Grading System
Enrollment in a course obligates the student not only for prompt completion of all work assigned but also for punctual and regular attendance and for participation in whatever class discussion may occur. It is the student’s responsibility to keep informed concerning all assignments made. Absences, whether excused or unexcused, do not absolve the student from this responsibility.
Students’ grades in their courses are determined by class standing and examination grade, combined in such proportion as the professor may decide.
Class standing is determined by the quality of a student’s work and the regularity of attendance in lectures and laboratory sessions or other exercises of the course. Grading systems in graduate and professional schools are described in the appropriate bulletins.
A, B, C, D represent passing grades in order from highest to lowest. B+, C+, D+ may also be recorded. F represents failing performance.
S and U indicate, respectively, satisfactory (passing) and unsatisfactory (failing) performance in courses carried under the Pass-Fail option. The S/U designation is used also for some research courses, workshops, and seminars in which the regular academic grades are not used. The use of the Pass-Fail grading option in such courses is indicated in their bulletin descriptions. No course carried under the Pass-Fail option will affect a student’s grade point average or the evaluation of suspension conditions.
WF is assigned for student withdrawal from a course after the penalty deadline prescribed in the academic and refund calendars on the registrar’s Web site. (See section on “Dropping A Course.”) The grade of WF is treated as an F in the evaluation of suspension conditions and grade point average computation.
W is assigned for student withdrawal from a course after the late registration period but before the penalty date. Courses dropped during the late registration period (as published in the academic and refund calendars on the registrar’s Web site) will not be recorded on a student’s permanent record. In exceptional cases, the grade W will be used after the first seven weeks of a semester, primarily in cases of withdrawal from the University or from a course for medical reasons. (See section on “Dropping a Course.”) A grade of W will not enter into the evaluation of suspension conditions or in grade point average computation but will be recorded on a student’s permanent record.
I, Incomplete, is assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, in the instructor’s judgment, a student is unable to complete some portion of the assigned work in a course because of an unanticipated illness, accident, work-related responsibility, family hardship, or verified learning disability. The grade of I is not intended to give students additional time to complete course assignments unless there is some indication that the specified condition or event prevented the student from completing course assignments on time. By arrangement with the instructor, the student will have up to 12 months in which to complete the work before a permanent grade is recorded. Re-enrolling in the course will not make up an Incomplete. An Assignment of Incomplete Grade form (AS-5) must be completed by the instructor and submitted to the Office of the University Registrar explaining the reason for the I and conditions for make-up. A grade of I is not computed in calculating a student’s grade point average. After 12 months an I that has not been made up is changed to a grade of F or to the back-up grade indicated by the faculty member on the Assignment of Incomplete Grade form.
T, a Graduate School symbol, is assigned to indicate enrollment in Thesis Preparation (799) and Dissertation Preparation (899). Courses with this symbol will be counted as hours attempted and hours earned only. Grade points will not be awarded. For unsatisfactory work the grade of U should be assigned. The grade of I cannot be assigned in courses numbered 799 and 899.
AUD indicates a course was carried on an audit basis. (See section on “Auditing” for more information.)
NR, No Record, is assigned in the event that the grade is not available at the time final grades are submitted. It is a temporary mark on the transcript and must be replaced by a grade. If replacement does not occur before the last week of the spring or fall semester following the term for which the grade was recorded, a grade of F will be assigned. The NR is ignored in computing the GPA.
X on the transcript before a grade denotes an Honor Code Violation.
Pass-Fail Grading
The Pass-Fail program is designed to encourage students to investigate fields outside of their major curriculum in which they have a specific personal interest without affecting their grade point average. The only grades assigned on courses taken under the Pass-Fail option are S and U; a grade of S indicates satisfactory performance, a grade of U indicates unsatisfactory progress. A student will be given credit for courses in which the grade of S is earned, but these courses will not affect the computation of the grade point average.
Specific provisions of the Pass-Fail program are as follows:
1. The Pass-Fail grading system is in effect for an indefinite period of time, subject to periodic review.
2. The Pass-Fail option is not available to undergraduate students whose semester or cumulative GPA is less than 2.00.
3. Students are permitted to exercise the Pass-Fail option only on free elective courses.
4. Students are permitted to take no more than eight courses on a Pass-Fail basis during their undergraduate career.
5. A student wishing to exercise the option must have the permission of the dean of the college and the student’s academic advisor. The Pass-Fail Option form (AS-20) is used for this purpose.
6. The option may be elected or revoked by the student no later than the last date for withdrawing from the course without a penalty.
7. Normal prerequisites may be waived for students taking a course on a Pass-Fail basis.
8. Courses taken under this option will be excluded from the calculation of the grade point average.
9. A grade of S will be entered by the Office of the University Registrar for a regularly assigned passing grade; a failing grade will be registered as U.
