3.0 GRADING POLICIES

3.1 Grading System 

Issuance of grades and formulation of individual attendance policies are the prerogative of the instructor. The course instructor must make feedback available to each student about that student’s academic progress in the course prior to the last published day to withdraw without academic penalty. The Board of Regents (BOR) of the University System of Georgia (USG) Policy Manual, Section 3.5, states grades are expected to conform to those listed below. 

The following are the final grades included in the determination of the scholastic grade point average. 

3.2 Other Grades 

I: Denotes an incomplete grade for the course. An incomplete grade may be awarded only when the student was doing satisfactory work prior to the last two weeks of the semester but for nonacademic reasons beyond the student’s control, was unable to meet the full requirements of the course. 

• A grade of “I” must be removed by completing the course requirements within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which the “I” was originally assigned. 
• Upon completion of the course requirements within the specified time limits, a final grade will be assigned based on the student’s total performance. 
• If the course requirements are not completed within the specified time limits, the  “I” will be changed to an “F” for a course that awards grades of “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, or “F” and the student’s cumulative and institutional GPAs will be recalculated accordingly, or the “I” will be changed to a “U” for a course which awards a grade of “S” or “U.” An incomplete grade cannot be removed by re-enrolling in the course 

IP: Indicates that credit has not been given in a course that requires a continuation of work beyond the term for which the student enrolled in the course. This symbol cannot be substituted for an “I.” 

K: indicates credit awarded by examination including, but not limited to, the following: 

• Departmental Course Exams for Advanced Standing 
• Prior Learning Assessment (portfolio review) 
• Military Credit 

NR: Indicates no grade was reported. The grade will be changed to the appropriate grade once determined. 

NA: Never Attended (for attendance verification). The grade will be changed to a withdrawal without academic penalty grade (W) 

S: Indicates satisfactory completion of a credit-bearing course and is not included in the calculation of the grade point average. The use of this grade is approved for thesis hours, student teaching, clinical practicum, and internship.  It also indicates satisfactory completion of certain credit laboratory-type courses 

U: Indicates unsatisfactory completion of a credit-bearing course and is not included in the calculation of the grade point average. The use of this grade is approved for thesis hours, student teaching, clinical practicum, and internship.  It also indicates unsatisfactory completion of certain credit laboratory-type courses 

V: Indicates the student was given permission to audit the course. It is not included in the calculation of the grade point average. A student may not transfer from audit to credit status or vice versa 

W: Indicates the student was permitted to withdraw from the course without penalty. A course in which a grade of “W” has been assigned will not be included in the calculation of the student’s grade point average. 

WM: Indicates a student was permitted to withdraw without penalty at any time during the term based on a military service refund, as defined by BOR Policy Manual, Section 7.3.5.3. 

3.2.1 Grading of Thesis/Dissertation Credits 

• A grade of “IP” may be recorded for all thesis, dissertation, or project credit work in progress and will be recorded each semester the student is enrolled. 
• Unless otherwise approved by The Graduate College, the grade of “S” or “U” must be recorded for all thesis, dissertation or project credit when completed. 
• Unless otherwise approved by The Graduate College, the program will report a final thesis, dissertation or project grade of “S” or “U”. Any reported grade other than “S” or “U” may be changed to an “S” or “U” grade according to the following: reported grade of “A”, “B”, “C” = “S”; “D”, “F” = “U” 
• Upon completion of the thesis, dissertation, or project requirements, any IP grades for preceding semesters will be changed to the appropriate grade. 

3.3 Grade Point Average (GPA) 

The grade-point average (GPA) is the average grade made by the student on all graduate course work for which they have enrolled in residence (including online and hybrid courses) at Kennesaw State University. It is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of semester hours attempted. Courses carrying “S,” “U,” “W,” “I”, or “IP” grades are not included. Grade point averages are truncated to two decimal points. 

Term GPA 

Kennesaw State University calculates a term grade point average (Term GPA or Semester GPA) for courses attempted each semester. 

Institutional GPA 

Kennesaw State University calculates an institutional GPA that is used as the primary, overall GPA. Transfer credit/grades will not be used in calculating the institutional GPA.  The institutional GPA for the applicable term will be used to determine academic standing at the end of the term.   

Cumulative GPA 

Kennesaw State University calculates a cumulative GPA by dividing the total number of credit hours in which a grade of “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, or “F” was earned into the number of quality points earned for those hours. 

3.4 Grade Changes 

Errors in grades must be reported to the Office of the Registrar immediately. In general, no grade changes will be made after the end of the next semester after the grade was assigned, except with the approval of the Academic Standing Committee. In general, the Academic Standing Committee, as described in University Handbook, Section 3.1.2, will not consider requests for grade changes beyond one year from the end of the semester in which the grade was assigned. A petition for a grade change will not be accepted after the date of graduation. 

3.5 Course Specific Grade Policy

Each faculty member must specify their grading policy in the syllabus at the beginning of the course. The faculty member may change the grading policy for cause after that time but must do so uniformly with ample notification to students. 

The grading policy must be specific, in writing and distributed or otherwise provided to the class at the beginning of the course. Some departments may also require faculty members to file grading policy statements in the departmental office.

