Chapter IV: Academic Policies and Procedures The policies and procedures described in this chapter govern the conduct of academic matters affecting students enrolled in the College. Exceptions to these policies may be granted only upon written petition to the Academic Standards Board. Honors students petition the Honors Academic Board; Residential College students petition the RC Counseling Office. Grade Notations and Grading Policies Academic Record Summary of Transcript Notations Grade Point Average Academic Record The Academic Record is the official record of a student's course elections, grades, and credits earned toward a degree. Since the academic record is a permanent record of a student's academic performance, it must be correct. Students who believe an error has been made on their academic records should contact the Assistant to the Academic Standards Board. LS&A academic records are maintained by the Records and Enrollment Department (1513 LS&A Building). A student may wish to have a transcript of the academic record sent to another college or university or to an employer. Such requests can be ordered online on Wolverine Access ( http://waccess.umich.edu, you will need a Uniqname and university password; make sure you receive a confirmation number). Requests with attachments or needing special services should be brought to a Student Services site, G255 Angell or 1212 Pierpont Commons. Mail requests can be sent to Transcript and Certification Office, 555 LS&A Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-1382. All requests should include dates of attendance and student identification number. A transcript of the academic record bearing the official seal of the University of Michigan and the signature of the Registrar is forwarded directly to the institution or person specified by the student assuming there is no outstanding financial commitment from the student to the University. There is no fee for official transcripts. A student may request and receive on demand an academic report of the academic record. The academic report is "unofficial" and therefore should not be used in lieu of a transcript for the purposes of admission or employment. A copy of your Academic Report can be obtained on Wolverine Access,http://waccess.umich.edu. A student may pay a fee set by the Registrar's Office and request a special transcript listing courses but no grades; translating all grades into P or F; or an appendix listing the original grades submitted for all courses elected "Pass/Fail." A specially prepared transcript indicates which of these options has been chosen. A request for a special transcript does not permanently revise the original academic record. Summary of Transcript Notations Letter Grade Honor Points A+ 4.0 A 4.0 A- 3.7 B+ 3.3 B 3.0 B- 2.7 C+ 2.3 C 2.0 C- 1.7 D+ 1.3 D 1.0 D- 0.7 E 0.0 Pass/Fail   P (passed) credit, no honor points   F (failed) no credit, no honor points   Credit/No Credit CR (credit) credit, no honor points   NC (no credit) no credit, no honor points   Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory S (satisfactory) credit, no honor points   U (unsatisfactory) no credit, no honor points   (The S/U symbols are used by the School of Education.)   Withdrawal/Drop W (official withdrawal) no credit, no honor points   ED (dropped unofficially) no credit, no honor points   (A notation of ED for a graded election has the same effect on the grade point average as does an E.)   Incomplete/Work in Progress I (incomplete) no credit, no honor points   X (absent from examination) no credit, no honor points   Y (work in progress for project approved to extend for two successive terms) no credit, no honor points   Official Audit (VI) VI (VIsitor) no credit, no honor points   Miscellaneous Notations (Q, NR, E/I) Q (credit hours unofficially elected) no credit, no honor points   NR (no report) no credit, no honor points   E/I credit, honor points   (A notation of E/I is used to designate experiential and independent study courses; letter appears immediately after the course number.)   A notation of P, F, CR, NC, S, U, or Q does not affect a student's term or cumulative grade point average. A notation of I, X, Y, or NR, if not replaced by a passing grade, eventually lapses to E and, for graded elections, is computed into the term and cumulative grade point averages. If an LS&A student elects a course in another Ann Arbor unit which is graded on a pattern not indicated here (for example, graduate courses in the Business School), the grade will be translated by the Registrar to fit with LS&A's letter grading scale. Drop (W) / Official Withdrawal / Unofficial Withdrawal (ED) If a student receives permission to withdraw officially from a course after the first three weeks of a full term (first two weeks of a half term), the course is recorded on the transcript with a W notation; neither credits toward a degree program nor honor points are earned. The W notation is a chronological record indicating the course was dropped after the third week of the term. It is posted on the transcript regardless of a student's reasons for requesting the official withdrawal. If a student unofficially withdraws from a course (i.e., stops attending the course but does not obtain permission for an official withdrawal), the instructor reports DR to indicate "unofficial drop." The Registrar's Office converts a DR to the notation ED (Unofficial Withdrawal). An ED is computed into the term and cumulative grade point averages as an E if the course were elected for a regular letter grade; neither credit toward a degree program nor honor points are earned. Q Grade A grade posted on the transcript preceded by a Q notation indicates a discrepancy between the number of credit hours elected by the student for a course and the number of credit hours graded by the instructor for that same course. Contact the Assistant to the Academic Standards Board (1255 Angell Hall) for information and procedures in resolving this problem. Grading for a Two-Term Course (Y) A few courses (e.g., senior Honors thesis courses or some Biological Sciences research courses) are approved as "two-term" sequences. In these specially approved cases only, an instructor can report a Y grade at the end of