Grading System
Faculty assign grades based on a student's achievement of the course learning outcomes and in accordance with accepted professional standards for the discipline. Grades reflect the quality of a student's work and are not based on competition within the class.
- The grade of A represents exceptional work in which the student shows that the student has firmly grasped and achieved the objectives of the course.
- The grade of B indicates very good work and considerable grasp of the essentials of the course.
- The grade of C indicates good work and a usable grasp of the essentials of the course.
- The grade of D indicates a definite, but not necessarily coherent, knowledge of the course.
- The grade of F indicates that the student has not achieved even a minimum grasp of the essentials of the course. This grade can also result from failure to withdraw officially from a course (see Change of Registration and Refund of Fees Upon Withdrawal).
Grade of Incomplete (I)
An Incomplete ("I") grade may be assigned when a student has completed more than 60% of the course, has been performing satisfactorily, and is unable to complete all course requirements due to circumstances beyond the student's control that are deemed justifiable by the instructor. As a result, the student has not completed the course when final grades are submitted.
An assigned letter grade cannot be changed to an Incomplete after the term has ended and grades have been recorded.
The instructor must provide a written explanation for the Incomplete to Records Services. The explanation becomes part of the student's academic record.
Unless an extension is approved by both the instructor and the dean of the college offering the course, the deadline to complete an Incomplete is:
- March 1 for fall semester courses
- September 1 for spring semester courses
- October 1 for summer semester courses
If course requirements are not completed by the applicable deadline, the Incomplete grade will automatically convert to an "F."
Students who receive an Incomplete should not register for the same course in the subsequent term. Instead, they should work directly with the instructor to complete the outstanding requirements. Upon completion, the instructor will submit a grade change. If no grade change is submitted by the applicable deadline, the Incomplete will automatically convert to an "F."
Any Incomplete grade still pending at the time of graduation will be converted to an "F.
If a student receives an "I" because of being summoned to active military duty, the student will have one academic year from the date when they are released from active duty to complete the course requirements and have the change of grade recorded. It is the student's responsibility to inform the registrar or associate registrar of records regarding the Incomplete grade.
Department chairs are granted authority to convert grades of "I" into final grades in cases where instructors may have severed connections with the university or have been otherwise unable to convert the grades.
Grade of Progress (PR)
A Progress ("PR") grade may be assigned in approved courses when work on a project extends beyond a single semester. The PR grade is replaced with a final grade when the work is completed. Any PR grade still pending at the time of graduation will be converted to an "F".
A PR grade may also be assigned in approved competency-based courses when a student requires additional time to demonstrate mastery of the course outcomes. In these cases, the instructor must assign a final grade no later than the end of the following fall or spring semester. Any PR grade not converted by that deadline will automatically convert to an "F."
Grade of Withdrawal (W)
"W" represents a withdrawal properly processed within the period established for each semester. A grade of “W” shall appear on a student’s academic record for any course withdrawal(s) processed after the 14th day of the fall or spring semester through the 60% period of the semester. For summer semester courses, a grade of “W” shall appear on a student’s academic record for any course withdrawal(s) processed after the 7th day of a session through the 60% period of the session. For courses involving foreign travel, the last day to drop a course with a "W" shall be the date at which the student first leaves the campus to begin the travel. Withdrawal after the applicable deadline, or failure to follow the official withdrawal process, results in a grade of "F."
Petitions for Late Withdrawal must be submitted within one year from the time a grade in the course was earned. If the grade resulted from circumstances over which the student had no control, the student may petition the appropriate dean for a late withdrawal. If the Late Withdrawal is approved, only courses with a grade of "F" will be changed to a grade of "W". A Petition for Late Withdrawal and the Repetition Form cannot be used for the same course. In other words, Petition for a Late Withdrawal cannot be processed for any course that was repeated and a recalculation of point average processed and posted on the student's academic record. A late withdrawal may not be granted after a degree has been conferred. Approved late withdrawals are recorded as "W."