10. No course carried on a Pass-Fail basis will be counted toward the hours required for either the President’s or the Dean’s Honor List.
11. A verified learning-disabled student may take on a Pass-Fail basis an elective or required course which is not in the major if the academic advisory plan so recommends the Pass-Fail option for that course. A student who desires use of this option must apply to the dean of the college at the beginning of the semester. With the approval of the academic dean, learning-disabled students may meet specific degree requirements with a satisfactory grade.
Grade Point Average
The grade point average is computed on the basis of all semester hours attempted for credit, except for credit hours carried under the Pass-Fail or audit options. Courses in which a grade of S, U, AUD, T, or W was earned are not considered in computing the GPA.
The grade points earned in any course carried with a passing grade (A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D) are computed by multiplying the number of semester hour credits assigned to the course by a factor determined by the grade. For courses in which the grade of A was earned, the factor is 4; for B+, 3.5; for B, 3; for C+, 2.5; for C, 2; for D+, 1.5; for D, 1. The grade point average is determined by dividing the total number of semester grade points earned by the total number of semester hours attempted for credit (excepting hours carried on a Pass-Fail or audit basis). No grade points are assigned to the symbols F, S, U, WF, W, I, AUD, T, or NR.
Course Grade Forgiveness
It is the policy of the University of South Carolina that every currently enrolled, fully admitted, degree-seeking undergraduate earning a D+, D, F, or WF in a University course may take up to two undergraduate courses for a second time for the purpose of grade forgiveness. Both the first and second grades shall appear on the University permanent record, but only the second grade will be used in computing the University of South Carolina cumulative grade point average. An explanatory notice will appear on the record. Once grade forgiveness is applied to a repeated course, the action may not be revoked.
An eligible student wishing to apply the course grade forgiveness policy to a course enrollment may do so at any time during his/her undergraduate enrollment, but no applications will be honored after the degree is awarded. Grade forgiveness can only be applied once per course for a maximum of two courses (not to exceed 8 credits) on a student’s undergraduate academic record, without regard to the number of degrees sought. Under the grade forgiveness policy, the forgiven and repeated class must both be taken at the same University of South Carolina campus. Courses transferred from other institutions are excluded from this policy.
This policy does not preclude students from repeating classes multiple times, in accordance with program requirements, but only the second attempt at the class may forgive the original grade of D+, D, F, or WF. Only a regular letter grade can replace a forgiven grade. Grades of W, I, S, U, or AUDIT may not replace previous grades. Grades carrying an honor code violation sanction of X are not eligible for grade forgiveness.
Established requirements for repeating classes, admission to, or progression in, specific academic programs of the University take precedence over the grade forgiveness policy. Program or progression grade point averages are not affected by this policy. Refer to the guidelines for each program for specific requirements. Courses intended to be repeated for additional credit, such as research or applied music, are not eligible for grade forgiveness. Semester honors (dean’s or president’s honor list), academic standing (scholastic deficiency, probation, suspension), or previous grade point totals will not change retroactively as a result of applying this policy.
Students who have been granted academic forgiveness to reset the grade point average after readmission are not eligible for course grade forgiveness. Please refer to the bulletin entry titled Academic Forgiveness for Former USC Students with Less Than a 2.00 Cumulative GPA.
An eligible student wishing to apply the grade forgiveness policy may begin the process by reading the criteria which must be met and completing the necessary documentation in order to apply grade forgiveness. The criteria and documentation can be found at http://registrar.sc.edu/html/grade_forgiv.stm.
Grade Reports
Students’ grades are reported on the University’s VIP Web site (https://vip.sc.edu) or by request at the Office of the University Registrar, third floor, Petigru. Grade reports are sent to the permanent address of any student with academic deficiency.
Grade Change Policy
Grade changes based on transcription or computation errors shall be reported directly to the Office of the University Registrar on the appropriate grade change form signed by the instructor and the head of the student’s academic unit. Any request for a grade change must be submitted by the instructor no later than one calendar year from the date on which the grade was reported. Beyond this period, grade changes will be considered only in exceptional circumstances and must be handled through the petition procedure of the student’s college. Any other grade change request resulting from enrollment discrepancies, medical withdrawals, or perceived administrative errors (changes to W, WF, audit, credit, S/U, or to I) must be submitted on the appropriate forms with signatures and documentation to the dean of the student’s college for review through the petition procedure. This does not apply to the routine makeup and extension of an I (incomplete) and posting of a permanent grade to replace the recorded NR mark. An I turns into a grade of F after one year; an NR turns into a grade of F after one semester. Special makeup work or examinations to change grades already recorded are not permitted.
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