University Grading Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021
Students Click here for COVID related Grading Options
COVID-19 has changed the school year in unprecedented ways. Institutions across the state of Utah, the U.S., and around the world are working to provide students with the best experience possible given these unavoidable circumstances.
Please review this important information about University Grading Standards, Final Grade Submission Deadline, and the Credit / No-Credit and Audit options for students:
Instructors cannot change existing courses to Credit / No-Credit, nor can they give students a Withdrawal. These are decisions and actions that must be made by the student.
Our Message to Students: Keep Going!
Our primary message to all students is KEEP GOING! Please communicate to students that we understand that these are difficult circumstances with potentially new challenges, but that we know they can be successful in the virtual format. We want students to know that Weber State faculty are working overtime to ensure that students will still meet the stated learning outcomes for their courses. We also want them to know that Weber State faculty and staff care about our students and want to help them succeed this semester.
Our primary recommendation is that students do all they can to complete their classes and earn a letter grade. We want them to understand that adjusting their grading choice can have some very real and negative consequences.
Regardless of whether they continue to earn a letter grade, change to credit/no credit, or withdraw from one or more courses, all students enrolled in this semester will have a transcript comment placed on their official transcript that identifies that these semesters experienced academic disruption due to global pandemic.
Entering Final Grades
Final grades must be submitted by the deadline outlined in the academic calendar.
Incompletes
Additionally, we want to stress that Incomplete grades should be considered carefully and should not be used as a default option. It is never appropriate to give an entire class grades of Incomplete. An Incomplete grade is an appropriate grade only when requested by a student and is restricted to cases in which the student has satisfactorily completed a substantial part of the coursework, (approximately 80%) according to PPM 4-19, I-E. Given the current circumstances, instructors are encouraged to be flexible when an individual student requests a grade of incomplete, but must also be mindful that 'I' grades can negatively affect students who have enrollment requirements related to scholarships, athletics, veterans/GI bill, or international status. Furthermore, any student who has an 'I' grade will not be able to graduate or receive federal financial aid in the subsequent semester. Please share these potential impacts with students who want to pursue an 'I 'grade to ensure they are aware of their options and refer them to the appropriate offices if they have additional questions.
University Grading Standards - E and UW
In addition to the grade submission deadlines and guidance about Incomplete grades, we would like to remind you of University grading standards for 'E' grades and Unofficial Withdrawals (UW).
If a student completed all of the necessary coursework, including taking the final exam, but was unsuccessful, the appropriate grade is an ‘E’ with the last day of the class entered as the last date of attendance/participation.
If the student stopped attending or participating in the course, whether face to face or online, the appropriate grade is 'UW' accompanied by the last date of participation. If the student never attended, then the first day of the class would be entered as the last date of attendance/participation.
E and UW grades should be used according to University grading standards regardless of the current situation.
If you have questions related to any of these topics, please do not hesitate to contact me at jamiecall@weber.edu
Grading Options for Students
Option 1 - Letter Grade
Strongly Recommended!
By default, most Weber State courses are graded on a standard letter grade scale ('A' through 'E'). This is the best option for most students.
Since this is the standard grading structure, there is no action that students have to take to receive a letter grade.
Option 2 - Credit/No Credit
For some, the Credit/No Credit option may work as an alternative to the traditional letter grade. Credit/No Credit is similar to what other institutions call Pass/Fail.
Faculty will not see if students select the CR/NC option and should still submit final letter grades according to the normal procedure for all students in their courses.
By selecting this option, students would receive either a 'CR' or 'NC' grade. Here's what those mean:
- CR - The student met the standards for successful completion and earned the credit. GPA is unaffected. The standard for earning a ‘CR’ grade is C- or above.
- NC - The student did not meet the standards for successful completion and did not earn the credit. GPA is unaffected. The standard for earning ‘NC’ is D+ or below. Grades of NC will not count as earned credit and cannot be used to fulfill degree requirements.
The CR/NC option can have negative consequences! See “Helping students decide which option is best for them” section below.
Option 3 - Withdrawal
The remaining option is to withdraw from the course.
As always, withdrawing from a course will result in a 'W' grade on a student's transcript, which does not affect their GPA and does not give them a tuition refund. This option provides a safe way to stop the course and retake it in a future semester.
Helping students decide which option is best for them
This decision is complex and will be unique to each student’s circumstances. While selecting CR/NC or W may be useful to preserve students’ GPA, these grades can slow their progress toward degree completion depending on their degree requirements. CR/NC or W grades may also impact their Financial Aid status, plans for graduate school, or status as an International student or student-athlete.