The Grade Point Average (GPA) and Scholastic Standing
The student's scholastic standing is indicated by the quality point average (also called "grade point average," "grade average," or "point average").
For determining this average, every grade has a quality point value for each semester hour it represents, as follows:
- A = 4 quality points per credit hour
- B = 3 quality points per credit hour
- C = 2 quality points per credit hour
- D = 1 quality points per credit hour
- F = 0 quality points per credit hour
Grade point average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the total quality points earned by the total GPA hours attempted. For example, a student who earns 40 quality points over 16 GPA hours has a GPA of 2.50.
The GPA is calculated to two decimal places and is truncated rather than rounded. For example, a GPA of 2.999 is recorded as 2.99 rather than 3.00.Only grades of A, B, C, D, and F are included in the calculation of the point average.
Grading Options
Changing Grading Options
Students may change a grading option only through the last day to add a class.
Traditional Grade/No-Credit (A,B,C/NC)
To receive credit for courses offered on a traditional grade/no credit basis, a student must earn a grade of "C" or better. If the student fails to do so, an "NC" is entered on the student's transcript.
An "NC" does not fulfill the requirements for satisfactory completion of the course; it does not affect the grade point average.
Audit (AU)
The "AU" grade indicates a student has registered for a course on an audit basis and has met the audit attendance requirement established by the instructor. Failure to meet the attendance requirement results in a grade of "AU (W)."
Students must indicate their election of the audit grading option at the time of registration or within the time limits established for adding a class. The audit option will not be changed to the standard grading option beyond the last day to add a class.
A student may audit any course. The student pays the full tuition, as well as any other applicable fee, for the course(s) audited. Audited courses are carried in a student's load only for fee purposes. A student receiving financial aid should confer with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships before electing to audit a course.
A student may not change registration from audit to credit status or from credit to audit status after the last day to add a class.
Credit/No-Credit (CR/NC)
Credit/no-credit grades are given in some specific courses as approved by the Academic Senate. Such courses are identified in the course descriptions.
Credit/No-Credit (CR/NC) (Student Option)
To encourage students to experiment with courses outside their major field of concentration, a credit/no-credit policy exists within the following guidelines. Students may elect the Credit/No-Credit (CR/NC) option under the following conditions:
- YSU undergraduate students must have completed at least 15 semester hours and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
- Transfer students must be admitted unconditionally and have at least 30 semester hours of transfer credit.
Students who earn an A, B, or C receive a grade of CR. Students who earn a D or F receive a grade of NC. Neither CR nor NC affects the GPA.
Students electing the CR/NC option are subject to the following restrictions:
- A maximum of 12 semester hours may be taken under the CR/NC option toward a bachelor's degree.
- A maximum of 6 semester hours may be taken under the CR/NC option toward an associate degree.
- Courses designated by a department as CR/NC-only do not count toward the limits listed above.
- Students may take only one CR/NC course per fall or spring semester and one CR/NC course per non-overlapping summer term.
- Courses taken under the CR/NC option may not be used to satisfy requirements for a major or minor.
- Students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor before electing the CR/NC option.
Choosing the CR/NC Option:
- Students must choose the CR/NC option at the time of registration or by the last day to add a class.
- After the last day to add a class, the grading option cannot be changed from CR/NC to a standard letter grade.
Final Grade Reports
Final grades are available through the Penguin Portal.
Grade Changes
A request for a grade change must be made to the course instructor. Request for grade changes must be signed by the instructor, department chair, and dean. All grade changes must be submitted by the dean or the instructor to Records Services; they will not be accepted from the student.
Once a degree has been awarded, the academic record associated with that degree is considered final. Grade changes, GPA recalculations, late withdrawals, academic reassessments, etc. cannot be processed for coursework completed once a degree has been conferred.
An exception may be considered for students who have earned an associate degree and are currently pursuing a bachelor's degree at Youngstown State University, provided the change does not affect the previously awarded associate degree. Such exceptions require approval from the appropriate dean.
