(F.S. 1001.74(4) Florida A&M University Rule 4.101)

The University supports its grading system which is based upon the integrity of a grade earned in a course. The University Registrar is the official custodian of student grades and is responsible for recording approved grade change requests.

Assignment of Grades

1.   Grades are assigned at the end of the term in which the student was registered for the course.

2.   Due to extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, a grade of "I" may only be assigned if the student is passing the course, but has not completed all of the required work by the end of the term. Grades of "I" may not be assigned in any course that a student withdraws from, has excessive absences in, or fails to attend.

3.   A grade of "PN" will be assigned when a student is passing a course, but is not proficient. The use of the "PN" grade is only approved for courses in the Physical Therapy Graduate Program.

4.   A student receiving an "I" or "PN" grade should not re-enroll in the course until after the "I" or "PN" grade has been permanently changed to a letter grade.

Change of Grade

Changes of grades may only be accomplished under special circumstances and are governed by the following guidelines:

1.              Grade changes pertaining to a grade of "I" or "PN" must be submitted by the end of the next term in which the student is enrolled. An "I" grade that is not changed by the specified time will revert to an "F." A "PN" grade that is not changed by the specified time will revert to the grade earned by the student at the time the "PN" was assigned.

2.              All grade changes resulting from a grade appeal must be submitted within one semester of the issuance of the grade.

3.              Any other grade changes must be made within one semester of when the grade was initially assigned.

Procedure Governing the Process of Changing Recorded Grades

Grade changes can only be made for the following reasons:

     1. When it is determined that a grade was recorded in error;

     2. When removing "I" or "PN" grades; or

     3. As a result of a student’s successful appeal of a grade.

Academic units wishing to request grade changes must submit a "Grade Change and Academic Record Update Form" to the Registrar’s Office for processing. The form must contain the signature of the respective academic Dean in order to be processed.

Grading System and Grade Point Average

The quality of work done by students is indicated by the letter of the alphabet as follows:

A (Exceptional)

B (Superior)

C (Average)

D (Passing but poor)

F (Failure)

S (Satisfactory)

N (No grade reported)

U (Unsatisfactory)

I (Incomplete)

IP (In Progress)

X (Audit)

TP (Thesis pending)

DP (Dissertation pending)

P (Pass),

PN (Passing, Not Proficient)

W (Withdrew)

WF (Walked-away failure)

Calculation of Grade Point Average

The Student Information System (PeopleSoft) is coded to calculate a student’s term GPA by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of hours attempted for GPA. Similarly, the cumulative GPA is determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of hours attempted for GPA. The system performs this function automatically each time any change is made to a student’s grade in PeopleSoft.

A grade of “A” earns four grade points for each hour of credit; “B” earns three grade points; “C” earns two grade points; “D” earns one grade point; “WF” and “F” earn no grade points; and “X” earns no grade points.

Procedure for Assigning Incomplete Grades

Due to extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, an incomplete grade may be assigned if the student was passing as determined by the instructor.

A student who is passing a course but has not completed all of the required work due to extenuating circumstances by the end of the term may, with the permission of the instructor, be assigned a grade of “I”. Grades of “I” are not assigned to any course that a student fails to attend

Before an incomplete grade is assigned, the Instructor determines exactly what work remains to be completed and inputs this information in the system when he/she assigns the grade. FAMU has established a grade control operation such that when an instructor enters final grades at the end of the semester, and selects incomplete grade, the system prompts him/her to select the reason for the incomplete grade and to enter additional information in a provided field (comment box) briefly describing the work to be completed by the student in order to have the incomplete grade converted to a letter grade.

A student should not re-register for a course(s) in which incomplete grades have been received.

Incomplete grades will not count as hours attempted in computing cumulative grade point averages. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor for the removal of an incomplete grade. All incomplete grades must be removed by the last day of classes of the term in which the student is next enrolled, or the grade will be changed to “F”.

At the end of the semester after grades are posted, the Registrar’s office runs a report listing all incomplete grades assigned, reasons for assigning them, and outstanding work for the student as stated by the instructor. This will assist the academic deans and department chairs in tracking and monitoring grade changes.

Other Grade Notes

The grade of “W” is used only to denote that a student withdrew (or was withdrawn) from the course or from the university.

Certain courses may be approved by the academic dean for satisfactory-unsatisfactory (S-U) grades. Such courses would normally be outside a student’s major and minor fields and would not be included in the grade point average. An “N” grade will be changed to a permanent grade upon receipt of an official grade from the instructor.

Graduate students who are writing a thesis or dissertation may receive the grade of “TP” (Thesis Pending) or “DP”(Dissertation Pending) if approved by their major professor. Once the Thesis or Dissertation is successfully defended, the assigned grade must be an “S” (Satisfactory).

A graduate student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program who is preparing for Clinical Education may receive the grade of “PN” (Passing, Not Proficient) approved by the instructor of record if he/she is passing the course but have not achieved proficiency necessary to participate in the clinical experiences. The “PN” is a temporary grade. Once it is determined that the student has successfully achieved acceptable proficiency level, the appropriate grade must be recorded.