Overview

Faculty members are free to develop their own methods of evaluating the performance of students in their classes, both undergraduate and graduate, but they are required to make the methods of evaluation to be used known in writing by the first class day. Responsibility for assuring adequate methods of evaluation rests with departmental faculties and is subject to administrative review. In courses with multiple sections, departments should provide for necessary coordination. Materials used in evaluating a student’s performance must be collected by the instructor at or before the regularly scheduled final examination. The final examination is a common method of final evaluation in courses.

Grades

Letter grades are used to record the instructor’s evaluation of student performance in a course. The following grades are used: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F.

To receive credit for a course, an undergraduate student must earn a grade of at least D-. To include a course in the Program of Work for a graduate degree, a graduate student must earn a grade of at least C. More information about the Program of Work is given in the Graduate Catalog. In addition to earning adequate grades in courses, undergraduates must have a cumulative University grade point average of at least 2.00 to maintain satisfactory progress toward a degree; graduate students must maintain a graduate grade point average of at least 3.00. Information about these requirements is given in the section Academic Warning and Dismissal. Computation of the grade point average is explained in the section Computation of the Grade Point Average.

Grades are given by semester; however, in a course extending through two or three semesters, credit is not counted toward the degree until all semesters have been completed.

Members of the faculty are not authorized, without the academic dean’s approval, to withhold a final grade or to defer reporting a final grade at the end of the semester other than by the use of the symbol X, described in Symbols. If a grade is withheld without the dean’s approval, the grade may not be added to the official records later without the written approval of the academic dean. Issues involving withholding or deferring grades for graduate students are handled by the deans of the colleges and schools.

After a grade has been reported to the registrar, it may not be changed unless an error was made by the instructor. A college or school may approve an appeal for change of final grade for a semester prior to the previous fall or spring semester, but only for the most compelling nonacademic reasons. If approved, the appeal must be signed by the dean or the appropriate associate dean of the college/school. For graduate students, this is the vice provost for graduate and postdoctoral studies or the associate dean for graduate student services.

Symbols

Under specific conditions, instructors may use a symbol rather than a letter grade to report a student’s standing in the semester’s work. The following symbols are used:

CR	Credit
NC	No credit
Q	Course was dropped
W	Student withdrew from the University
X	Temporary delay of course grade
I	Permanent incomplete
*	Course is continuing
S	Satisfactory
U	Unsatisfactory
#	Grade was not submitted in time for this report
Z	Student is registered on the pass/fail or credit/no credit basis

Symbol X: Temporary Delay in Reporting the Final Course Grade

A student is expected to complete a course, including a self-paced course, in a single fall or spring semester, summer semester, or summer term. If the course is not completed as expected, the student normally will not be given additional time to complete it, or allowed to complete additional work to achieve a better grade. In rare instances, for nonacademic reasons and at the discretion of the instructor, a temporary delay of the final course grade, symbol X, may be recorded.

Improper uses of the symbol X

A student must not be assigned the symbol X to provide (1) the opportunity to raise a grade for any reason other than the approved reasons cited below; (2) time to prepare coursework in addition to that assigned the entire class; or (3) time to repeat the entire course.

Approved uses of the symbol X

The symbol X is not issued for student or faculty convenience; it may be issued for one of the following reasons only in the case of compelling, nonacademic circumstances beyond the student’s control.

1. Missing the final examination. The student is unable to take a final examination because of illness or for another nonacademic reason. A physician’s statement or other satisfactory verification is required.
2. Incomplete classroom assignment. The student has not been able to complete the required class or laboratory assignments for a reason other than lack of adequate effort. A request for temporary delay of the final course grade because of incomplete class or laboratory work can be made only if the student has a passing average on the classwork or laboratory work already completed and has taken and passed the final examination (unless a final examination is not given in the course or the student is unable to take the examination for reasons indicated in the previous paragraph).
3. Reexamination petition. Only a student who has a grade average of at least C- on all classwork and laboratory work submitted before the final examination may request a temporary delay of the final course grade because the student failed the final examination, which is the examination given during the final examination period as defined in the official examination schedule. If the instructor denies the student’s reexamination petition, the student’s final course grade remains as originally determined. If the instructor grants the petition, and the student earns a grade of at least C- on the reexamination, then the instructor substitutes the reexamination grade for the original examination grade in determining the student’s final course grade. If the instructor grants the petition, and the student earns a grade on the reexamination of less than C-, then a final course grade of F must be recorded.

Assignment of the symbol X by the registrar

If a faculty member fails to report a grade for a student, the registrar enters the symbol X; an X is also entered for a student who is given the symbol CR by the instructor when the student is not registered for the course on the pass/fail or credit/no credit basis. In either case, the student should contact the instructor promptly so that a final grade may be reported to the registrar. If no final grade is reported, the symbol X is converted to a grade of F or the symbol I as described in the following section.

Replacement of the Symbol X with a Grade or the Symbol I

Undergraduates

If an undergraduate student receives the symbol X in a course, the student must complete the requirements for the course and the instructor must report a final course grade by the last date for grade reporting in the next fall or spring semester, or an F will be recorded as the final grade in the course. The period for completion of the coursework may be extended only for unusual circumstances beyond the student’s control, as recommended by the instructor and approved by the student’s academic dean. A student who has received an X in a course may not register for that course again until a final grade has been recorded, unless the course is one that may be repeated for credit.

