Grading Policies

Grading

Grades Allowed

Grades that can be assigned by faculty for graduate courses are: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, F, P, I, and X. An F is considered an unacceptable grade for graduate students.

Incompletes

An I grade may be assigned when part of the work in a course remains incomplete. It is given only at the student’s request and with the permission of the instructor. The student must submit a incomplete request form to the instructor and a copy placed on file with the program director. An incomplete is granted only where there is a reasonable possibility that a passing grade will result from completion of the work. The work due and a date for completion must be clearly stated. If the coursework is not completed by the agreed upon date, which must fall before the last of day of the following semester (excluding summer and winter terms), a grade of F will automatically be assigned. The appropriate dean may grant a semester extension of an I grade due to unforeseen family or medical circumstances and will notify the university registrar of such action. Under no circumstances will more than one extension be granted for an I grade.

Deferred

Grades of X are reserved for continuing work on dissertations/theses/capstone projects. They remain unchanged on a student’s transcript as an X until the dissertation/thesis/capstone project has been completed. All X grades on a transcript will convert to the final grade received on the dissertation/thesis/capstone project once completed.

Pass/Fail

Courses may not be taken as pass/fail unless so designated by the individual programs. A request that the course be designated pass/fail must be requested of Graduate Council as part of the curriculum process. Students enrolled in a course that has been designated as pass/fail will not have the option of requesting a grade. Grades assigned for pass/fail courses are P (pass) and F (fail).

Academic Standing

Good Standing

Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average and/or earn no more than two grades of C or below to remain in good standing. (A C+ is considered above a C grade.) Should students fall below a 3.0 GPA, they will be placed on academic probation. No student will be allowed to graduate with more than two C grades or below in course work that contributes to the degree program. Students who have more than two C grades or below will need to repeat some course work to be in compliance with this policy.

Students should be aware that even though a transcript may state that the student is in “good standing” because the overall GPA is not below 3.0, they are in fact considered by the university not to be in “good standing” when they have more than two grades of C or below.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

Students are placed on academic probation when their GPA falls below a 3.0 on the 4.0 scale. Once on academic probation, students will have up to nine semester hours to achieve a GPA of at least 3.0 to remove their probationary status. The nine semester hours must be taken at NKU. If after nine semester hours on probation a student’s graduate GPA has not increased to at least a 3.0, he/she will be dismissed from their program. A student will not be placed on probationary status more than once. If a student successfully removes him/herself from probationary status and subsequently has a GPA that falls below a 3.0 on the 4.0 scale, the student will be dismissed from the program by their graduate program director.

Students may be considered for readmission after one semester has elapsed if the student was dismissed from a program for academic reasons. When applying for readmission, the student will need to document their preparedness for re-entry into the program.

If a student wishes to be considered for readmission into the program, they must submit a new application for admission to the Office of Graduate Education with a letter attached explaining why they are now prepared to continue in their program. A student will not be admitted without approval from their graduate program director. A letter of support from the graduate program director signed by the dean of the college the program is housed in for readmission must be sent to the vice provost of graduate education, research & outreach who will make the final decision. If readmitted, the student will be granted an additional nine semester hours to remove their probationary status. During this period, any grade earned below a B will result in dismissal from the program.

Course Repeat Option

Graduate students are permitted to repeat two courses for grade replacement. The grade earned for the repeated course will be the one used to count the number of C and below grades as well as being the grade factored into the GPA even if it is below the original grade. A specific course may be repeated only once. All courses taken for the repeat option must be taken from NKU. They cannot be taken from another university and transferred to NKU without the permission of the graduate program director. The only courses taken outside NKU where grades may be factored with the GPA are those taken through the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities (GCCCU).

Academic Bankruptcy

Students who have not been successful in previous graduate work from NKU but want to start over in the same or a different graduate program, may apply for academic bankruptcy. Students cannot have been enrolled in the University for at least six years if they want to start over in the same graduate program; a student may apply at any time if they are pursuing an academic field that is unrelated to the one for which they request bankruptcy. Students will need to make requests for bankruptcy to the Office of the University Registrar at the time of admission into a program or no later than the first semester they are enrolled in the program. All courses taken prior to the time of academic bankruptcy will be omitted from the graduate GPA (with the exception of work taken as part of a previously earned degree/certificate) but not from the transcript. No coursework earned prior to bankruptcy may be applied toward a graduate degree at NKU.

Grade Changes

If a grade change is required due to an error, it must be accomplished by midterm of the next full semester after the issuance of the incorrect grade. Changes become official when received and recorded by the Office of the University Registrar.

If the time limitation has been exceeded, the instructor must attach a written explanation of the causes for the delay and deliver the change to the department chair, who will forward any approved changes to the appropriate dean’s office.

For I (incomplete) grades being changed to letter grades, the instructor and department chair must approve the change; for letter grade changes to another letter grade, the instructor, the department chair, and the appropriate dean must approve.

For information on grade appeals where there is a difference of opinion between the student and the instructor, refer to the graduate catalog section titled, Grade/Academic Appeals.

The Graduate Catalog is the document of authority for all policies and procedures regarding graduate programs.