3.6 Grade Appeal Policy 

Kennesaw State University is committed to treating students fairly in the grading process. A student may appeal a final grade awarded for a course. Interim grades or grades on specific assignments are not appealable. An appeal must be based on one or more or the following: 

• an allegation that the faculty member has violated the stated grading policy, 
• an allegation that the faculty member assigned a grade using a different standard than was used with other students in the same course, 
• an allegation that the grade was miscalculated. 

The student has the burden of proving these allegations. All formal appeals under these procedures will be based only on the written record. 

This process does not address academic integrity allegations, faculty misconduct, or discrimination/retaliation. If the student alleges their grade is based on discrimination or retaliation because of their membership in a protected class, the student may file a complaint with the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) here: https://discrimination.kennesaw.edu/index.php 

Please note: Complaints filed with the OIE are independent of the grade appeal process and are not reviewed by OIE as an appeal of a grade. If an OIE complaint is filed, the grade will remain the final grade and cannot be changed based on OIE authority. However, upon receiving a finding from the OIE as to whether there is a violation, the Dean may determine whether a change of grade is warranted.  

A complaint filed with the OIE and a Formal Grade Appeal may be filed concurrently Filing a complaint of discrimination/retaliation with the OIE regarding a grade does not change the time requirements for filing a grade appeal based on this policy. 

3.6.1 Informal Appeal Procedure 

The student is encouraged to discuss concerns and disputes over final course grades with the faculty member, prior to filing a formal grade appeal, to understand the basis of the grade. The faculty member is expected to be available to the student, to respond to emails, and to discuss grades so that, if possible, grade disputes can be resolved informally. If pursuing a grade appeal using the informal process, students and faculty must keep in mind the deadline for filing a formal appeal. An informal appeal does not change the deadline for filing a formal appeal. 

3.6.2 Formal Appeal Procedure 

In situations where an informal resolution does not occur or is not successful, the student may appeal the final course grade to the Department Chair of the department offering the course, hereby referred to as ‘the Chair’. The appeal must be written and emailed. It must describe the precise basis for the appeal (see allegations above). Any pertinent information must be attached to the email and submitted with the appeal in order to be considered in this or subsequent appeals, for example: 

• course syllabus, 
• instructions for assignments indicating grading procedures/expectations including grading rubrics and grading scales 
• emails or other communications between the student and faculty relevant to the allegations. 

The appeal must be submitted within twenty (20) business days after the first day of classes of the next academic term (fall, spring, summer) after the academic term in which the final grade was posted in Banner/D2L. The Chair will provide the faculty member who assigned the grade with the opportunity to respond in writing to the student’s appeal. The Chair (or the Chair’s designee) will review the allegations, conduct any additional fact finding as needed and then provide a decision in writing to the student. The decision should be issued within twenty (20) business days of the receipt of the complaint in the Department. The Chair’s written decision will specifically address the relevant issues raised by the student. If there is a delay in issuing a decision by the deadline, the Chair/Chair’s designee will notify the student and faculty member explaining the reason for needing additional time to issue a decision. The maximum amount of additional time to issue a decision is ten (10) business days. 

The student may appeal the Chair’s decision within twenty (20) business days of being notified of the Chair’s decision. Such appeal will be made, in writing, to the Dean of the College in which the Department is located. At the Dean’s discretion, the Dean can appoint an advisory panel, consisting of two (2) faculty members from outside the department where the grade was awarded and one (1) student to review the written documentation and make a recommendation to the Dean. The advisory panel may invite the student and the faculty member who awarded the grade to meet with the panel to share each party’s position on the grade dispute. The panel will provide a written recommendation to the Dean within ten (10) business days of the receipt of the appeal. 

The Dean will issue a decision to the student, in writing, within ten (10) business days of the receipt of the report from the advisory panel or within twenty (20) business days of the receipt of the written complaint from the student if no panel was appointed. If there is a delay in issuing a decision by the deadline, the Dean will notify the student and faculty member explaining the reason for needing additional time to issue a decision. The maximum amount of additional time to issue a decision is ten (10) business days. 

For graduate courses, the student may appeal the College Dean’s decision to the Dean of the Graduate College. Such and appeal will be made, in writing, to the Graduate College Dean and the Graduate College Dean will issue a decision to the student, in writing, within twenty (20) business days of receiving the appeal.  

The student may appeal the Graduate College Dean’s decision to the Provost or Provost’s designee, in writing, within twenty (20) business days of being notified of the Dean’s decision. 

The Provost/Provost’s designee will issue a decision to the student in writing within twenty (20) business days of receiving the appeal. The Provost/Provost’s designee will notify the student and faculty member and provide a justification if there is a delay in issuing a decision by the deadline. The maximum amount of additional time is 10 business days. 

The Provost’s decision is final. Decisions regarding grades may not be appealed to the President of KSU nor to the Board of Regents (per BOR Policy Manual, Section 6.26). Nothing in this grade appeal process prohibits the parties from settling this matter at any stage. However, any attempt to settle the matter through mediation does not affect the deadlines assigned to each level of the grade appeals process. 

It is University policy that students filing grievances and those who are witnesses are protected from retaliation. 

3.7 Repeated Courses 

A graduate student may repeat for credit no more than two graduate courses, one time each. Only courses in which a student previously earned a grade below “B” may be retaken for credit.  All grades received for work attempted at KSU are calculated in the institutional grade point average. Grades for repeated courses are considered as work attempted and do not replace grades already received. 

Individual degree programs may establish more stringent requirements. Refer to the program pages in this catalog for additional information.