Grade Descriptions for Developmental Studies Courses
Developmental Studies courses are designated by course numbers below 100 and do not earn quality points or count towards a student’s GPA. They are designed to enhance the skill sets of students who do not place into curriculum-level courses.
| Letter Grade | Letter Definition | Description |
| SA (90-100) | Highly Satisfactory | Successful mastery of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with a high quality of performance. |
| SB (80-89) | Satisfactory | Successful completion of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with a satisfactory quality of performance. |
| U (Below 80) | Unsatisfactory | Failure to successfully complete all course requirements as specified by the instructor. |
| P (70-100) | Pass | Successful completion of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with satisfactory quality of performance. |
| A | Excellent | Successful mastery of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with excellent quality of performance. |
| B | Above Average | Successful completion of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with high quality of performance. |
| C | Average | Successful completion of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with an average quality of performance.** |
| F | Failing | Failure to successfully complete all course requirements as specified by the instructor. |
Grade Descriptions
A 10-point grading system is used to determine letter grades in curriculum-level courses. The letter grades, as described below, correspond to quality points used in calculating grade point averages
| Letter Grade | Letter Definition | Description | Quality Points/GPA |
| A (90-100) | Excellent | Successful mastery of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with excellent quality of performance. | 4 |
| B (80-89) | Above Average | Successful completion of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with high quality of performance. | 3 |
| C (70-79) | Average | Successful completion of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with an average quality of performance.** | 2 |
| D (60-69) | Below Average | Successful completion of all course requirements as specified by the instructor with a minimal quality of performance. | 1 |
| F (59 and below) | Failing | Failure to successfully complete all course requirements as specified by the instructor. | 0 |
| I | Incomplete Grade | Temporary grade when extenuating circumstances occur.* Incomplete grades are only eligible if a student has completed 80% of the course work and becomes subjected to some unforeseen event. Final determination and approval for an incomplete will be made by the faculty member and appropriate Learning Center Dean. | 0 |
| W | Withdrawal | Official withdrawal from the course without academic penalty. | 0 |
| AU | Audit | Audit. Curriculum courses ONLY. | 0 |
| AW | Automatic Withdrawal | Instructor withdrawal of the student from course for excessive absences without academic penalty. | 0 |
| CE | Credit by Examination | Credit by Examination. Curriculum courses ONLY. | 0 |
| FG | Forgiveness Grade | Previous failure to successfully complete all course requirements, but cumulative grade point average recalculated under the College forgiveness policy. | 0 |
| NA | Never Attended | Instructor withdrawal from the course without academic penalty. | 0 |
| SR | Audit | Senior Audit | 0 |
*It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor regarding work to be completed for the removal of the “I” grade. A Grade of “I” must be removed during the first eight weeks of the next semester or it automatically becomes an “F.” (EXCEPTION: Spring semester incomplete grades must be removed no later than the first eight weeks of the next Fall semester. Associate Degree Nursing, Practical Nursing, Health Information Technology and Medical Assisting students must remove an incomplete grade prior to the beginning of the next semester of study.) This policy may be waived through petition to and approval of the Chief Academic Officer.
**For course grade requirements for Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Medical Assisting, and Health Information Technology programs see associated program handbooks.
Computation of Grade Point Average (GPA)
To calculate your grade point average (GPA), you must first calculate quality points by multiplying number of credits of a course by the numeric value of the grade earned. For example: An A (4 quality points) in Expository Writing (3 credits) produces 12 quality points (4 x 3 = 12), or a C (2 quality points) in Calculus I (4 credits) produces 8 quality points (2 x 4 = 8).
To determine GPA for a given semester, divide the quality points earned by the number of semester hour credits. The same formula, dividing the total number of quality points by the total number of credits calculated, is used to calculate the cumulative GPA.
The letter for each subject will be converted to a quality point equivalent. The quality points are then multiplied by the semester hours. The total quality points are then divided by the total hours to give the GPA.
Example:
| Class | Grade | Quality Points | Semester Hours Credit | Total Quality Points | ||
| ACA 111 | A | 4 | x | 1 | = | 4 |
| CIS 111 | B | 3 | x | 2 | = | 6 |
| PSY 150 | D | 1 | x | 3 | = | 3 |
| WBL 112 | C | 2 | x | 2 | = | 4 |
| HEA 110 | C | 2 | x | 3 | = | 6 |
| Totals | - | - | - | 11 | - | 23 |
Divide: 23 divided by 11 equals 2.09
Your grade point average is 2.09
Grade Reports
Students’ grades will be posted after each semester on Self-Service, the College’s online portal for student information.
Change of Grade
Students are responsible for checking the accuracy of their grades with the instructors. Awarding grades to students is the responsibility of the instructor. Once awarded, a grade may be changed only upon written explanation and authorization from the faculty to the Registrar using the Change of Grade Report form. Extraordinary circumstances will be referred to the instructor’s supervisor. Students may appeal a disputed grade through the Student Grade Appeals process.