Grading System and Implementation Procedures - RESCINDED

Policy Statement

Grading System

The current grade code for Indiana University is:

• A = Highest passing grade
• B
• C
• D
• F = Failed
• FN = Failed/Non-Attendance [see a) below]
• FX = Failed/Retaken [see b) below]
• I = Incomplete
• R = Deferred grade [see c) below]
• S = Satisfactory [see d) below]
• W = Withdrawn [see e) below]
• P = Passed [see f) below]

(Faculty Council, January 4, 1949; December 1, 1953; and subsequent actions cited below)

1. FN ( Non-Attendance) Policy. This grade is used to indicate failure due to student non-attendance in class, and will provide a distinction between an “F” grade awarded for failing performance and an “F” grade assigned for non-attendance in compliance with the 1953 Faculty Council policy stating that “failure to complete a course without an authorized withdrawal will result in the grade of ‘F’.” When an “FN” grade is assigned, an “F” will appear on the student’s transcript. The “N” portion of the “FN” grade and the last attendance date will be retained on the student’s record as internal notations only.

   (University Faculty Council, March 30, 1999)

2. FX (Failed/Retaken) Policy. Any undergraduate who has retaken a course previously failed shall have only the second grade in that course counted in the determination of his or her grade-point average. The student’s transcript shall record both grades. Any grade-point average calculated in accord with this policy shall be marked with an asterisk denoting that an F grade has been replaced by the grade in the course when taken subsequently.

   (University Faculty Council, December 9, 1975; and March 13, 1979)

   Validity and Limitations:

   1. The FX Option is honored by all undergraduate schools and divisions on all Indiana University campuses.
   2. A student may exercise this FX Option for no more than three courses, totaling no more than 10 credits.
   3. A student may use the FX Option only once for a given course.

   Procedures

   1. Upon successful completion of the repeated course, the grade of FX will replace the grade of F that the student originally received in the course. The FX will be defined in the transcript explanations as representing an F grade in a course that has been removed from GPA calculations by a subsequent retaking of the course.
   2. The policy pertains only to undergraduate students.
   3. Although the policy went into effect the first semester 1976–77, undergraduate students may repeat courses in which they received an F at any time prior to that semester.
   4. The policy of re-enrollment pertains only to a course in which an F was previously received.
   5. The grades of WF and F (under the P/F option) are considered the same as an F grade.
   6. In retaking the course the student must receive a regular letter grade of A, B, C, D, F, P, or S to change the original F to an FX. The grades of W, I, or NC will not qualify for removal.
   7. Students who wish to repeat a course in which they received an F must secure the approval of the dean of their school or the chairperson of their division prior to repeating the course. The course in which the student re-enrolls should be the same course in which an F was previously received. Account, however, should be taken of the fact that course numbers and titles are occasionally changed.
   8. After final grades for the semester have been processed, the dean’s office will enter the newly-received grade on a form, approve the form, and forward it to the campus Registrar for processing.
   9. Enforcement of the FX policy shall be the responsibility of the school or division which certifies the student’s fulfillment of degree requirements. Problems relating to the policy shall be referred to the school dean or the administrator fulfilling the equivalent responsibility on the campus.

   (University Faculty Council, April 10, 1984; Report to UFC November 27, 1984; April 28, 1987)

   [NOTE: Details of the FX policy may vary from campus to campus per UFC action which gave each campus the authority to develop campus-specific policies for transcript grade representation, grade replacement, and the timing of automatic withdrawals (University Faculty Council, April 12, 1994). Several campuses (including IUB and IUPUI) have since expanded the FX policy to other grades (A- through D-) using an option called the “Extended X Policy.”]

3. R (Deferred Grade) Policy. The grade R (Deferred Grade) used on the final grade report indicates that the nature of the course is such that the work of the student can be evaluated only after two or more terms. The grade R is appropriate in thesis and research courses in which the student’s work is evaluated when the thesis or research is completed. It may also be used at the end of the first term of a two-term course or a course that overlaps two terms if the course is announced as a Deferred Grade course in the Schedule of Classes. The grade R is appropriate only so long as there is work in progress. This procedure will assure the approval of the department and the willingness of the students to take both terms of the course before getting a grade.

