Grades and Grading Definitions
You will receive a grade at the end of each course in which you enroll. The grades are defined as follows:
- A: means Excellent and is worth 4 times as many grade points as credit hours.
- B: is Good and is worth 3 times as many grade points as credit hours.
- C: is considered Average and is worth 2 times as many grade points as credit hours.
- D: is Inferior (but passing) and is worth as many grade points as credit hours.
- F: means Failure and has no point value; however, the credit hours are counted. A grade of F is punitive.
- FN – F grade due to never attending (Official transcript will reflect a grade of F).
- FS – F grade due to having stopped attending (Official transcript will reflect a grade of F).
- W or W&: indicates you Withdrew from the course without penalty and have earned no grade points for the course.
- The grade of “W” or “W&” is assigned only by the Registrar, not by instructors.
- A grade of “W” or “W&” will be assigned to a student who withdraws after the 12th class day in long terms and 4th class day in short summer sessions and before the last day to drop without penalty as listed in the Academic Calendar (apps.twu.edu/ registrar/calendar/).
- After the last date to withdraw without penalty, the grade of “WF” is assigned unless the student withdraws for medical reasons as documented by the Office of Student Life or a “W” or “W&” is recommended by the instructor on the drop form (See section regarding “Withdrawal from the University” for additional information).
- WF: is assigned when you Withdraw from the course while failing. No grade points are earned, credit hours are counted, and the grade is punitive. After the last date to withdraw without penalty, the grade of “WF” is assigned unless you withdraw for medical reasons or a “W” or “W&” is recommended by the instructor on the drop form.
- I: indicates you have received an Incomplete (not completed your coursework) and have earned no grade points.
- An Incomplete (I) grade is appropriate only when you have passing grades in at least 2/3 of your assigned work for the course but, because of extenuating circumstances, cannot complete all of the course work by the end of the semester/term. Extenuating circumstances include (1) incapacitating illness which prevents you from attending classes; (2) a death in the immediate family; (3) change in work schedule as required by an employer; or (4) other emergencies deemed appropriate by the instructor. A grade of Incomplete should not be requested nor given for lack of completion of work because of procrastination or dissatisfaction with the grade earned.
- Under the conditions above, you may petition the instructor for time beyond the end of the semester/term to finish your course work. The instructor, you, and the academic component administrator (or equivalent) of the academic component in which the course is offered must fill out and sign the form “Application for Grade of Incomplete” which is available in the Office of the Registrar or online: www.twu.edu/registrar/forms.asp. If laboratory or clinical work remains to be completed, the academic component or program must certify that the student can successfully complete such work by the assigned completion date.
- Specific arrangements to remove the grade of Incomplete must be made between the instructor and the student. The instructor will also specify that, if the work is not completed by the assigned time, a grade of B, C, D, or F will replace the Incomplete on the student’s transcript. If the student completes the required work by the assigned completion date, the instructor will submit the new grade to the Office of the Registrar.
- The maximum time allowed to finish the course work is one calendar year. In most instances the work to be completed should be finished within the first several weeks following the end of the semester/term in which the Incomplete was given.
- No student may graduate with a grade of Incomplete even if the “I” is in a course unrelated to the degree plan.
- Incomplete work cannot be finished by repeating the class. If such an option is preferred, you should accept the grade earned and re-enroll in the course with the expectation of earning a better grade. The highest grade earned for the class will be calculated in your GPA.
- Any exceptions to these regulations which describe the use of the grade of Incomplete require the approval of the instructor, the academic component administrator (or equivalent), and the dean or director of the academic unit in which the course was offered.
- CR: means you earned Credit for hours earned, but no grade points. In a pass/fail course, instructors assign CR or F.
- PR: indicates ‘In Progress.’ You will earn no credit hours or grade points for a PR. PR is normally used for thesis, dissertation, or professional paper or similar courses where there is ongoing work supervised by faculty. PR may be used for independent research classes, independent capstone projects such as exhibits and recitals, practice and internships, but not for organized classes. If a PR is assigned, the student must reregister for the course until the CR is earned. Students cannot graduate unless the final CR is assigned in the course on the degree plan for which the PR was assigned. Grades of PR/CR cannot be mixed with normal letter grading with the exception of pass/fail courses.
- NG: A grade of NG is a temporary grade to be used only with the approval of the academic component administrator and when there is an academic dishonesty issue pending or when needed to rectify university records errors.