Each student should make their decision carefully and with the help of their academic department, , Financial Aid counselor, and other support resources on campus to ensure that they make the best decision for their personal circumstances. Here are some suggestions to help students make the most informed decision possible.
STEP 1 - Collect information for each course
It’s crucial to understand how students’ courses fit into their program of study and what impacts a CR/NC grade might have on their ability to move forward in their program. If the course is needed to fulfill a degree requirement--including a major or minor requirement, General Education requirement, or course prerequisite--students should be sure to speak to the department to find out their options to fulfill that requirement.
1. Program Requirements for your Major, Minor, or Certificate
Students should speak to the department and their academic advisor to find out whether the CR grade can be used toward that program of study. The department may say one of three things:
- They accept the CR grade.
- They accept only a standard letter grade.
- They accept a Special Credit (SC) grade, which is a CR grade of C or higher.
CR grades of C or higher will be converted to a Special Credit (SC) grade by the Office of the Registrar upon departmental request. The SC grade can fulfill a requirement in CatTracks, while a CR grade cannot fulfill requirements in CatTracks due to programming restrictions. The SC grade is what students now receive for special credit that completes requirements but does not enter into GPA calculations. Examples of SC include Advanced Placement (AP) exams and Foreign Language credit by exam or proficiency.
Each academic department can help students to understand the best grade option for their situation. Some impacts to consider may include:
- Some programs and majors are not compatible with CR/NC grades and require a traditional letter grade
- Many majors and minors require a minimum letter grade for specific courses, but CR/NC grades are not letter grades and may not fulfill these requirements. The SC grade may be an option in some cases, which requires a minimum grade of C or better rather than C- or better.
- Some programs have admission requirements, with specific courses that must be completed before being fully accepted in the program. CR/NC grades may not satisfy those requirements.
College and School Information
For more information based on program of study, select the appropriate college:
2. Core General Education Requirements
Core General Education courses fulfill the following requirements:
- English Composition (EN)
- Quantitative Literacy (QL)
- American Institutions (AI)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Diversity (DV)
All Core courses except Diversity (DV) courses require a C or higher grade. For this reason, students have the following grading options to fulfill Core requirements:
- Earn a standard letter grade of C or higher.
- Earn a standard letter grade of C or higher, then select the CR/NC option by the CR/NC deadline. CR grades of C or higher will be converted to a Special Credit (SC) grade, which will fulfill the requirement in CatTracks. CR grades of C- will not fulfill the requirement.
For Diversity courses, which require a grade of D- or better, students have the options provided below under Breadth General Education Requirements.
3. Breadth General Education Requirements
Breadth General Education courses fulfill the following requirements:
- Humanities (HU)
- Creative Arts (CA)
- Social Science (SS)
- Physical Science (PS)
- Life Science (LS)
All Breadth courses require a D- or higher grade. For this reason, students have the following grading options to fulfill Breadth requirements, as well as to fulfill the Diversity requirement, which has the same minimum grade:
- Earn a standard letter grade of D- or higher.
- Earn a standard letter grade of D- or higher, then select the CR/NC option by the CR/NC deadline. For the CR grade to complete a requirement in CatTracks, you will need to contact that department to have an exception applied to your CatTracks degree evaluation.
For more information, contact the appropriate department for the requirement.
4. Prerequisite for a Required Course
Most prerequisite courses require a C or higher grade. Students should check with the department to find out what grade options will fulfill their prerequisite and allow them to move to the next course in the sequence. Most students will have the following grading options to fulfill prerequisites:
- Earn a standard letter grade of C or higher.
- Earn a standard letter grade of C or higher, then select the CR/NC option by the deadline. See the for deadlines. CR grades of C or higher will be converted to a Special Credit (SC) grade, which will fulfill the requirement in CatTracks. CR grades of C- will not fulfill the requirement.
For more information, contact the appropriate department for the requirement.
STEP 2 - Understand the potential consequences
Before making any changes, students should be sure to understand the potential consequences. Students may be tempting to switch to CR/NC out of fear, stress, or confusion, but doing so is risky. There can be very real and negative consequences associated with CR/NC grades, which is why most courses don't use this grading structure and why the University is not moving all courses to CR/NC during these unprecedented circumstances. Potential consequences to share with students include, but are not limited to:
- Financial Aid Eligibility. Are you a recipient of Pell grants, loans, or scholarships? Your eligibility for these forms of financial aid can change with CR/NC grades! See Financial Aid for more information.
- GPA. How is your GPA? Are you just a little shy of the GPA requirement for graduation, program acceptance, or good academic standing? While CR/NC grades don't hurt your GPA, they don't help it either. If you were counting on a GPA bump, that won't happen with CR/NC grading.
- Course Repeats. A CR grade cannot replace a letter grade for a course that has been previously taken.
- Course Transferability. We hope you stay at Weber State, but if you plan to transfer your coursework to another institution, CR/NC grades may only be accepted as elective credit or may not be accepted at all.
- Graduate/Professional School:
- Do you have plans for graduate or professional school? CR/NC grades may not be accepted, or may make you less competitive! We cannot guarantee how other institutions will treat these grades.
- If you have been conditionally accepted into a graduate program contingent on completion of a specific course with a minimum letter grade in order to be fully admitted, the CR/NC option may not work for you.
- For current Weber State graduate students, please check with your graduate program for information about whether or not CR/NC graded courses may be used towards your graduate degree or certificate.
- International Students. International students must have at least 12 credits of enrollment per semester to maintain their visa eligibility with U.S. Immigration. It is not permissible to withdraw from courses if that will result in less than 12 credits total enrollment. Some programs, such as the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) have additional rules. See the International Student and Scholar Center for more information.
- Student Athletes. Student athletes must maintain specific academic standards for NCAA eligibility, including minimum enrollment, minimum GPA, and satisfactory academic progress. Selecting CR/NC or W grades may hurt your academic eligibility. See your athletics advisor for more information.
- Veterans/GI Bill. A NC or W grade will change your rate of pursuit and may create a debt with the VA for Tuition, Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA), and Book Stipend. See Veterans Services for more information.
STEP 3 - Communicate with their instructors
If they don't already know, students should find out how they are doing in their classes. They may be doing better than they think! By staying in regular contact with them, students can better understand how they are performing in your courses and learn ways to improve.
STEP 4 - Make a decision
This is ultimately a very personal and complicated decision for each student. Students should be careful in their decision-making process and understand how their decision will affect their degree progress and the many other factors described above. Students should work with their academic department, advisor, and other support resources available to ensure that they make the best decision for their individual circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
Deadlines and instructions
CR/NC and Withdrawal deadlines
Students will have the option to revert back to standard letter grades ('A' through 'E') within one year of this deadline. Note that this is a one-time only option, meaning students who revert to standard letter grades after the deadline cannot change back to credit/no credit.
How to withdraw from a class
- Log in to the student portal and select the Register for Classes app. If you do not see the app on the main screen, click on the Registration link in the Categories menu or type Register for Classes into the search bar.
- Accept the Tuition Agreement.
- Click on the Register for Classes link.
- Select the term, then click Continue.
- Select the Withdraw option from the action menu for each course you wish to withdraw from in the Summary Box.
- Important! Click Submit to save your changes.
CAN'T DROP CLASSES ONLINE? Here's what you do...
Technical Issues
Students should drop their own classes online through the student portal. If you experience any technical difficulties or are unable to drop your courses online, use the following steps:
- Send an email from your Weber email account to registration@weber.edu.
- Include your name, W#, course & CRN, and a brief statement asking to be withdrawn from the course(s) listed.
All email requests must come from your Weber email account. This is the only account through which we are authorized to communicate or accept requests regarding your academic account.
Holds
If you have holds that are preventing you from withdrawing from courses through the student portal, contact the department or office that placed the hold on your account to resolve the hold. Once the hold is removed you will be able to withdraw online.
If the hold cannot be removed or you cannot reach the department or office that placed the hold, use the following steps:
- Send an email from your Weber email account to registration@weber.edu.
- Include your name, W#, course & CRN, and a brief statement asking to be withdrawn from the course(s) listed.
All email requests must come from your Weber email account. This is the only account through which we are authorized to communicate or accept requests regarding your academic account.
As always, withdrawing from a course will result in a 'W' grade on your transcript, which does not harm your GPA and does not give you a tuition refund. This option allows you a safe way to stop the course and retake it in a future semester.
How to change to CR/NC
To select Credit/No Credit, follow these steps. Remember, no action is needed on your part if you would like to receive a letter grade.
- Communicate with your academic advisor. We also recommend you speak with your instructors.
- Communicate with a financial aid counselor (where applicable).
- Send an email from your Weber email account to registration@weber.edu.
- Include your name, W#, course & CRN, and a brief statement asking to change to CR/NC.
To revert back to standard letter grades within one year of the deadline, use the following steps:
- Send an email from your Weber email account to academicpetitions@weber.edu.
- Include your name, W#, course & CRN, and a brief statement asking to revert to standard letter grades in the course(s) listed.
All email requests must come from your Weber email account. This is the only account through which we are authorized to communicate or accept requests regarding your academic account.