.

A student who is on academic probation and receives an incomplete grade in one or more classes may register for classes in the subsequent semester, provided the grades received from his or her other classes are high enough to prevent the student from being placed on academic suspension. A student in this situation, prior to making up the incomplete grade, may enroll in only one subsequent semester. A Registrar’s Office hold will then be placed on the student’s record, preventing him or her from registering for a second additional semester. Additional registration holds may be placed on a student’s record by an academic advisor. The Registrar’s Office hold will not be removed until the incomplete grade is changed to a letter grade. If the resulting grade does not cause the student to be placed on academic suspension, the Registrar’s Office hold will be removed. Other registration holds, such as an advisor hold, will need to be removed by the office placing the hold.

Exceptions to the one subsequent semester limitation may be made (1) if receiving the grade that accompanies the incomplete grade (e.g., a student who receives an IF grade would receive an F if no additional work was   completed) would not cause the student to be placed on academic suspension for the semester in which the incomplete grade was originally received, or (2) by memo of justification from the course instructor who submitted the incomplete grade. Any exceptions must be requested through the Registrar’s Office.

Temporary (T) Grade

Courses that are continued into a subsequent semester–such as thesis, dissertation, literature review, or study abroad courses–will be given a temporary status as indicated by a ‘T’ grade. All such courses must have the approval of the department offering the courses, the relevant college curriculum committee, and EPC. A letter grade must be given by the instructor at the time the required work is to be completed. All temporary (T) grades must be completed prior to graduation.

Transfer Credit

The grades which may be transferred and recorded for transfer students shall include A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and F, as well as P (Pass) and CR (Credit). Only grades earned at USU will be used in calculating USU grade point averages. Decisions concerning academic standing, once the student is admitted to USU, will be based solely on USU grades.