Grades
General Grading Policy
Grading policies as stated apply to all undergraduate students.
An instructor may assign grades as listed below. In general, these are letter grades. The intermediate grades are designated by adding a plus or a minus to the letter grade. Grade points assigned to plus grades are 0.33 higher than those assigned to the letter grade without the plus. Grade points assigned to minus grades are 0.33 lower than those assigned to the letter grade without the minus. In certain cases, where the format of the course creates difficulties for this type of grading, the course will be designated “credit/fail” if authorized by the faculty of the department in which the course is taught, the dean of the appropriate school or college, and the provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Students earning a semester or cumulative grade-point average less than 2.00 are placed on academic warning.
In an attempt to keep evaluation as objective as possible, instructors will assign a letter grade to a student exercising the pass/fail grading alternative. The instructor will not know that the student is exercising this alternative.
The credit hours or other work units covered by the F grade shall be considered in full in figuring the average, except that the F awarded in a pass/fail grading alternative or in a credit/fail course shall not be figured in the average. Courses covered by the CR or P grades shall not be considered in figuring the average. The number of grade points for a course is determined by multiplying the numerical equivalent of the grade times the semester hours of the course. The grade-point average is determined by the sum total of grade points divided by the sum total of graded credits (courses taken under the pass/fail grading alternative or credit/fail courses are not included in the divisor). The grade-point average is calculated to two decimal places. It is not rounded.
No course taken from another institution will be used in figuring the grade-point average.
The Faculty Senate recognizes that grade inflation exists at the University of New Hampshire. The senate, therefore, states that throughout this University the grade of C shall indicate competent, acceptable performance and learning in undergraduate courses; the grade of B shall indicate superior performance and learning; the grade of A shall indicate excellent performance and learning. These standards shall apply equally to all undergraduate courses, instructors, departments, subjects, and colleges.
Grading System
| Letter Grade | Grade Points | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A | (4.00) | Excellent |
| A- | (3.67) | Intermediate Grade |
| B+ | (3.33) | Intermediate Grade |
| B | (3.00) | Superior |
| B- | (2.67) | Intermediate Grade |
| C+ | (2.33) | Intermediate Grade |
| C | (2.00) | Satisfactory, Competent |
| C- | (1.67) | Intermediate Grade |
| D+ | (1.33) | Intermediate Grade |
| D | (1.00) | Marginal |
| D- | (0.67) | Intermediate Grade |
| F | (0.00) | Failure, No Credit |
| AF | (0.00) | Administrative Failure |
| CR | Credit: given in specific courses having no letter grades, designated credit/fail | |
| P | Pass: given in a course taken under the student pass/fail grading alternative | |
| W | Withdrawn | |
| AU | Audit: no credit earned | |
| IC | Incomplete Coursework: grade report notation for student’s incomplete coursework | |
| IA | Continuing Course or Thesis: indicates “incomplete” in a thesis or continuing course of more than one semester; the grade earned will replace “IA” assigned in previous semesters | |
| IX | Grade not reported by instructor |
Administrative Failure (AF)
An AF grade is usually assigned to the student who stops participating in the course and has not completed course work sufficient for the assessment of course outcomes by the faculty member to issue a letter grade. The administrative failure is usually the result of a student’s failure to officially drop or withdraw from a course they stopped attending. An AF counts as an F grade in the calculation of grade point averages.
An AF grade can have financial implications for students utilizing Federal Financial Aid programs as well as Veteran and/or Military benefits.
Incomplete (IC)
A notation of incomplete (IC) shall be recorded on a student’s record only if a major portion of the entire work of the course has been completed and if the instructor approves the student’s request for additional time to complete the coursework. The initiation and responsibility for finishing the incomplete work rests with the student.
When the work of the course has been completed, a final grade for the term will be submitted to the student’s college dean. The form indicating completion of the work must be filed with the Registrar no later than the middle of the semester immediately following the one in which the incomplete was granted. A petition requesting an extension of time beyond mid-semester, if approved by the instructor, may be submitted to the dean of the student’s college. An extension will be granted by the dean only under unusual circumstances.
If the work is not completed within the specified time, the grade will be recorded as F.
An Incomplete (IC) grade in a student's final semester will delay their graduation date even if the course is not required for graduation.
Pass/Fail Grading
See detailed policy information about Pass/Fail grading.
Grade Appeals
Instructors must be prepared to discuss and to explain the basis for their evaluations of students. If, after consulting the instructor, students still believe that they were treated unfairly, they have the right to seek redress from the chairperson of the department or program in which the course is offered. Under exceptional circumstances, a final appeal may be made to the dean of the college in which the program is offered.
Grade Changes
Requested grade changes submitted before the middle of the semester immediately following the one in which the grade was granted may be approved by the student's academic dean or their designee. After mid-semester, students must petition the Academic Standards and Advising Committee. Students in the College of Professional Studies Online Division petition the CPS Academic Exceptions Committee.