   At the end of the second term of a Deferred Grade course or when a thesis or research project is complete, the instructor shall submit the student’s grade for the last term on the grade sheet for that term and/or send a Removal-of-Deferred-Grade card through the office of the dean of the student’s school to the Office of the Registrar. If work is interrupted due to extenuating circumstances, a special arrangement between student and instructor must be made on a term-to-term basis. If a student drops out of a course before the work is complete, the instructor must assign a regular grade for the course.

   (University Faculty Council, February 8, 1977)

4. S/F (Satisfactory/Fail) Policy. Prior permission must be sought from the School Dean and the Vice Chancellor/Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs or equivalent to offer a course on a Satisfactory/Fail basis. The grade of S may be awarded only for such approved special courses; S and F are the only grades which may be awarded to enrollees in such a course.

   (Faculty Council, February 2, 1954)

   Exception: During a state of emergency, the closing of a campus, or other extraordinary circumstances for a prolonged period that affects an entire campus, an instructor may award an S grade to some or all students in a course who had enrolled in the course for letter grades. Permission of the Dean of the unit that is offering the course is required, with documented notification to the student(s),  based on the determination that awarding an S rather than a letter grade will not adversely affect a student’s academic progress, status or eligibility for benefits. Each campus faculty governance organization, in consultation with the provost/chancellor and the campus registrar, shall develop procedures to implement this exception on their campus.

   (Faculty Council, March 24, 2020)

5. W (Withdrawn) Policy. The W grade may not be recorded by an instructor unless the student has officially withdrawn from the course. See also “Grades given upon withdrawal from courses” below.

   (Administrative Practice)

6. P (Pass) Policy. The grade P (Pass) is a grading option a student may elect with the approval of the student’s dean, under the procedure established by the school or division. Instructors of undergraduate students are not notified of students registering for this option; all instructors should record a regular letter grade, which if D or higher, will be changed to P when grades are processed by the Registrar. The P grade cannot subsequently be changed to a grade of A, B, C, or D.

   [NOTE: Following University Faculty Council approval to allow use of + and - distinctions with grades of A through D for both undergraduate and graduate courses, the lowest passing grade converting to P (Pass) is D- (see item (g) below).]

   (Administrative Practice; Initially approved by the faculties of the undergraduate schools of the University, April 18, 1967; and by the Graduate Council, May 25, 1967.)

   Exception: During a state of emergency, the closing of a campus, or other extraordinary circumstances for a prolonged period that affects an entire campus, a student may elect to change a regular letter grade (of D- or higher) to P (Pass) with the approval of the student’s dean under the procedures established by the student’s school or division.

   (Faculty Council, March 24, 2020)

7. Instructors in undergraduate and graduate courses may use a grading system which includes plus and minus grades. The Registrar will use the following numerical equivalents in computing GPAs:
   • A+ or A = 4.0
   • A– = 3.7
   • B+ = 3.3
   • B = 3.0
   • B- = 2.7
   • C+ = 2.3
   • C = 2.0
   • C- + 1.7
   • D+ = 1.3
   • D = 1.0
   • D- = 0.7
   • F = 0.0

   (University Faculty Council, March 29, 1977)

Implementation Procedures

1. One of the above grades must be turned in at the end of the term for each student enrolled in a course.
2. If a final grade roster is not received by the processing deadline published by the Registrar each term, a notation of NR will be printed for that course on all student grade notifications. (Administrative Practice)
3. Once a grade sheet has been received by the Registrar, no grade, except that of Incomplete (I) or Deferred (R), contained thereon may be changed except with the written consent of the dean or his or her authorized representative of the college or school in which the instructor or professor is a faculty member and with a report to the faculty of the respective college or school.

   (Faculty Council, February 17, 1953)

   [NOTE: Grade changes are now handled through an on-line automated process. (Administrative Practice)]

4. Faculty members or instructors may request a change of a non-temporary grade such as A, B, etc., by submitting an on-line eGrade document. The document is routed electronically for necessary approvals. Campus participation varies; check with campus-specific Registrar’s offices for questions about grade change submission procedures.

(Administrative Practice)

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