Grading

The following table outlines the grading system used at Great Falls College Montana State University:

Grading

Grades	Quality of Work	Grade Points for Each Credit
A	Excellent	4.0
A-	-	3.7
B+	-	3.3
B	Above Average	3.0
B-	-	2.7
C+	-	2.3
C	Average	2.0
C-	-	1.7
D+	-	1.3
D	Passing	1.0
D-	-	0.7
F	Failing	0.0
P	Pass	0.0
W	Withdrawal	0.0
I	Incomplete	0.0
E (followed by any letter)	Academic Forgiveness/Fresh Start GPA	0.0
AU	Audit	0.0
CR	Credit	0.0
NC	No Credit	0.0
NR	Not Recorded	0.0
T (followed by any letter)	Transfer Work	0.0

Audit

Registered students may, with the permission of faculty, enroll in a course as an auditor for no credit. Auditors are not required to be degree-seeking students; however, all auditors must apply for admission to the college by the appropriate deadline for the term. Students must enroll to audit a course by the Add deadline of the term. Auditors pay the same tuition/fees as students enrolled for credit and are expected to follow the attendance guidelines set forth in the course. If attendance guidelines are not followed, the student may be issued a failing grade. If attendance guidelines are followed, the student will receive a grade of AU.

Incomplete

An Incomplete (I) grade is issued at faculty discretion when student coursework has been satisfactory, but unavoidable mitigating circumstances have prevented the student from completing the course.

After consulting with the instructor of the course, a student must make a formal request for an incomplete grade by completing the Request for an Incomplete Grade form, stating what unavoidable mitigating circumstance(s) prevented completion of the work and proposing the conditions under which the work will be completed. If a request form does not accompany the final grade, the student will be issued a Not Recorded (NR) grade until the proper paperwork is completed and submitted to the Records Office. If the instructor approves the request, the student will have until the end of the following semester to make up the Incomplete. If a student fails to make up an Incomplete within the allotted time, the incomplete grade will be converted to an F. The Division Director will approve all Requests for Incomplete Grades before they are submitted to the Registrar for posting. The Department Chair or Division Director must be given all information necessary to do final grading for the student as backup for the instructor in case he/she is not available to do the grading at the appropriate time.

• Request for Incomplete Grade form

Pass/Fail Policy

As a general policy, courses at Great Falls College MSU may be graded with the letter grades A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- and F. However, certain courses, as indicated in the catalog, are offered only on a pass/fail basis for ALL students registered in the course. Typically, a passing (P) grade is equivalent to a grade of “C-” or better; however, this may vary by course or program. Students receiving “P” grades may not request a change to a letter grade.

Course Repeat

Courses may be repeated to increase one’s knowledge and/or grade point average. The original grade, as well as subsequent grade(s) in the course, is reflected on the academic transcript. However, the grade and grade point value for the repeated course will replace the earlier grade and grade point value in the cumulative totals. The grade and accompanying information for a repeated course will be posted on the student’s academic transcript for the semester during which the repeated course was completed.

Students may repeat a passed course only one time on financial aid. Passed courses are those courses completed with a grade of a D or above. If a student repeats the same course more than once, that course will not be considered in determining the enrollment status for financial aid purposes but will still be counted in attempted credits for Satisfactory Academic Progress determination.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

A student’s level of academic performance is determined by the grade point average (GPA). To calculate the GPA the total number of grade points is divided by the total number of completed credits.

Grade Reports

Faculty are required to submit mid-term and final grades by the deadlines set by the Registrar’s office. Mid-term grades are available to students on Banner Web/My Info after the halfway point of the term. Final grades are available to students on Banner Web/My Info one week after the end of the term.

In addition to mid-term and final grade reporting, frequent student progress feedback is required. Using the designated learning management system for grade reporting is mandatory for all Great Falls College MSU courses that don’t use an embedded grade reporting mechanism that provides real-time grade feedback, such as MyMathLab, etc. If an instructor chooses to use a grade system other than designated learning management system that meets the real-time feedback criterion, a link must be posted on the course-designated learning management page directing students to that system.

Academic Records Appeals

Appeals regarding academic records must be addressed within three years of course enrollment. Any appeals filed more than three years after the date of last attendance will not be considered. Note: This policy applies to appeals for retroactive withdrawals and tuition refunds only.

• Request for Special Consideration form

Change of Grade

A change of grade may be submitted to the Registrar for a variety of reasons. All grade changes must come from the instructor, department chair, or division director. If, after consulting with the instructor, questions still remain about the changing of a grade, please refer to the Academic Complaint Procedure.

• Great Falls College Policy on Student Conduct and Grievance