- ##: indicates a grade is temporarily missing or not assigned. It indicates no grade points earned and is non-punitive.
- The pound sign is assigned by the Registrar only when a grade is temporarily missing. Any grade not recorded (and thus listed as “##”) will prevent the release of an official (or unofficial) transcript. The Registrar’s Office will immediately contact the instructor by phone or email, with a copy of the notification to his or her academic component administrator, to request a grade. Unless the instructor enters a grade, the “##” will be changed to an “F” within 6 weeks of the end of the semester in question.
- Developmental course grades do not affect GPA. They are as follows:
- DA: means you earned a Developmental A; there are no points or credits earned for a DA.
- DB: means you earned a Developmental B; there are no points or credits earned for a DB.
- DC: means you earned a Developmental C; there are no points or credits earned for a DC.
- DF: means you earned a Developmental F; there are no points or credits earned for a DF.
- DFN: Developmental F grade due to never attending.
- DFS: Developmental F grade due to have stopped attending.
It means you have not made sufficient progress to progress to the next class. There is no GPA penalty for a DF.
- Transfer course grades appear on unofficial transcripts and Degree Audit with a “T” before the grade (TA, TB, etc.) to signify transferred grades. The letter “T” has no effect on GPA.
Grade Requirements - Master’s Degree
Grades in courses offered for the master’s degree must average B or above in both the major and minor fields. Some academic components of the university accept no grade lower than B for degree work; please see the appropriate academic component sections in the TWU Graduate Catalog: catalog.twu.edu/. In no case may a course with a grade below C apply to the master’s degree.
Graduate students are expected to maintain a B average on all graduate work. Consistent failure to do so results in dismissal from the Graduate School. When a student’s cumulative grade average on graduate-level work falls below B or when a student receives a grade of D, F, or WF during any one semester or full summer session of twelve weeks, the student is automatically on academic probation and notified of this status. Earning a grade of D, F, or WF or failure to restore the cumulative average to B (3.0) or above during the next enrollment results in dismissal from the Graduate School. Master’s students who have been suspended may reapply to the TWU Graduate School when 6 years have elapsed after the suspension. The grade record at the Texas Woman’s University cannot be improved by attendance at another university.
Grade Requirements - Doctoral Degree
No course with a grade below B is accepted toward a doctoral degree at the University. If a doctoral student earns grades below B in program courses, continuation in the degree program is reviewed by the student’s advisory committee. A student is not allowed to continue in the doctoral program if there are two failing grades (F or WF) in the doctoral program.
The doctoral student is expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least B. When a student’s cumulative grade point average on graduate-level work falls below B during any one semester or full summer session (Summer and Summer 1, 2, and 3 combined), or when a student receives a grade of D, F, or WF, the student is automatically placed on academic probation and notified of this status. Earning a grade of D, F, or WF or failure to restore the cumulative average to B (3.0) or above during the next enrollment results in dismissal from the Graduate School.
Doctoral students who have been suspended may reapply to the TWU Graduate School when 10 years have elapsed after the suspension.
How to Calculate Your GPA
You can (and should) calculate your GPA as you progress through college. To quickly determine your GPA go to: www.twu.edu/aac/gpa-calculator/. If you want to raise your GPA, then check out the link to the “additional calculator.” You can determine how many credit hours and what grade average you will need to raise your current GPA. Transfer grades, including dual credit grades, are calculated into your cumulative GPA at TWU.
Academic Probation Undergraduate
Students who fail to maintain academic good standing are placed on academic probation or suspension. Good standing is defined as a cumulative GPA of 1.8 for students with 29 or fewer hours; 2.0 for students with 30 or more hours. Students previously in academic good standing who fail to achieve the minimum cumulative grade point average for their classification will be placed on academic probation. Students placed on academic probation may enroll any following semester. If, upon enrolling, they achieve the minimum cumulative grade point average for their classification, they are then returned to academic good standing. If they do not attain that minimum, but they do earn a semester grade point average of at least 2.0 on nine or more hours, they are continued on probation. A student on probation may not apply for graduation.
Academic Suspension Undergraduate
Students previously on academic probation who fail to achieve the minimum cumulative grade point average for their classification, or not continued on probation as just described, are placed on academic suspension.
- Students placed on academic suspension for the first time are not allowed to enroll at TWU for the next long term (fall or spring).
