Grades and Grading Policies

The integrity of scholarship is the cornerstone of the academic and social structure of the university. It is the expressed policy of the university that every aspect of undergraduate academic life, related in whatever fashion to the university, shall be conducted in an absolutely and uncompromisingly honest manner. Violations of academic honesty are grounds for a failing grade and may result in dismissal from the university. For more information, see the Student Handbook>Student Code of Conduct.

Good Standing

All students shall demonstrate an ability to do college-level work. The University requires that undergraduate students maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 to be considered in Good Standing. Some programs may also have higher GPA requirements to remain enrolled in that particular field of study.

Academic Discipline

Students who have not met the minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 shall be subject to academic discipline. For students enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program (i.e. an undergraduate program requiring a bachelor’s degree for admission) the program GPA, rather than the cumulative GPA, shall be evaluated for compliance as outlined below. 

Warning: Students shall be placed on Academic Warning the first fall or spring semester in which their cumulative GPA falls below 2.0. Students on Academic Warning shall be allowed to register for a maximum of 15 credits and must register for classes prior to the first day of the semester.

Probation: Students who are on Academic Warning and fail to raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 2.0 in the following fall or spring semester shall be placed on Academic Probation. Students on probation shall be allowed to register for a maximum of 14 credits and must register prior to the first day of the semester.  Students on Academic Probation shall be allowed to continue at the University but shall remain on probation provided their semester GPA is at least 2.3. Once the cumulative GPA reaches 2.0, the student shall be removed from Academic Probation and shall be returned to Good Standing. Students shall have three (3) semesters to raise their cumulative GPA to 2.0. If the cumulative GPA is below 2.0 after the third semester of probation, the student shall be academically dismissed.

Dismissal: Students on Academic Probation shall be Academically Dismissed in the fall or spring semester if (1) their semester GPA is below a 2.3 and cumulative GPA is below a 2.0, or (2) their cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 after the third semester of probation. Students who are academically dismissed from Southern Connecticut State University are no longer matriculated at the University.

Dismissed students can appeal for reinstatement to regain matriculation status, they may do so during or subsequent to the semester in which they are non-matriculated. Reinstatement to the University does not guarantee acceptance or reacceptance to programs with GPA requirements higher than 2.0.  All appeals shall be made to the Academic Standing Committee. Once a student’s dismissal appeal has been granted, if a cumulative GPA 2.0 is not attained in the first semester back, the student will be dismissed. Students are ineligible to appeal if they are dismissed a second time.

Dismissed students may register part-time as non-matriculated students at Southern, but must achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher prior to attempting 30 credits as a non-matriculated student, to return to good standing and apply for readmission to their last program of study.

Students must discuss the criteria for a successful audit and receive written approval from their instructor. While no final grade is issued for an audited course, students do have the right to take exams, write papers, and have them evaluated. The Audit Contract must be approved by the instructor prior to the start of the 4th week of the fall or spring semester, or prior to the start of the 2nd week for courses in a shorter term. Students who audit a course pay regular tuition and fees for the course, but the course is not eligible for financial aid, and it does not count towards a student's enrollment status of part-time or full-time. Once a student selects the audit option it will not be possible to revert to a graded option following the drop period for the course. 

The Dean's List and President’s List recognize students who have achieved outstanding academic success for the semester or year in their college or school. Courses are excluded from the calculation if taken under an audit, for pass-fail, or if they are incomplete at the time student transcripts are evaluated.  

Full-time undergraduate students enrolled in a degree program must earn at least 12 credits, and achieve a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher to be eligible for Dean’s List each semester, or achieve a semester GPA of 4.0 to be eligible for President’ List each semester. Full-time students are evaluated and awarded at the end of each fall and spring semester.

Part-time undergraduate students enrolled in a degree-program must earn at least 12 credits overall in the fall and spring semester, and achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher in each semester to be eligible for Dean’s List, or achieve a semester GPA of 4.0 to be eligible for President’s List. Part-time students are only evaluated and awarded annually at the end of the spring semester. 

Departmental Honors are available for students interested in the research, development, and proposal of a thesis to the University Honors Thesis Committee. 

Departmental Honors focuses on original research and is fostered by all departments. Students work independently in the library carrel, the science laboratory, or the experimental classroom pursuing the solutions to their research problems. The rigors of direct, unbiased observations, critical analysis, integration, and logical reasoning develop the disciplined thinker needed today.

Prerequisites for application for departmental honors research are a 3.0 GPA at the end of three years of collegiate study, and a 3.20 GPA in a major concentration. Decision to apply for departmental honors research should be made during the junior year when a thesis advisor should also be identified.

At that point, the student will submit a HON 494 application to the chair of the University Honors Thesis Committee. The student must submit a prospectus (HON 494) to the chair of the University Honors Thesis Committee; instructions and deadlines for the prospectus are sent each semester to all departments. Once the prospectus has been approved, the student becomes a candidate for departmental honors and is awarded three semester hours of credit.

Generally, the first semester of the senior year is spent completing the proposal and initial research. During the second semester the student writes a thesis (HON 495) for which, if accepted after an oral defense, the student is awarded three semester hours of credit and departmental honors. Upon request, detailed instructions are available from the chair of the University Honors Thesis Committee, or from chairpersons of academic departments.

In accordance with SCSU’s educational mission, this policy articulates the procedure and criteria for the appeal of a final course grade. This Grade Appeal Procedure is intended to be fair, equitable and transparent.  Following discussion with the Instructor, the Grade Appeals Procedure consists of two parts: 

• • Level 1 – Mediation with Department Chairperson / Program Director (hereafter referred to as ‘Chairperson’) 
  • Level 2 – University Academic Standing Committee (UASC) 

See https://inside.southernct.edu/faculty-senate-other-documents for detailed information about each part of the appeal process, the forms to initiate an appeal, and the timelines. 