The registrar will notify the student when a grade change is recorded.

While the symbol X appears on a student’s record, the course for which the symbol is recorded is not included in the student’s University grade point average. When the final grade has been recorded as described above, then the course is included in the student’s grade point average. More information about the grade point average is given in Computation of the Grade Point Average.

Graduate students

If a graduate student receives the symbol X in a course, the student must complete the course requirements by the last class day in their next fall or spring semester of enrollment; the instructor must report a final grade by the end of the grade reporting period in that semester. If these deadlines are not met, the symbol X is converted to the symbol I (permanent incomplete). If the student is not enrolled during a fall or spring semester for 24 months following the end of the semester in which the X is reported, and the instructor does not report a final grade, then the symbol X is converted to the symbol I. The symbol I cannot be converted to a grade. 

The period for completion of course requirements may be extended only under unusual circumstances beyond the student’s control and only upon the recommendation of the instructor and the approval of the graduate dean.

The registrar will notify the student when a grade change is recorded.

A course for which the symbol X or I is recorded is not included in the graduate grade point average and may not be listed on the student’s Program of Work. When the symbol X is converted to a grade as described above, the course is included in the graduate grade point average and may be listed on the Program of Work. More information about the graduate grade point average is given in Computation of the Grade Point Average; more information about the Program of Work is given in the Graduate Catalog.

Symbols CR and NC

Some courses must be taken for a letter grade; others must be taken on the pass/fail or credit/no credit basis. These courses are identified in the General Information Catalog and the Course Schedule. If registration for a course is not limited to the letter-grade basis, then the student may choose to register for credit rather than for a grade. Undergraduate, Law, Medical, and PharmD students register on the pass/fail basis and earn either the symbol CR (credit) or a grade of F; graduate students register on the credit/no credit basis and earn either the symbol CR or the symbol NC (no credit).

The student should choose the pass/fail or credit/no credit option at the time of registration and may not change the grading basis in a course after the deadline given in the Academic Calendar. Undergraduates may not change the grading basis in a course more than once.

Coursework requirements and methods of evaluation in a course must be the same for students registered on the pass/fail or credit/no credit basis as they are for students registered on the letter-grade basis.

Pass/Fail

Rules affecting registration on the pass/fail basis apply to all courses taken by an undergraduate.

An undergraduate who registers for a course on the pass/fail basis and earns a grade of D- or better is awarded the symbol CR for the course; if the student fails the course, a grade of F is awarded. If the student receives the symbol CR, the course is not included in the grade point average; if the student receives a grade of F, the course is included in the University grade point average.

Provided the following conditions are met, an undergraduate may take a limited amount of coursework on the pass/fail basis as part of the hours required for the student’s degree. Other regulations may be imposed by the student’s college or school.

1. The course must be in an elective subject outside the student’s major field.
2. The student must have received at least 30 hours of college credit before registering for any course on the pass/fail basis, unless the course is offered only on the pass/fail basis.
3. The student may take no more than two courses a semester on the pass/fail basis.

Students in the College of Liberal Arts and students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in the College Natural Sciences may take up to 16 semester hours of classroom or correspondence work in elective courses on the pass/fail basis. Students in the College of Natural Sciences pursuing a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Science and Arts may take up to six semester hours of classroom or correspondence work in elective courses on the pass/fail basis. For students in the College of Natural Sciences pursuing a B.S. in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) degree, hours taken in fulfillment of MLS clinical education program requirements may exceed the limit on pass/fail hours. Plan II students may take up to 19 semester hours in elective courses on the pass/fail basis. All other undergraduates may take up to five one-semester courses, including correspondence courses, on the pass/fail basis.

If students decide to major in a subject in which they have taken a course on the pass/fail basis, it is the prerogative of the department to decide whether or not the course will count toward degree requirements.

Each department may offer as many as two courses in its major entirely on the pass/fail basis.

Credit by examination

Undergraduates may earn credit by exam on the pass/fail basis in required courses. Accepting credit by exam with the symbol CR does not reduce the number of elective courses for which the student may register on the pass/fail basis. (More information about credit by examination is given in Course Placement and Credit by Examination.)

Credit/No Credit

Rules affecting registration on the credit/no credit basis apply to all courses—undergraduate, graduate, and professional—taken by a graduate student.

The student must have the graduate advisor’s approval to take a course on the credit/no credit basis. There is no limit on the number of courses a graduate student may take on this basis. However, up to 20 percent of the hours on the Program of Work for a master’s degree may have been taken on the credit/no credit basis, and no more than a comparable portion of the Program of Work for a doctoral degree. (Additional information about the Program of Work is given in the Graduate Catalog.)

Performance at the level of C or above is required to earn credit (CR) for a course taken on the credit/no credit basis. Courses taken on the credit/no credit basis are not included when the grade point average is computed.

Symbols S and U

The symbols S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory) are assigned only in developmental studies (DEV) courses. These courses are not included in the student’s grade point average.

Repetition of a Course 

If a student repeats a course and has two or more grades, all grades and all semester hours are used to calculate the University grade point average and to determine the student’s scholastic eligibility to remain in school. The official grade in a course is the last one assigned.

Students enrolled in any of the following colleges and schools may not repeat for credit a course in which they have earned a grade of C- or better: the McCombs School of Business, the Moody College of Communication, the Cockrell School of Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Natural Sciences, the School of Nursing, and the College of Pharmacy.