- Students placed on academic suspension for the second time are required to complete a Suspension Recovery Contract and are not allowed to enroll at TWU for the next two long terms (fall and spring).
- Students unable to meet the GPA requirements outlined in the Suspension Recovery Contract are not allowed to enroll at TWU for an indefinite period; typically at least two years.
When the suspension period has expired for suspended students, their status upon enrolling is academic recovery. They may not enroll without completing a Suspension Recovery Contract, which is available in the Office of Undergraduate Studies. It is not possible for students on academic suspension to shorten the suspension period by submitting work early that has been completed at another institution during the suspension period.
Rules on Repeating Courses
In implementing the General Appropriations Act of 2003, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has established the following policy. “Public institutions of higher education may not submit for formula funding credit or contact hours attempted by students who have enrolled in courses containing the same content for a third or more times at institutions since September 1, 2002.” Effective with Summer 2004 registration, an undergraduate student who attempts a course for the third time with the same content will pay additional tuition for that course. For additional information please see: http://catalog.twu.edu/undergraduate/academic-information/standards/course-repetition/.
Limits on the Number of Courses that May Be Dropped by Undergraduate Students
Under the section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, “an institution of higher education may not permit a student to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education.” This statute was enacted by the State of Texas in spring 2007 and applies to undergraduate students who enroll in a public institution of higher education as first-time freshman in fall 2007 or later. Any course that a student drops after the census date is counted toward the six- course limit if “(1) the student was able to drop the course without receiving a grade or incurring an academic penalty; (2) the student’s transcript indicates or will indicate that the student was enrolled in the course; and (3) the student is not dropping the course in order to withdraw from the institution. For additional information please see: catalog.twu.edu/undergraduate/academic-information/standards/dropping-course/.
Protocol on Excess Hours for Undergraduate Students
To avoid being charged additional tuition, you should be aware of the number of credit hours required for your degree and the limit on state-funded hours for your degree. When you exceed these limits, you are charged additional tuition. For undergraduate students entering higher education Fall 2006, the limit is 30 credit hours above their degree plan. For students who entered between 1999 and before Fall 2006, the limit is 45 hours above their degree plan. The state counts ALL courses attempted at all Texas public higher education institutions, not just hours at TWU. Effective Fall 2009, hours earned by a student before graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school graduation requirements (dual credit) are not included in the calculation of excess hours. For details, see the Undergraduate Catalog, under “Cost of Attendance: Excess Credit Hours and Nonresident Tuition for Resident Students” or visit the webpages: www.twu.edu/undergraduate-studies/compliance-policies/ or http://catalog.twu.edu/undergraduate/financial-information/.
Excess Hours for Doctoral Students
TWU doctoral students are charged at the non-resident tuition rate for any doctoral work in excess of 99 semester hours. By state exception, students in Counseling Psychology, Family Therapy, Nursing Science, and School Psychology are charged at the non-resident tuition rate for any doctoral work in excess of 130 semester hours. All semester hours listed as I, NG, PR, W, WF, and X on the transcript are included in the total doctoral hours. Doctoral students should work carefully with their advisors to plan a course of study that will prevent their inadvertently exceeding the limitation.
Graduation Honors Recognition (Undergraduate)
Registrar
Graduating seniors whose cumulative grade point average (GPA) reflects excellent scholarship are awarded their degree cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude. A minimum of 30 semester credit hours must be earned at TWU to qualify for this recognition.
The cumulative GPA ranges for these graduation honors designations are:
- Summa Cum Laude: 3.900 and above
- Magna Cum Laude: 3.700 - 3.899
- Cum Laude: 3.5 - 3.699
Graduation honors recognition at the commencement ceremony is based on the cumulative GPA at the end of the semester prior to the final semester. Graduation honors recognition as recorded on the diploma or posted to the official transcript is based on the cumulative GPA at the end of the final semester.
Early Alert Reports
No mid-semester grades are issued. Instructors may submit an Early Alert report to the Registrar’s Office on each student whose course work is unsatisfactory. The report is forwarded to the student. Unsatisfactory progress reports are not issued during the summer.
TSI (Texas Success Initiative)
The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a state-mandated assessment program designed to ensure that students attending public institutions of higher learning in Texas have the academic skills necessary to perform effectively in college-level work. The TSI assessment measures student readiness in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics.