Grading Policies

Source: https://e-catalogue.jhu.edu/ksas-wse/undergraduate-policies/academic-policies/grading-policies/ Parent: https://e-catalogue.jhu.edu/programs/

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Grading Policies

Grades are submitted to the Homewood Registrar at the end of each semester. Grades can be viewed online by students in SIS. Students may designate authorized users to view final course grades in SIS.

Grades and Grade Point Average Points

Each grade corresponds to a numerical grade point equivalent to allow the computation of a grade point average. S and U grades have no effect on grade point average. The grades and their grade point equivalents are as follows:

Grades

Other marks are used in special circumstances as follows:

Special Grades

Grade Points and Grade Point Average

To determine the grade point average, multiply the grade point equivalent by the number of credits for the course. Add the products (grade points earned), then divide the total by the number of credits in the computation.

A Sample Calculation of a Grade Point Average

Grade Points

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grades

Undergraduates may select one course each semester and summer (across all summer terms) to take for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Students wishing to change a course to S/U should submit a SEAM case. A course that is offered only for S/U grading does not count as the student's one permitted course selection.

Students must decide whether to take a course on a S/U basis by the end of the eleventh week of the semester. This deadline applies to all courses, even those which may not have any graded work assigned or returned before the end of the eleventh week. Course instructors are unaware of which students in a class are registered for S/U credit. Instructors submit letter grades to the Homewood Registrar for all students in their course.

S/U grades have no effect on a student’s grade point average. On the academic transcript, students who earn a grade of C- or above in a S/U course receive Satisfactory credit and a mark of S is entered on the academic record. Students who earn a grade below C- in a S/U course receive no credit and a mark of Unsatisfactory is recorded on the academic record.

Under certain conditions, graduating students in their eighth semester or later may exceed the normal S/U grading limit. See for details.

Rules Specific to Arts and Sciences Students

Students are expected to talk to their academic advisor before requesting to change to S/U grading. These additional rules apply:

• The Writing and Communications foundational ability courses cannot be taken S/U and still fulfill the requirement.
• The Arts and Sciences degree requirement of Reintroduction to Writing must be taken for a letter grade to fulfill the requirement.
• In a student's graduating semester, students must have approval from the academic advising office exceptions committee in order to change a course to S/U grading.***

*** : September 30, 2025 - A correction has been made to the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading Rules Specific to Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Students: As of academic year 2024-2025, KSAS students in their graduating semester are no longer required to seek approval from the academic advising office exceptions committee in order to change a course to S/U grading. The other S/U rules specific to arts and sciences students still apply.

Rules Specific to Engineering Students

Engineering students need approval from their professional academic advisor to take a course S/U. For WSE students, courses being used towards the Foundational Abilities may not be taken S/U, except for Bootcamp Computing courses which are offered with only S/U grading.

Restrictions on Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading

The S/U option applies only to courses in the fall, spring and summer terms in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering. Only one course per semester or summer (across all summer terms) may be taken with the S/U grading option. However, an eligible student who registers for a course that is only offered for S/U grading may select an additional course for S/U grading in the same semester. Language elements courses must be taken for a letter grade.

If a student has taken a course for S/U credit and then changes to a major or minor that requires the course, the grade can be changed to a letter grade before graduation with the approval of the student’s academic advising office and the director of undergraduate studies for the relevant major or minor. If the S grade is acceptable for the new major or minor, the S grade will not be converted to a letter grade.

Incomplete Grades

Students who are confronted with compelling circumstances beyond their control which interfere with the ability to complete their semester's work during the normal course of a term may request an Incomplete grade (I), a temporary grade, from their instructor.

Incomplete grades may be appropriate under the following conditions:

• the student has completed the majority of the work for the class as determined by the instructor.
• the student has consulted with the course instructor, and together they have created a viable plan to complete the coursework with sufficient time for the instructor to provide the final grade by the specified deadline described below. This conversation must be documented on an Incomplete Grade Contract, which is initiated by the student in SIS.

A student whose situation does not meet these criteria should consult their professional academic advisor to discuss academic options.

The required elements on the Incomplete Grade Contract are listed below; all of these topics should be included in the conversation between the student and the instructor.

1. The reason for the request for an incomplete grade
2. A description of all outstanding work that must be completed
3. Date the work is due from the student
4. The reversion grade if the student does not complete any of the outstanding work

An instructor is not obligated to approve a student’s request for an Incomplete grade.  If the instructor agrees to grant an Incomplete grade, the instructor and student must establish a timetable for submitting unfinished work within the relevant deadline stated in this policy below. The instructor must also specify the reversion grade, defined as the grade that will be assigned if no additional work is submitted, on the Incomplete Grade Contract. The student must submit their work to the instructor in enough time for them to review and grade it before the relevant deadline described below.

An Incomplete grade does not affect a student’s grade point average and is replaced by the final grade submitted by the professor. If the final grade is not submitted within the relevant deadline stated in this policy below, the Incomplete grade will convert to the reversion grade entered by the instructor.

Incomplete grades cannot be held over to another semester to complete the missing work by retaking the course. Students and instructors do not have an option in this situation.

Under extenuating circumstances, students can petition their course instructors and their Academic Advising Office to extend their Incomplete deadline. The extension can be no longer than the last day of classes of the semester following the semester in which the incomplete was given. See below for additional information on extenuating circumstances.

Process and Deadline for Students in Good Academic Standing

A request for an Incomplete grade must be initiated by the student no later than the last day of classes via the Incomplete Grade Contract available in SIS. Students are expected to consult with the instructor before submitting the Incomplete Grade Contract. Incomplete grades will be treated as failures when evaluating academic standing.

Upon receipt of a student’s Incomplete Grade Contract form, the instructor may approve or deny the request, at their discretion.

Instructors are required to submit the new grade to the Office of the Homewood Registrar no later than 45 calendar days after the last day of classes. If the Incomplete grade is not resolved within 45 calendar days after the last day of classes, the Incomplete grade is automatically converted to the reversion grade.

Process and Deadline for Students on Academic Probation

Students on academic probation may initiate an Incomplete Grade Contract in SIS as described above. For students who are on academic probation, Incomplete grades will be treated as failures when evaluating academic standing. For students on academic probation who have a conversation with their academic advising office prior to initiating the Incomplete Grade Contract, the academic standing decision will be finalized after the 45-day calendar day deadline.

Instructors are required to submit the new grade to the Office of the Homewood Registrar no later than 45 calendar days after the last day of classes. If the Incomplete grade is not resolved within 45 calendar days after the last day of classes, the Incomplete grade is automatically converted to the reversion grade.

Process and Deadline for Graduating Students

Students with incomplete grades in required courses at the date of degree conferral will not graduate.

Students with incomplete grades in courses that are not required for degree completion may still graduate. However, the deadline for completion is abbreviated; students must resolve incomplete grades within 30 days of degree conferral when the University closes the undergraduate record. If the work is not finished by the deadline, the reversion grade will be recorded. For the specific deadline relevant to each degree conferral, please consult with advising or the Office of the Homewood Registrar. For more details on incomplete grades and graduation, see Graduation Policies.

Guidelines for Students Regarding Extenuating Circumstances for Requesting an Extension of the Incomplete Grade Deadline

Extenuating circumstances are those circumstance that cause exceptional interference with academic performance, and which are over and above the normal difficulties experienced in life.

Policy on Changing a Grade

Once an instructor has submitted a grade to the Homewood Registrar, grade changes can be made only in the case of error in grading, calculation, or transcription. Students with questions about grading should contact the faculty instructor who has sole authority to assess and assign course grades. If the instructor determines a change is warranted because of error, the change must be submitted to the Homewood Registrar's Office by the end of the subsequent semester. Grade changes for graduating seniors must be submitted by the close of the undergraduate record.

Retaking a Course

Policies about retaking a course are located under Registration Policies.

First-Year Language Courses: Information about Credit and Grades

Policies about first-year language course are located under Registration Policies.

Dean's List

Undergraduate students enrolled in the full-time degree programs in the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering who earn a term grade point average of 3.50 or above in a program of at least 14 credits with at least 12 graded credits will be placed on the Dean’s List for academic excellence. Students with the SDS accommodation to be on a reduced course load and are opting to use that accommodation can earn Dean’s List if they earned a 3.5 or better in 8-11 credits of which at least 7 are completed with a letter grade.An appropriate notation is made on the student's academic record. The academic advising offices of both schools email Dean's List notification letters to students. The Engineering Advising Office also sends letters to parents/guardians. By request, the University will place notification in your hometown newspaper, should you elect to follow the directions provided with the letter.

Class Rank

The University does not calculate class rank and therefore, cannot provide this information to students or outside parties.

Transcripts

Information about ordering transcripts is available on the Homewood Registrar's website. Partial transcripts of a student's record will not be issued.

Class Attendance and Absences

Although there are no university regulations concerning attendance, students are expected to attend all courses regularly. When students have missed classes, they should consult with their instructors and/or teaching assistants to explain the reasons for their absence, and to stay on track in the course. Instructors are encouraged to establish their own policies regarding attendance, and it is the student's responsibility to know those policies.

In certain courses regular attendance is given special importance. These may include foreign language courses, as well as introductory courses in Writing Seminars. Instructors in these courses may lower a student's grade for unexcused absences.

If a student is absent from classes over a period of several days without explanation, instructors are encouraged to inform the student's respective academic advising office. In some cases, withdrawing from a course may be considered; however, the student must withdraw from a course before the end of the eleventh week of the semester, and still remain in at least 12 credits.

Absence From Class Due to Illness

Student Health and Well-Being (SHWB) Primary Care does not provide excuses for students who miss individual classes, including required attendance classes or labs. All students who visit Primary Care are provided with a visit verification email, but documentation for an illness is never provided. In some instances, Student Outreach and Support may be notified if a students illness requires them to miss class, for example a hospitalization. Otherwise, it is the individual professor who makes decisions about what constitutes an excused absence from their course. Student Outreach and Support (SOS) is unable to excuse absences from class. For questions about whether an absence can be considered excused, please review your individual professor’s syllabus and be sure to follow that professor’s policy on missed class time and assignments.

Students should be guided by the following:

1.       Ask instructors about expectations for class attendance and what procedures they will follow for students who miss class or assignments. Such policies are determined by each instructor and will differ from course to course.

2.       In the event of a missed class or inability to complete course work due to illness, contact the instructor to make necessary arrangements to make up any work.

3.       Notify the professor promptly by email. This should be done before the missed class unless it is not possible to do so (for example, if hospitalized or incapacitated). In cases where prior notification is not possible, notify the professor as soon as possible.

4.       Misrepresenting personal circumstances to a faculty member, SHWB staff, or any university official constitutes academic dishonesty and is grounds for action by the Academic Ethics Board.

Absence for Religious Holidays

Religious holidays are valid reasons to be excused from class. Students who must miss a class or an examination because of a religious holiday must inform the instructor as early in the semester as possible in order to be excused from class or to make up any work that is missed.

Approved Absences

The university encourages students to participate in varsity athletics and other significant extracurricular activities. Students who must miss a class or an examination because of participation in a scheduled in-season varsity athletic event must notify the course instructor as early in the semester as possible. Approved absences are granted at the discretion of the course instructor. When students must miss a scheduled examination, several solutions have been found by instructors. Students have been permitted to take an examination before leaving for the event, or have had an approved proctor for examinations taken during the athletic event at approximately the same time as the other students in the course. Students have also been allowed to take the examination, or an alternative examination, upon their return from the athletic event.