Course Repeat
A student may repeat a course twice, unless otherwise stipulated in the course description or unless an additional repeat is authorized by the student's academic dean.
A repeated course may be counted only once toward degree requirements and credit hours required for graduation. All course attempts will appear on the student's official transcript. However, only one attempt may be applied toward degree requirements and earned credit hours unless otherwise specified by university policy.
Recalculation of GPA
Current undergraduate students may improve their GPA by repeating a course in which a grade of "D" or "F" was earned. In order to recalculate the GPA, the repetition must be consistent with the policy on course repeats. The university will use only the highest grade and the credit hours associated with that highest grade in all attempts of the same course in the calculation of the overall undergraduate GPA, program GPA, credit hour totals. Withdrawals are not counted as an attempt. “W” grades will not result in a GPA recalculation.
The grade, GPA hours, and earned hours (if applicable) are removed from GPA calculations and cumulative hours. The excluded course remains on the student's official transcript and is identified by a notation, such as "E" (excluded) or "R" (repeated). The hours credited toward degree hours completed are those earned with the highest passing grade, unless the course is designated in the catalog as repeatable for credit.
Additional GPA Recalculation Requirements:
- Only courses completed at Youngstown State University are eligible for GPA recalculation. Both the original course and the repeated attempt must be completed at YSU.
- Transfer, study abroad, and transient coursework cannot be used as a repeated course for GPA recalculation.
- Students who have been awarded a bachelor's degree cannot repeat a course for recalculation of their GPA.
- Students who have been awarded an associate degree may petition for GPA recalculation only if they are currently pursuing a bachelor's degree at YSU.
- A Recalculation Form and a Petition for Late Withdrawal cannot be processed for the same course.
Graduation Honors
- All YSU grades, including grades of "D" or "F" excluded from GPA calculations through the recalculation process, are included when determining eligibility for graduation honors.
Academic Reassessment
A student transferring to a new major before earning 60 credits has the option of requesting an Academic Reassessment. The student may request the deletion of up to 16 credits earned for courses required in the old major; these credits will be deducted from the total earned credits and will result in a recalculated cumulative GPA. No credits earned for a grade of “C” or higher may be deleted. These credits may only include courses required for the old major and for general education courses if also designated by the old major, but may not include courses only taken to fulfill general education requirements, requirements from the new major, or graduation requirements. The student must initiate the request through their Academic Advisor, and the request must be approved by the Department Chairperson of the new major.
See page on Change of Major Academic Reassessment Option in the catalog.
Academic Forgiveness
A degree-seeking undergraduate student who re-enrolls at Youngstown State University after an absence of five or more calendar years may be eligible for academic forgiveness. At the time of the petition the student must be currently enrolled and have successfully completed at least 15 semester hours with a grade point average of no less than 2.00 following their return. An absence is defined as a period in which no enrollment activity (i.e. attempted or earned academic credit) is posted to a student’s record.
To request academic forgiveness an eligible students may petition the dean of their college to exclude from the calculation of the grade point average grades earned five or more calendar years before. If the petition is approved, all grades (not merely grades of D and F) earned during the specified quarter or semester and all previous grades (not merely grades of D and F) will then be removed from the calculation. However, all grades remain on the permanent record.
Excluded course credit will not count toward the total hours required for graduation. However, courses passed may fulfill general education requirements and may satisfy prerequisites for higher courses where applicable. Courses excluded may be taken again and repeated once without infringing upon repeat privileges specified in catalog course descriptions. Courses excluded are not subject to credit by examination. A student whose petition has been approved is ineligible for graduation honors. Only one petition from each student may be approved and is irreversible once it is applied. A student who has earned a degree or certificate from YSU may not petition for academic forgiveness.
CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS/CONCERNS
Office: Office of the Registrar
Location: Meshel Hall
Website: https://ysu.edu/registrars-office/grades