Grading
Letter grades are assigned at the end of each semester to indicate how well a student has met the goals established for each course. For each letter grade, there is a corresponding number called a grade point. These are used to calculate a student’s grade point average, or GPA.
Grades and Grade Points
| Grade | Range | Grade Points per Credit Hour |
|---|---|---|
| A | 93-100% | 4.0 |
| A- | 90 - 92.99% | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87 - 89.99% | 3.3 |
| B | 83 - 86.99% | 3.0 |
| B- | 80 - 82.99% | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77 - 79.99% | 2.3 |
| C | 73 - 76.99% | 2.0 |
| C- | 70 - 72.99% | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67 - 69.99% | 1.3 |
| D | 63 - 66.99% | 1.0 |
| D- | 60 - 62.99% | 0.7 |
| F | < 60% | 0 |
| P | - | 0 |
| W (withdrawal) | - | 0 |
Temporary Grades
| Grade | Range | Grade Points per Credit Hour |
|---|---|---|
| I (Incomplete) | - | 0 |
| M | - | 0 |
Administrative Marks
| Grade | Range | Grade Points per Credit Hour |
|---|---|---|
| AU | - | 0 |
Developmental Grades
Grades earned in courses numbered below 1000 will appear with the “#” sign after the letter grade to designate their status.
Note: These grades are not included in College GPA calculation but are included in the calculations that determine eligibility for Financial Aid.
Incomplete Grades
An Incomplete or "I" grade is used as a temporary grade assigned by a faculty member when coursework is missing and the student agrees to complete the requirements.
A student may request an Incomplete from a faculty member; faculty members are not required to agree to such a request. Faculty members should assign an Incomplete when there are extenuating circumstances, such as illness, that prevent a student from completing the assigned work on time. Further consideration should be given to determine if the student has participated in and completed at least 61% of the course, and, in the judgment of the faculty member, the student can complete the remaining work no later than the tenth week of the next standard semester.
Any faculty member that assigns an Incomplete shall document the temporary grade and inform the student, the campus Dean of Faculty or campus dean responsible for faculty affairs, the campus supervisor of enrollment services, and other appropriate parties as needed, using the designated online form. Supporting documentation, agreed upon by both the faculty and student, must include:
- a brief description of the requirements to be completed;
- the date by which the coursework must be submitted to the faculty member;
- a statement that the Incomplete will change to a specific letter grade if the work is not completed by the tenth week of the next standard semester.
If a student fails to complete the required work or fails to submit the work by the specified time, or if the faculty member fails to submit a replacement grade, the Director of Registration & Academic History (or their designee) shall convert the Incomplete on the student’s transcript to the letter grade specified on the original paperwork. Specially accredited programs may have specific progression criteria where a student cannot progress in their program with an incomplete on their transcript.
Students with an Incomplete on their transcript are temporarily ineligible for semester or graduation honors. Upon conversion of the Incomplete to a letter grade, students may retroactively receive semester or graduation honors, and such recognition shall appear on the transcript, provided the student has earned the required GPA.
Repeating a Course
No course may be repeated for credit more than twice without approval. The highest grade received will be used in calculating the student’s cumulative grade point average. This does not apply to those courses that are designed to be repeated for additional credit. Programs with professional and regulatory standards may have different requirements for repeating courses in which case, those standards shall be applied.
Auditing a Course
Used for students not wishing to be awarded college credit for a course taken. This status allows students to participate in class activities without being required to meet the examination or assessment requirements of the course. Students may ask to have coursework critiqued but, audited courses do not earn a grade and faculty members are not required to grade an auditor’s coursework. Full tuition and fees are charged for courses audited. Students must be informed that State and Federal regulations prohibit the College from awarding aid for audited courses. A student who wishes to change from credit to audit status must request this within the first 20% of the term in which the course is offered, using the appropriate form. Audit request forms are available in the student myCTState portal or in the Campus One Stop Office. Audit deadlines for each term are published in the annual College Academic calendar. Students auditing a course may not change to credit status. Students may only audit the same course two times, and any additional requests to audit must be approved by the campus Dean of Faculty or campus dean responsible for faculty affairs. Certain degrees or certificates, such as selective admissions programs, may not allow for courses to be converted to audit.
Calculation of GPA
The grade point average (GPA) is a composite score used to determine the relative standing of a student, either for a single semester or for the total number of semesters at the college. Grade points are calculated by multiplying the numerical weight allocated to each grade by the semester hours of credit assigned to each course. The GPA is determined by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of semester hours attempted by the student.
Grade Appeals
Policy
An academic appeal is an allegation by a student that an employee of the college has violated federal or state laws and regulations, college or department policies, accreditation standards, or the policies stated in the course syllabus related to an assigned grade, notation, or other academic decision. A student may seek campus-level review of the assignment of a grade, notation, or other decision affecting academic status in accordance with the procedure outlined in the college catalog (below).
The campus-level appeal will take place at the campus where the grade, notation, or course being appealed took place. The student shall be afforded the right to present a statement of appeal and relevant information in support of it. The faculty member shall also be afforded the right to present a statement of relevant information regarding the appeal. It is the student’s responsibility to show that the decision in question is arbitrary, i.e., without a reasonable basis, or was made for improper reasons in violation of this policy. The student is entitled to a written response upon completion of the appeal procedure.
The procedural time frames provided may be modified by the Campus President (or designee) for good cause shown.
The decision of the Campus President (or designee) shall be final.
Procedures
There are three procedural options for responding to a student’s campus-level review of the assignment of a grade or other decision affecting academic status: Regular Appeal, Expedited Non-Clinical Appeal, and Expedited Clinical Appeal. For all three options, Step 1 of the campus-level appeal process will not take place prior to posting of final grades.
The Regular Grade Appeal Procedure should be followed if the grade being appealed would not prevent a student from graduating, transferring, or progressing in their designated program the following semester or term. The regular appeal procedure would likely be completed within 40 business days of the start of the next full academic semester.
The Expedited Non-Clinical Grade Appeal Procedure should be followed if the grade being appealed is from a non-clinical program and would prevent a student from graduating, transferring, or progressing in their designated program the following semester or term. The expedited (non-clinical) appeal procedure would likely be completed within 15 business days from the posting of the official final grade.
The Expedited Clinical Grade Appeal Procedure should be followed if the grade being appealed is for a specialized course in a clinical program and would prevent a student from graduating, transferring, or progressing in their designated program the following semester or term. The expedited clinical appeal procedure would likely be completed within 10 business days from the posting of the official final grade plus, if applicable, any additional days required for the completion of program-level appeal procedures stipulated by specialized accredited clinical programs. Some clinical programs may permit program-level appeal procedures to be completed prior to the Registrar’s Office posting of the official final grade; however, Step 1 of the campus-level appeal process will not take place prior to the posting of final grades.
Students may reach out to their Guided Pathways Advisor and/or program advisor for assistance in navigating the appeals process. Every type of appeal is initiated by a student with the CT State Academic Appeal Form.