Grading
(Policy 2.15)
Grading System
Blue Mountain Christian University has a suggested grading scale which is listed below. Individual faculty members may alter this scale in keeping with their individual philosophies. However, each faculty member must inform students about the grading scale which will be used in each course.
| Grade |
Interpretation |
Numerical Equivalent |
| A |
Excellent |
95 - 100 |
| B |
Good |
87 - 94 |
| C |
Average |
75 - 86 |
| D |
Lowest Passing Grade |
70 - 74 |
| F |
Failure |
Below 70 |
| FA |
Failure (due to lack of attendance) |
|
| FE |
Failure (excluded from calculation of GPA) |
|
| P |
Pass |
|
| S |
Satisfactory |
|
| U |
Unsatisfactory |
|
| I |
Incomplete |
|
| RP |
Repeat (course has been repeated) |
|
| W |
Withdrawal (no penalty) |
|
| WI |
Withdrawal, Involuntary |
|
| WP |
Withdrawal Passing (no penalty) |
|
| WF |
Withdrawal Failing |
|
| AU |
Audit |
|
Quality Points. Blue Mountain Christian University uses the 4.00 grading scale using rounded numerical values. The quality points assigned for each grade per semester hour are as follows:
| A |
4.00 (4 grade points per hour)
|
| B |
3.00 (3 grade points per hour)
|
| C |
2.00 (2 grade points per hour)
|
| D |
1.00 (1 grade point per hour)
|
| F |
0.00 (0 grade points per hour)
|
Grade Point Hours. Grade point hours are those academic hours for which a student registered and received a letter grade, including grades of F, FA, I, WI, and WF. Grades of FE, P, W, WP, and AU are not considered in the computation of a student’s grade point average.
Grade Point Average (GPA). A student’s grade point average is based on semester hours attempted, less repeated courses. A student is allowed to repeat any course once; however, the highest grade is used in calculating the GPA. A required course that has been failed may be repeated twice Beyond the second repeat the student must appeal to the Provost and Vice President and receive permission to enroll in the course again. For nursing students, all course attempts and transfer work will be recorded on the transcript and utilized for cumulative GPA calculation. Nursing students may repeat Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology, Pathophysiology, and all major nursing courses once. Courses that are repeated remain on the student’s permanent record with a notation that the course has been repeated and no longer figures in the student’s GPA. For nursing students all course attempts remain on the transcript and are utilized for cumulative GPA calculation. The formula for calculating the GPA = total quality points divided by semester hours attempted. Credits in non-academic do not carry quality points and are not used in the calculation of the student’s GPA. Repeating courses may have an effect on financial aid eligibility.
Removal of Incomplete Grades. A grade of I (incomplete) is recorded at the end of a semester or term only when a student, through no fault of his/her own, is unable to complete the work prescribed in the course. This determination is made by the professor of the course in question with approval of the Provost/Vice President. The student must complete the work for the course by the end of the following semester if the student remains enrolled at the University, or the I will become an F. If the student does not continue to be enrolled at the University, he/she must complete the course work by the end of the second semester following receipt of the I or the grade becomes an F. Faculty members are responsible for reporting the removal of I grades to the Office of the Registrar using the Grade Change/Correction Form available in the Office of the Registrar.
Grade Reports. At the mid-point of each fall and spring semester, a progress report showing a letter grade on each course for each Blue Mountain Christian University student is accessible via the student portal. These grades do not carry quality points and are merely a reflection of the student’s academic progress during the first half of the semester. They do not become a part of the student’s permanent record or transcript.Also, a mid-semester report and final grade report (for students whose accounts are clear) is mailed to any parent or guardian of a student provided the student makes this request in writing in the Office of the Registrar at the beginning of each semester or term. A semester or term grade report showing semester hours attempted and earned, quality points earned, final grades, and semester and cumulative grade point averages is accessible via the student portal to each student at the end of each semester or term provided the semester or term bill has been paid in full.A student whose grades are on hold due to a delinquent account must make satisfactory arrangements with the Business Office prior to accessing his/her grades.
Grade Change/Correction. Any grade changes or corrections must be made in writing to the Office of the Registrar by the instructor of the course in which the change/correction is needed. A Grade Change/Correction form for this purpose is available in the Office of the Registrar. An explanation of the reason for the change or correction should be recorded on the form. A grade report, reflecting the corrected grade and an updated grade point average, will then be reflected on the student’s transcript.
Grade Appeal. A basic aspect of the learning-teaching process is the evaluation of student performance and the assignment of grades. Student performance will be evaluated solely on an academic basis, and not on opinions or conduct in matters unrelated to the course taken.
Faculty are responsible for providing syllabi which clearly specify course objectives and/or competencies, and for making clear the means of evaluation for purposes of grading students. Students are responsible for class attendance, for learning the content of any course, and for the standards of academic performance established for a particular course. Students who violate academic honesty and integrity regulations by plagiarism or academic dishonesty will be held accountable to faculty and may have their grades adjusted accordingly. [See Policy 2.19: Academic Honesty and Integrity.]
Students shall have the protections through orderly procedures against prejudices or capricious academic evaluation. A student who believes that he or she has not been held to realistic academic standards, just evaluation procedures, or appropriate grading, may appeal the final grade given in the course.
Any dissatisfaction with academic procedures, standards, or grading must be addressed by using the appeal procedures below.
- The student shall first present, in writing, the matter of grievance to the instructor of the course. This must be done within thirty days after the close of the semester in which the grade was earned.
- If the student feels the matter is not satisfactorily resolved at the student-faculty level, then the grievance is submitted to the chair of the department in which the course is taught. The chair of the department will review all facts and evidence in the case and mediate a decision during the same semester/summer term in which the appeal is issued. If the grievance is not further appealed, it will be considered resolved.
- If the student believes there is further need for mediation, the request is submitted to the Provost/Vice President. If the Provost/Vice President finds substantial grounds for a formal appeal, he/she will convene the Student Appeals Committee to review the grade appeal. Both the student and instructor will be invited, but not required, to speak to the Appeals Committee separately. Deliberations of the Committee will take place in a closed session and the Committee’s decision will be final. If the Provost/Vice President finds insufficient grounds for a formal hearing, the original grade will stand. A decision shall be made within the same semester/summer term in which the complaint is issued.
- Failure to submit grievances within the required period will negate the student’s complaint.
- Grades resulting from excessive absences for undergraduate students must be appealed directly to the Provost/Vice President.
President’s and Dean’s List. At the end of each fall and spring semester, a President’s List and a Dean’s List are compiled reflecting the names of those students who have excelled academically during the semester. Students who complete twelve or more semester hours with a 4.00 semester grade point average are eligible for the President’s List; those who have earned a 3.60-3.99 semester grade point average on a similar course load are eligible for the Dean’s List.
Final Examinations. All courses are expected to conclude with a final examination. Both faculty and students are expected to adhere to the final examination schedules that are published at the beginning of each semester or term. No student will be allowed to take a final examination early, and only those students with extenuating circumstances and the approval of the Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs will be allowed to take a late examination.