Grading System
Lindenwood University and LUGC operate under the 4.0 grading system. An A carries four quality points; a B carries three quality points; and a C carries two quality points. A grade of F carries zero quality points and no credit. Thus, a course worth three credit hours in which a student earned an A would merit 12 quality points. The grade point average is computed by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of semester hours attempted. Only grades earned at Lindenwood are used in computing the GPA unless the student is seeking teacher certification.
Graduate students may receive grades of A, B, C, F, W, AF, N, I, and Audit (AU) (see appropriate definitions.) A grade of A represents work outstanding in 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 below average work but completion of course requirements. An F grade indicates coursework so unsatisfactory that no credit is given. No grade of D is awarded at the graduate level.
Attendance Failure (AF)
A student is given a grade of AF if they stop attending a particular class prior to the published deadline to receive a grade of W but does not withdraw from the course. The grade of AF is treated as a grade of F in the calculation of the student’s grade point average.
Audit (AU)
A student may register to audit lecture courses, not to include studio or laboratory courses. Auditors are expected to engage in all weekly course activities. No credit may be earned or later claimed by a student who audits a course. A student has two class meetings in an 8-week term or session to make a change in registration to either audit a class or take it for credit.
The audit fee is 50% of the posted tuition for a course.
Incomplete (I)
A grade of I Incomplete is given at the end of a pay period only for incomplete coursework due to 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. When assigning an incomplete grade, the professor should consider whether the student is capable of successfully completing the course. Incompletes should be offered only toward the end of the pay period for students who were progressing satisfactorily in the class before the exceptional circumstances arose.
A grade of I Incomplete must be resolved within 3 weeks of the end of the course; 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 LUGC dean and the assistant provost to be considered for approval.
No Grade (N)
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 pay period. Faculty members are not authorized to submit a grade of N.
Pass/Fail (P/F)
Some academic activities such as practicum placements, internships, residencies, and thesis projects are graded on the basis of pass/fail. In these cases, the grade of P denotes successful completion of the assigned requirements for the aforementioned academic activity courses.
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U)
A grade of S indicates that a student completed satisfactory work in an academic activity. This grade does not have points associated with the course and will not be included in the computation of the grade point average. A grade of U indicates that a student completed unsatisfactory work in an academic activity. This grade does not have points associated with the course and will not be included in the computation of the grade point average.
Withdrawal (W)
A grade of W indicates that the student withdrew from a class with no effect on the student’s GPA. To withdraw from a course with a grade of W, students must complete, sign, and submit a withdrawal form before the last day to withdraw with a W, with the signature of the LUGC registrar and the instructor. Students wishing to withdraw from the university altogether must obtain the signatures of the LUGC registrar and instructors for each course from which they wish to withdraw. The deadline to withdraw is set at the two-thirds mark of the pay period.
The only circumstance in which the student will not be charged for a course is if the student never attends a class session. If the student attends one class session or more, the student will be charged a determined percentage of the course’s tuition cost. The percentage applied to the student’s account depends on how many classes the student attends and the withdrawal date. For further information, please contact the Student Financial Services Office.
Note: A student who is a first responder may elect to withdraw from a course with a grade of W at any time during the pay period if documentation is provided verifying that the student’s first responder duties were the cause of absences exceeding the number of allowable excused absences. This policy applies to academic withdrawal only.
Administrative Withdrawal
When it is in the best interest of a student or of LUGC for a student to withdraw, a student may be given a W and put on administrative hold. This action of administrative withdrawal results in removal of all credits associated with the affected classes and places the student on administrative suspension. Before re-enrolling at the university, the student on administrative suspension must write a letter of appeal to the Dean of Students Office at deanofstudents@lindenwood.edu. An administrative withdrawal does not affect the student’s grade point average.