the first-term course to indicate work in progress. When a final grade is reported at the end of the second term, that final grade is posted for both terms' elections. In cases where a Y grade is reported for a course which is not approved to extend for two successive terms, an I (Incomplete) is posted on the transcript and the course is subject to the regular deadline for incompletes. Students needing more time to complete this work must petition the Academic Standards Board for an official extension of the deadline (see below). Incomplete Courses and Notations (I or X) An "Incomplete" (denoted on the transcript by the symbol I) may be reported by an instructor only if the amount of unfinished work is small, the work is unfinished for reasons acceptable to the instructor, the student's standing in the course is at least C-, and the student has taken the final examination. A student who is unavoidably absent from a final examination may be granted, upon presentation of an excuse satisfactory to the instructor, the privilege of making up the final examination; in such cases an X is reported by the instructor. Grades of I and X are not included in the computation of the term or cumulative grade point averages during the period when a student has the privilege of making up the work. Incomplete grades may be made up while a student is not in residence, even if a student has been dismissed from the College for reasons of unsatisfactory academic performance. An incomplete grade must be made up by the fourth week of a student's next fall or winter term in residence or by an extended deadline approved by the Office of Academic Standards. An instructor has ten days following the "four-week deadline" in which to report a final grade or ten days following an approved extended deadline. The final grade is posted on the transcript, and credits and honor points are posted accordingly; the I or X is not removed when the course is completed but remains on the transcript. An I or X grade not finished by the incomplete deadline or an approved extended deadline lapses to E. In such cases, no degree credit is earned and the course is then computed as an E in the term and cumulative grade point averages. Unfinished courses elected on a non-graded pattern ("Pass/Fail," "Credit/No Credit," etc.) lapse to "Fail" or "No Credit" but do not affect the term or cumulative grade point averages. No Report (NR) An NR is recorded by the Registrar's Office when an instructor does not report a course grade for an individual student in a class or when an instructor submits an inappropriate grade. Students who receive an NR should contact the course instructor or an Assistant to the Academic Standards Board. If unresolved after the first four weeks of the next fall or winter term in residence, an NR in a graded election lapses to an ED. In such cases no degree credit is earned, and the course is computed as an E in the term and cumulative grade point averages. Non-Graded Courses (P/F, CR/NC, S/U) Students may count a maximum 30 non-graded credits toward the 120 credits required for a degree. Non-graded credits are earned in courses for which no letter grade (A+ through E) is recorded on the transcript or for which no evaluative narrative is provided with the transcript. Only those non-graded credits actually earned are counted as part of the total number of non-graded hours applicable toward a degree. Non-graded courses may be included in a distribution plan. Pass/Fail courses (with the exception of Residential College courses, which are graded using a narrative evaluation) may not be included in a concentration plan. The final course in a sequence used to fulfill the Language Requirement may not be elected on a Pass/Fail basis. (Effective for all students admitted to the College in Fall Term, 1995 and thereafter.) Experiential and Directed Reading/Independent Study courses that are graded on a Credit/No Credit or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis may be included in a concentration program. A change in grading pattern for a course is not permitted after the first three weeks of a full term (first two weeks of a half term). Grading pattern choices must be modified through the Registration system. Courses elected after the third week of a term may not be elected on a non-graded basis unless the course is offered as a "mandatory non-graded" course. The only exceptions to this policy are short courses (e.g., Geology 101-115) which have started after the beginning of the term. In these cases, the grading pattern may not be changed after the second week of class. The Academic Standards Board does not grant exceptions to this policy. To be official, all choices involving non-graded elections must appear on a class schedule printout provided to students by the Registration system as the result of each registration or drop/add transaction. The College holds students responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of this class schedule printout. Therefore, it is important for the student to listen carefully to the read-back before exiting a telephone registration transaction; and it is important for the student to direct the system to provide a printed copy of the registration. The Registration system has full instructions for receiving a printed copy. Non-graded courses earn credit toward a degree but not honor points. Therefore, "Pass" (or Credit) grades do not enter into the computation of the term or cumulative grade point averages and the credit earned is reflected only as Credit Toward Program (CTP) and not as Michigan Semester Hours (MSH). Instructor approval is not required for a choice in elected grading pattern nor should the instructor be informed of such a choice. Instructors report letter grades (A+ through E) for all students in their courses, except mandatory CR/NC courses, and in the case of a student who has chosen to elect a course "Pass/Fail," the Office of the Registrar converts the letter grades according to the following policies: Grades of A+ through C- are posted on a transcript as "P" (Pass); credit toward a degree is earned. Grades of D+ through E are posted on a transcript as F (Fail); no degree credit is earned. In the case of an incomplete course elected "Pass/Fail," credit is posted only when the work has actually been completed and a grade of at least C- has been reported. "Pass/Fail" courses which are not finished lapse to "Fail," although the term and cumulative grade point averages remain unaffected. If the instructor of a mandatory Credit/ No Credit course believes that the amount and quality of a student's work is such that it deserves credit, CR (Credit) is posted on the transcript. If the instructor believes that a student's work does not justify the awarding of credit, NC (No Credit) is posted on the transcript. Courses offered mandatory Credit/No Credit are designated in the course listings in Chapter VI. In computing the grade point average for honorary societies, the reported letter grades for "non-graded" elections are computed into the cumulative grade point average. No course elected Pass/Fail will receive the Honors notation on the transcript or be counted as an "Honors" course for the Sophomore Honors Award. Residential College courses are normally offered on a graded basis (A+ through E) for non-RC students. A non-RC student may elect an RC course on an optional non-graded, "Pass/Fail," basis through the Registration system. Check with the Residential College Office for further information. During the final term in residence, a student may pay a special fee set by the Registrar's Office and request a specially prepared appendix to the transcript on which the original grades submitted for all courses elected "Pass/Fail" are listed. Students who have transferred "non-graded" credit to the College must count that credit as part of the maximum 30 hours of "non-graded" credit which may be counted toward an LS&A degree. A student cannot choose to elect a course by the CR/NC and S/U grading patterns; the optional non-graded pattern is P/F. Auditing Courses Students are expected to elect courses for credit. Occasionally, however, a student may wish to attend a course but not elect it for credit. This arrangement can take the form of an official audit (sometimes called Visitor status). An official audit obligates a student to attend classes regularly and complete course requirements (e.g., papers, laboratory assignments, tests, and the final examination). Regular tuition fees apply, and the course appears on the transcript with the notation VI (VIsitor); no grade is posted and no degree credit is earned. To arrange an official audit, a student must submit to the Academic Standards Board a written statement, signed by the student and instructor, indicating the reasons for the official audit and outlining the student's obligation to course requirements. A request to officially audit a course should be approved before the election is made and at least by the end of the third week of a full term. Students who do not fulfill course requirements earn the grade ED to indicate that the course was unofficially dropped. In these special cases, the term and cumulative grade point averages remain unaffected. A course elected as an official audit without permission will be posted on the transcript as an unapproved election. Tuition is assessed by the Office of the Registrar for both approved and unapproved audits. H/E/I Symbols H, E and I symbols are used to designate Honors, experiential and independent study courses and appear immediately after the course number. Repetition of Courses If a course is taken in residence and a grade of A+ through C-, P, CR, or S is earned, then repetition of this course results in no additional credit or honor points. The course and grade appear on the transcript with the notation "Not for Credit." This notation also results if a course is elected which is a prerequisite for in-residence credits already received. A student repeating a course in which D+ through D- was previously earned will receive honor points but no additional credit toward a degree. The course appears on the transcript with the notation "Repetition." Repetition of a course in which an E, F, or U grade was originally earned produces both credits toward a degree, and honor points for courses elected on the graded pattern; there is no special transcript notation. In all such cases, the first election and grade earned remain on the transcript. The grades earned by repetition of courses are not averaged and posted as a single entry; they are posted as separate elections. Grade Point Average Term and Cumulative Grade Point Averages The Term Grade Point Average is determined by dividing the total number of Michigan Semester Hours (MSH) elected during a term into the total number of Michigan Honor Points (MHP) earned during the same term. The Cumulative Grade Point Average is determined by dividing the total number of Michigan Semester Hours (MSH) into the total number of Michigan Honor Points (MHP) earned. Notations of Q, Y, I, X, and NR are not initially calculated into the term or cumulative grade point averages. Notations of I, X, and NR, if unresolved by the end of the fourth week of the next fall or winter term in residence or by an approved extension deadline in the case of an I or X, lapse to E and are computed into both the term and cumulative grade point averages, if the course was a graded election. Minimum Term and Cumulative Grade Point Averages Required To be in good academic standing, a student must earn at least a 2.0 term grade point average and a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. If a student fails to accomplish this, the "honor point deficit" can be determined by multiplying the Michigan Semester Hours (MSH) elected by 2.0 and subtracting the total number of Michigan Honor Points (MHP) earned. Only honor points earned in courses elected at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, or Flint campus) may affect the grade point average. University of Michigan | College of LS&A | Student Academic Affairs | LS&A Bulletin Index This page maintained by LS&A Academic Information and Publications, 1228 Angell Hall Copyright © 2000 The Regents of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA +1 734 764-1817 Trademarks of the University of Michigan may not be electronically or otherwise altered or separated from this document or used for any non-University purpose.