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Grading and Records
Grading
Grade point averages are computed by assigning numeric values
to the letter grades:
Letter Grade Values
| A |
4.0 |
| A– |
3.7 |
| B+ |
3.4 |
| B |
3.0 |
| B– |
2.7 |
| C+ |
2.4 |
| C |
2.0 |
| C– |
1.7 |
| D+ |
1.4 |
| D |
1.0 |
| D– |
0.7 |
| E, I, IE, WE |
0.0 |
The grade given in a course is the teacher's evaluation of the
student's performance, achievement, and understanding in that
subject as covered in the class. The following adjectives indicate
the meaning of the letter grades:
| A |
Excellent |
| B |
Good |
| C |
Satisfactory |
| D |
Minimum passing |
| E |
Failure |
Hence, the grade A means that the student's performance,
achievement, and understanding were excellent in the portion of
the subject covered in the class.
There are prerequisites that qualify students to be admitted to
the more advanced classes offered by a department. A senior has
added experience, understanding, and preparation and,
consequently, progresses in courses that would have been
impossible when the student was a freshman. The level of
performance, achievement, and understanding required to qualify
for each grade that carries credit (any grade other than E, I, IE, or
WE) is higher in a more advanced class than in those classes that
precede it, and the student is prepared to work at this higher
level.
Additional grade designations are as follows:
- If a student withdraws officially from a class during the first
ten class days of a semester or the first six class days of a term,
the permanent record will not show a registration for that
class. If the student properly withdraws from a class between
the eleventh and twenty-fifth class days of a semester or
between the seventh and thirteenth class days of a term, the
record will be marked W (official withdrawal).
- A WE grade will be given if a student petitions to withdraw
from a class after the deadline and he or she is failing the class
at that time.
- A grade of P indicates a passing grade. It has no effect on the
GPA.
- The letter grade I (Incomplete) is given on a contractual basis
with the instructor to students who are unable to complete the
work in the prescribed period of time. An incomplete grade
may be given for nonacademic extenuating circumstances
(serious illness, personal injury, death in the immediate family,
etc.) that may arise after the discontinuance deadline (the
twelfth week of a semester or the sixth week of a term). To be
eligible for an incomplete, the student must have attended up
until the discontinuance deadline and be passing the class. If
extenuating circumstances arise before the twelfth week of a
semester or the sixth week of a term, the student should
discontinue or petition through the Registration Office to be
officially withdrawn from the class(es). The Incomplete Grade
Contract must be completed and signed by the instructor and
the $10 fee paid before submission of the official grade roll at
the end of the semester. A copy of the Incomplete Grade
Contract must be submitted to the Records Office by the grade
submission deadline. A grade of E will be posted until a valid
Incomplete Grade Contract is submitted to the Records Office.
- Class attendance in a subsequent semester or reregistration
is not permitted to make up the incomplete. In some special
instances, such as a lab class, attendance may be required for
the portion of the class or lab section missed. Once the work
has been completed, the instructor should complete the
portion of the Incomplete Grade Contract, showing the grade
earned, and submit the form to the Records Office (B-150 ASB).
- The instructor may designate the specific length of time the
student has to complete the course requirements (not to
exceed one year). If the work is not completed and the new
grade submitted by the instructor within the agreed upon
deadline, the I grade will be changed to an IE (the IE grade is
considered and calculated as a failing grade). (To extend the
contract date within the one-year deadline contact the
Records Office, B-150 ASB.)
- A grade of T indicates course work in progress and is only
used in certain approved courses in which work may extend
beyond the semester. The T grade may be changed to A, B, C,
D, E, or P, depending on the grade rule for the course, when
the work is completed.
- The grade NS is placed on the student record when a grade
roll has not been submitted to the Records Office by the grade
submission deadline. After the deadline, individual Grade
Change Authorization forms must be used to submit a new
grade to change the NS grade. The NS will not be considered
in calculating the grade point average.
Grade Changes
After the final grade submission deadline, grades may be changed
only for the following reasons:
- making a calculating error in computing the grade
- posting the wrong grade to the grade roll
- changing a T grade after the course work is completed
- posting a grade if no grade was submitted
- reevaluation of the previous grade with no additional work
submitted
When such corrections need to be made, an official Grade
Change Authorization Form must be completed and sent directly
to the Records Office.
If a student completes any additional work beyond the end of
the semester or term (original T grades excluded), grade changes
should not be made. Instead, the student should request to have
an Incomplete Grade Contract.
A previous grade cannot be changed to a W (Official
Withdrawal). If the student had a nonacademic emergency, he or
she should file a petition for withdrawal with the Registrar's
Office.
Numeric Grade Values (Law School)
In fall semester 1987 the Law School was granted permission to
grade their courses on the numeric grading system. In fall
semester 1994 the Law School was granted permission to change
the numeric grading system to a new numeric scale. All current
Law School students with previously earned numeric grades had
their grades converted to the new numeric scale:
| 1987–1994 |
Description |
Fall 1994 |
| 80–90 |
Superior |
3.7–4.0 |
| 75–79 |
Excellent |
3.3–3.6 |
| 71–74 |
High pass |
3.0–3.2 |
| 66–70 |
Pass |
2.7–2.9 |
| 59–65 |
Low pass |
2.2–2.6 |
| 50–58 |
Fail |
1.6–2.1 |
Student Academic Grievance Policy
There may be occasions when a student believes her/his
academic work or conduct has been unfairly or inadequately
evaluated1 by the faculty.2 Usually such differences of opinion can
be amicably resolved informally between the student and teacher.
If not, the following procedures are intended to encourage
satisfactory resolution of academic grievances with a minimum of
formal procedure.
- The grievance must be initiated by the student no later than
four months (120 days) from the last day of the examination
period of the semester in which the alleged unfair or
inadequate evaluation occurred. A grievance related to
restrictions limiting participation in university academic
programs must be initiated within 30 days of the decision in
question.
- The student should initially address the grievance in writing
to the faculty member or administrator responsible, requesting
review and resolution. If the faculty member or administrator
is unavailable or the student has a valid reason to believe the
matter will not be dealt with fairly or that retribution may
result, the student may submit the grievance directly to the
applicable department chair. (The faculty member,
administrator, or department chair shall have the right to
consult others regarding the matter as reasonably necessary
and with due regard to the student's right to privacy under
the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.)
- If the grievance is addressed to the faculty member, and it is
not resolved satisfactorily, the student may submit a written
request for further review to the department chair within 30
days of the faculty member's decision.
- The department chair's decision shall be given in writing to
both the student and the faculty member within 30 days after
receiving the student's request and all supporting material for
review.
- If the matter is still unresolved, the student may submit a
written request for formal review to the dean or director of the
applicable college or school within 30 days of the department
chair's written decision.
- If formal review is requested, the applicable dean or director
shall be assisted in reviewing the grievance by a committee, as
described in the following paragraphs.
| 6.1 |
The dean or director will appoint several individuals
associated with the university to serve as an ad hoc review
panel. At least two of these individuals must be faculty
with continuing faculty status from outside the area of
study in which the grievance arose. One of these faculty
members will be appointed to chair and conduct the
proceedings, which should take place within 30 days after
receiving the student's written request and all supporting
materials. Faculty appointed to a panel reviewing a
graduate student's grievance must have graduate faculty
status. |
| 6.2 |
In reviewing the grievance, the review panel, the affected
student, and the affected faculty member are responsible
to identify or provide relevant sources of information. The
review is intended to be collegial and not adversarial.
Accordingly, legal counsel is not allowed to attend nor
advocate in the review process. Presentation of the issues
should be concise and relevant. The chair of the review
panel shall be responsible to conduct the review and
establish applicable procedures if such are not available
from the dean or director. Any formal presentation should
be limited to pertinent issues and panel members allowed
sufficient time for questions. Following presentation and
discussion of the grievance, the review panel will
deliberate in closed session and submit its written
recommendation to the dean or director. |
| 6.3 |
The dean or director will determine the resolution of the
grievance and give the decision in writing to the student
and faculty member within 10 days of receipt of the review
panel's recommendation. This decision is final and not
subject to further appeal, unless it involves termination of a
graduate program or termination from the university. |
| 6.4 |
If the matter involves termination of a graduate program
and is not resolved to the graduate student's satisfaction,
the student may submit a written request for review to the
Dean of Graduate Studies. The written request for review
should contain an outline of the grievance and its
disposition and set forth facts supporting the student's
request for review. The request for review must be made
within 30 days of the date of the written decision by the
college dean. The Dean of Graduate Studies will convene a
formal administrative review of relevant matters that have
not been resolved at the department or college level.
Following the review, the Dean of Graduate Studies will
make the final determination. |
| 6.5 |
If the matter involves termination of an undergraduate
student from the university for academic reasons or
revocation of a degree, the student may submit a written
request for review to the Academic Vice President. The
written request for review must contain an outline of the
grievance, its prior disposition, and set forth facts
supporting the student's request for review. The request for
review must be made within 30 days of the date of the
written decision by the dean or director. The Academic
Vice President may either make a decision on the matter or
delegate the review to an associate AVP who will convene
an ad hoc review panel to study the issues and prepare a
written recommendation for the Academic Vice President.
A written decision by the Academic Vice President will be
sent to the student within 30 days of receipt of the written
recommendation of the panel, unless an extension is
necessary and all parties are notified of the extension in
writing. |
Notes
- Academic evaluations which are subject to this policy
include grading, restrictions limiting participation in university
academic programs, dismissal from the university or a university
program for academic reasons, actions arising from incidents of
academic dishonesty, the withholding, and/or revocation of a
diploma for academic reasons, and the withholding of or special
notation on transcripts for academic reasons. Evaluations relating
to admissions to the university, ecclesiastical endorsements,
discipline administered by the Honor Code Office, or petitions are
not covered by this policy. Persons who believe they have been
unlawfully discriminated against or sexually harassed should
contact the Equal Opportunity Office.
- For purposes of this policy, "faculty" means any teacher or
other individual authorized by the university to academically
evaluate students, or who has a legitimate need to know
regarding the processing and disposition of an academic
grievance.
Scholastic Recognition Each Semester
The dean of each academic college at the close of each semester
will post a list of names of undergraduate students who are ranked
in the top 5 percent of their college for the given semester, who
have earned a minimum of 14 credit hours (7 credit hours for
spring and summer terms), and who have earned a minimum
grade point average of at least 3.5 for the semester.
Grades
After the semester has ended and all grades have been submitted
by the faculty, students may access their grades through Route Y
on the BYU homepage.
Records
Records Office
B-150 ASB
(801) 422-2631
The Records Office is the official guardian of all permanent
records of all academic work done at the university. The office is
also responsible for issuing official transcripts of credit. Official
transcripts include only credit completed through BYU.
Classification of Students
Students are classified as follows:
| Credit Hours Earned |
Classification |
| 0.5–29.9 |
Freshman |
| 30–59.9 |
Sophomore |
| 60–89.9 |
Junior |
| 90 and over |
Senior |
Access to Education Records—FERPA
Student educational records at BYU are generally accessible to
eligible students according to the provisions of the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). BYU has adopted an
Access to Student Records Policy that explains in detail student
rights relating to their educational records. A copy of the policy is
available at the Office of the Registrar, B-150 ASB, Provo, UT
84602-1114.
The following is notice of student rights to their educational
records, a summary of the procedures for exercising those rights,
and a description of student directory information that may be
disclosed to the public without the student's consent as required
by law:
Eligible students, admitted and enrolled at BYU, generally
have the right to:
- Inspect and review their educational records within a
reasonable period of time upon submitting to the appropriate
department managing their educational records a written
request, with proof of identification, specifying the records to
be inspected. The department will notify the student of the
time and place the records may be inspected.
- Petition BYU to amend or correct any part of the education
record believed to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of
their privacy rights. Students may submit a written request to
the department holding the record, clearly identifying the part
of the record they want changed, and specify why it is
inaccurate or misleading. If the department decides not to
amend the record as requested, the department will notify the
student of the decision and advise them of their right to a
hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional
information regarding the hearing procedures as outlined in
university policy will be provided to the student when
notified of the right to a hearing.
- Consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information
contained in the student's educational record, except as
otherwise authorized by law. Examples of exceptions to
consent of disclosure include:
- Access of educational records by BYU officials and agents
having a legitimate educational interest in the records. This
category generally includes any BYU official or agent who
accesses student educational records for the purpose of
performing a task or responsibility relating to his or her
employment or professional responsibility at the university.
These individuals may include faculty, administration,
staff, and other university agents who manage student
educational record information including, but not limited
to, student education, discipline, or financial aid.
- Parents who establish the student's dependency for federal
income tax purposes.
- Upon request, BYU will disclose educational records
without consent to officials of another college or university
to which the student seeks or intends to enroll.
- File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education
concerning failures by BYU to comply with the requirements
of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers
FERPA is Family Policy and Compliance Office, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20202-4605,
www.ed.gov/offices/om/fpco/.
BYU has designated the following student information as
directory information that it may disclose to the public without
the consent of the student:
Name
Addresses and telephone numbers
E-mail address
Month/Day/Place of birth
Names of parents or spouse
Major and minor fields of study
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
Weight and height of members of athletic teams
Pictures
Dates of attendance (current and past)
Number of months/semesters enrolled
Class standing (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
Enrollment status (full-time, part-time, less than half-time)
Degrees and awards received
Previous educational institutions attended
Dates of employment and job titles for student employment
positions
Anticipated future enrollments
Course registrations prior to the beginning of a semester or term
Expected date of graduation
Deferred registration eligibility
Students have the right to restrict disclosure of the above
directory information. To request restriction of disclosure,
students must file a written request in the Registrars' Office. To
avoid being listed on some directories, this must be done on or
before the tenth day of a semester or the sixth day of a term.
Forms for this request are available in the Office of the Registrar.
Transcript Record Holds
A hold will be placed on a student's record for failure to meet
university obligations (fees outstanding, university standards
violations, etc.). Until the obligation is fulfilled, no copy of the
academic record or diploma or information about the record will
be released, and graduation may be delayed or denied.
Earning Credits
Students earn approved university credit in the following ways:
Regular Course Work
Complete work in regular courses offered at BYU. Complete
college-level courses through Independent Study, Evening
Classes, or other Continuing Education programs.
Transfer Work
Transfer credit for college-level courses completed at an accredited
college or university and transferred to Brigham Young
University. (See the Admissions section of this catalog for further
explanation on transfer college credit.)
Advanced Placement (AP) Exam
Complete the Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. Students
who score a composite grade of 5, 4, or 3 in any subject may
receive up to 8 semester hours of college credit in that subject.
Military Credit
Serve in the armed forces. Students who have been on active duty
in the service for more than one year can receive 2 semester hours
of wellness and 4 semester hours in military science. Additional
credit may be granted for college-level training and experience in
the service. To receive credit, bring the military service DD-214
form to the Admissions Office, A-153 ASB.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Students who complete the International Baccalaureate (IB)
examinations will receive college credit. An IB course at the
subsidiary level will normally be given 3 hours of general credit.
An IB course completed at the higher level may receive 6 hours of
general credit and possibly fill a general education requirement.
Challenge Examination
Students may receive credit by challenging some courses at the
university through a separate examination procedure.
Departments reserve the right to decide which courses may be
challenged by examination. Religion courses, internship courses,
exercise sciences and dance activity courses, and other activity
participative courses, such as music, youth leadership, and ROTC,
may not be challenged.
Only under exceptional circumstances, such as the foreign
language challenge examination, can a course completed earlier
be repeated by the challenge procedure.
The challenge examination is not meant to certify that a
student has attended the class and completed all course
requirements. The challenge examination credit merely shows that
the student's skill and knowledge is sufficient to pass a challenge
examination for the course.
Only students who have completed at least one course at BYU
through day or evening school or the Salt Lake Center are eligible
for the challenge examination option. Students currently enrolled
are eligible to take the exam, but the credit will not be posted to
the transcript until the other BYU credit and grades are posted.
Students who are suspended or dismissed from the university are
not eligible to challenge courses. Students who are suspended or
dismissed may not have challenge examination credit posted to
their record even if the examination was taken prior to the
suspension or dismissal.
Once students have graduated, they are not eligible for
challenging any additional credit at BYU unless it is specific to the
graduate program to which the students have been admitted. (See
current BYU Graduate Catalog for information on how to
challenge graduate courses.)
Some challenge exams for credit are offered in the Testing
Center, and others are arranged through the department offering
the course. A fee payable to the Testing Center is charged for
exams offered there. A fee payable to Student Financial Services in
D-155 ASB is required for exams offered through individual
departments. The student should check with the department to
see if the exam is offered in the department or through the Testing
Center. To earn academic credit and a grade for the course, the
student must sign a Challenge Examination Form and have the
Testing Center or the department submit it to the Records Office
in B-150 ASB. The time limit for a student to choose course credit
is determined by the individual academic department, not to
exceed one year. No additional fees are charged to post the credits
to the transcript. The student's transcript and cumulative grade
point average reflect the grade earned on the exam. The
procedure to take exams and request academic credit follows.
Procedure for Challenge Exams Given at the Testing Center
- Contact the appropriate department for the exam procedure
and content before going to the Testing Center.
- Go to the Testing Center (265 HGB). (For testing dates on GE
challenge exams, see table in University Core: General
Education section of the current class schedule.)
- Pay the required fee at the Testing Center.
- After the exam is graded and the choice is made to receive
graded credit, obtain a Challenge Examination Form at the
Testing Center and have it validated there. To accept the grade
and receive credit for the course, sign the Challenge
Examination Form and have the Testing Center submit it to
the Records Office (B-150 ASB). After taking the exam there is
a limited time to request that the grade be submitted to receive
course credit. The time limit to choose course credit is
determined by the department, not to exceed one year. Graded
credit will be added to the student's official university
transcript, and the progress report will show any GE
requirement as fulfilled. (Students taking the Physical Science
examination may take the grade or an exemption if their score
is 75 percent or above. If their score is between 60 and 74
percent, they may receive graded credit.)
- Students enrolled in the course when they pass its challenge
exam must also drop the course. Students who drop the class
after the add deadline (ten class days after a semester starts or
six days after a term starts) will receive a W on their transcript
for dropping the course. If the course is not officially dropped
before the withdraw deadline, the grade given by the
instructor based on class performance will appear on the
transcript.
Procedure for Challenge Exams Not Given at the Testing Center
- Whether or not students are enrolled in the course they are
challenging:
- Complete the Challenge Examination Form available from
the department.
- Arrange with the department to take the exam.
- Pay the $20 required fee at Student Financial Services in
D-155 ASB and have the form validated there ($20 fee per
course except for the language exams).
- Present the validated form to the department examiner.
- Have the grade and credit recorded on the form by the
examiner and obtain the necessary departmental
signatures.
- After seeing the grade, students may choose to have the
credit posted to their academic record by signing the
Challenge Examination Form and having the department
send the completed form to the Records Office (B-150 ASB).
After taking the exam there is a limited time to request that
the grade be submitted to receive course credit. The time
limit to choose course credit is determined by the
department, not to exceed one year.
- Students enrolled in the course when they pass its challenge
exam must also drop the course. Students who drop the class
after the add deadline (ten class days after a semester starts or
six days after a term starts) will receive a W on their transcript
for dropping the course. If the course is not officially dropped
before the withdraw deadline, the grade given by the
instructor based on class performance will appear on the
transcript.
Exemption Examinations for GE Requirements
Some general education requirements can be accomplished by
successfully completing an examination. Exemption examinations
for selected GE courses are offered at the Testing Center. (See table
in University Core: General Education section of the current class
schedule for dates of exemption examinations.)
Procedure for Exemption Exams
- Contact the appropriate academic department for exam
procedure and content before going to the Testing Center.
- Go to the Testing Center (265 HGB) on one of the examination
days. (See table in University Core: General Education section
of the current class schedule.)
- Pay the required fee per class at the Testing Center.
Students enrolled in the course when they pass its exemption
examination must also drop the course. Students who drop the
course after the add deadline (ten days after a semester starts or six
days after a term starts) will be officially withdrawn. (This shows
as a W on the transcript.) If the course is not officially dropped
before the drop deadline, the grade given by the instructor based
on class performance will appear on the transcript.
Note: The progress report of students who pass an exemption
exam at the Testing Center will be updated automatically at the
end of the semester or term. Students should retain their score
report for their records.
Earning BYU Credit While on Suspension
Students who have been suspended from Brigham Young
University are not eligible to enroll in courses through day school,
evening school, or any of the Continuing Education programs
offered by the university except those courses offered through
Independent Study. Students should consult their advisement
center to determine which Independent Study courses to take.
Repeating Classes
To have a previously completed course marked repeated, the new
course must be equal or greater in credit hours. When a class has
been repeated, the credit used in computing the grade point
average is the grade and credit hours earned the last time the
repeated class was taken. Students may repeat classes in the
following ways:
- Repeat Brigham Young University courses at Brigham Young
University (except for R-suffix courses—see Abbreviations and
Symbols in the Using This Catalog section).
- Repeat at Brigham Young University courses initially taken at
another university. (A statement of equivalency must be
supplied by the appropriate BYU department chair.)
- Repeat at another institution courses taken there and have the
credit transferred to Brigham Young University.
Note: A course repeated at an institution other than the one at
which it was taken originally and other than at BYU will not be
counted as a repeat.
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