Grading System
Lindenwood operates under the 4.0 grading system. The grade point average is computed by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of semester hours attempted. An A carries four quality points; thus, a course worth three semester hours in which a student earned an A would merit a total of 12 quality points. A grade of B carries three quality points; a grade of C carries two quality points; and a grade of D carries one quality point. A grade of F carries no quality points and no credit. A grade of AF (attendance failure) carries no quality points and no credit. Only grades earned at Lindenwood are used in computing the GPA.
Undergraduate students may receive grades of A, B, C, D, F, W, AF, N, I and Audit (AU). A grade of A represents work of outstanding quality; it indicates that the student has shown initiative, skill, and thoroughness and has displayed originality in thinking. A grade of B is awarded for work of high quality, well above average. The grade of C indicates average work and satisfactory completion of course requirements. The grade of D indicates minimally satisfactory completion of course requirements. The grade of D is not awarded at the graduate level. A grade of F or AF indicates that one’s coursework is unsatisfactory, and no credit is given.
An Attendance Failure (AF) grade is given when a student stops attending a course or cluster prior to the published Withdrawal deadline, but does not request to be withdrawn from the course or cluster. The grade of AF is treated as a grade of F in the calculation of the student's grade point average. A student who stops attending, or misses a third class, after the published Withdrawal deadline will receive an F grade.
An administrative grade of N is assigned by the registrar when final course grades have not been submitted prior to making grades accessible to students. Under normal circumstances, the N grade will be cleared within two weeks after the end of the term. Faculty members are not authorized to submit a grade of N.
A grade of I (incomplete) is given at the end of a term only for failure to complete the coursework because of exceptional circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as an extended illness, hospitalization, or death of a close relative requiring absence from class for a significant period of time. An incomplete is not an alternative for the student who is failing the course or who has excessive absences. An incomplete is not an option for the student who has consistently missed or been tardy with assignments. A student should have attended all cluster meetings to date and should be relatively current with the assignments in order to qualify for the extension afforded through an incomplete grade. Incompletes should be offered only toward the end of the term for students who were progressing satisfactorily in the class before the exceptional circumstances arose. Students must contact their faculty advisors for additional information about requesting an incomplete grade in a cluster.
A grade of I (incomplete) must be resolved prior to the end of the subsequent term; otherwise, the incomplete will be converted to an F. Any request to extend the time needed to resolve the grade of incomplete must be submitted to the Office of Academic Services no later than two weeks before the date the grade is due. Requests will then be sent to the appropriate school dean and the associate provost to be considered for approval.
A student may register in any lecture course as an auditor. Students are not permitted to audit skill courses such as studio or laboratory courses involving extensive supervision by an instructor. Auditors will be expected to attend all classes. No credit may be earned or later claimed by a student who audits a course. A student has one week into a regular term and two class meetings into a quarter or summer session to make a change in registration to audit a class or to take it for credit. The audit fee is 50 percent of the posted tuition for a course.