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor before pursuing a grade replacement. Grade replacement may be pursued once per course and only for a total of five courses. The first five courses repeated at Southern will be the ones for which the grade will be replaced, it is automatic. Both grades will appear on the student's transcript, but only the higher of the two course grades will be used to calculate the student's grade point average (GPA). The student shall receive credit for the course only once.

Students may retake a course for a different grade by registering for the course again in a subsequent term. If a student receives the same grade in both semesters, the new grade received will be used to calculate the current semester and overall GPA, the old grade in the older term will not be used for GPA calculations. Students may not utilize transfer courses, nor courses taken for pass/fail, for grade replacement because neither impact the student's GPA. 

If a writing-intensive ‘W’ course was originally passed, and the same course is retaken without the ‘W’ designation, the higher of the two course grades will be used to calculate the student's GPA, and the original 'W' may still be used to fulfill the ‘W’ requirement.

Once awarded a degree or certificate, a student may not go back and grade replace individual courses within that program. Please note that some programs at Southern may require that all grades be used to calculate the student's program GPA for admission or certification purposes.

The following grades are used on the academic records:

A student's grade point average (GPA) is determined by dividing the total number of quality points received by the number of credits attempted where a standard letter grade "A" thru "F" has been received. Transfer courses are not included in the GPA calculation.

Fresh Start grades are denoted with "S" in front of the letter grade as follows: SA+, SA, SA-, SB+, SB, SB-, SC+, SC, SC-, SD+, SD, SD-, and SF. The student will receive credit for courses with a Fresh Start grade of "SC" or higher; however, the GPA of a Fresh Start is reset to exclude all prior grade points and attempted credits.

A temporary Incomplete (I) grade is recorded by the instructor when approving a student’s request for an extension prior to the end of the semester. To be eligible for an Incomplete (I) grade, the student must have participated in at least 60% of the term. An Incomplete (I) grade may impact satisfactory academic progress for financial aid and future registration if the incomplete course is a prerequisite.

The instructor must make all course materials available to the student for the duration of the incomplete period. The instructor must submit a copy of the signed Incomplete Grade Contract to the department chairperson for the course, which shall specify the following:

1. The remaining coursework and submission deadline.
2. The Incomplete Final Grade (i.e., the final grade earned if the remaining coursework is not completed).
3. The Extension Deadline (i.e., the date the Incomplete Final Grade will post to the transcript if a final grade is not submitted; the default is 30 days following the end of term).

When submitting final grades in Banner, the instructor shall enter a grade of 'I' along with the Incomplete Final Grade and the Extension Deadline from the contract. If a student submits the remaining coursework, the instructor must enter a final grade using the Banner Faculty Grade Change form prior to the Extension Deadline. If a student does not submit the remaining coursework, the student will automatically receive the Incomplete Final Grade as their final grade, or the instructor may enter an 'I+' with a new Extension Deadline, prior to the original Extension Deadline.

Latin Honors

Latin honors will be awarded to degree-seeking students who earn at least 45 credits at Southern and attain a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or higher upon program completion. Only grades earned at Southern are included in the cumulative GPA. Latin honors will be confirmed upon program completion and recorded on both the official transcript and diploma as follows:

3.50-3.69 GPA (Cum Laude)
3.70-3.89 GPA (Magna Cum Laude)
3.90-4.00 GPA (Summa Cum Laude)

Senior Honors Convocation

Just prior to the end of the spring semester, eligible students who are likely to graduate with Latin honors are accorded special recognition at the Senior Honors Convocation. Recognition of Latin honors at the Senior Honors Convocation and Undergraduate Commencement events is granted to seniors who have met the eligibility requirements above by April 1, including both earned and in-progress credits. 

Once final grades are reported, if the student's GPA or earned hours then falls below the required recognition level, this will be reflected in official documents produced after convocation or commencement. Likewise, if the student's final GPA or earned credits received after convocation or commencement deems them eligible for Latin honors, or a change in Latin honors, the appropriate recognition will be reflected on their diploma and transcripts.   

As part of the course evaluation process, instructors are required to issue a midterm grade in Banner during the eighth week of classes for full-semester courses; for shorter terms and specific midterm deadlines see the academic calendar. Students may view their midterm grade report in Banner Student; midterm grades do not appear on transcripts.

A student who has not received a midterm grade should confer with the instructor; if this meeting does not result in the student's receiving a midterm grade, the student should contact the chairperson of the department in which the course is offered. Any student who is doing unsatisfactory work ("D" or "F") at the time of midterm grade reporting is encouraged to initiate conferences with their instructor and academic advisor.

Final grades are made available to students in Banner Student self-service approximately one week following the end of each semester or intersession. Current students may log in to view final grades, unofficial transcripts, or request an official transcript.  

With the required consultation of an advisor, department chair, or an academic advising specialist in Academic Advising, matriculated students who have completed at least 45 credits are eligible to register for certain courses on a Pass-Fail basis. The Pass-Fail option is blind in that the instructor is not aware of the student's use of the Pass-Fail option until after the grades are submitted. The Pass-Fail option may only be used for a free elective or cognate course that is not applied or shared with the general education (LEP), major, or minor requirements. Students may take a total of five courses on a Pass-Fail option, with only one taken in any given semester.

The final grade will be reported as "S" if the final grade earned is "D-" or higher. This grade has no effect on the GPA, but does count as attempted credit. If the final grade earned is not passing, the final grade will be reported as "F". This grade will impact the GPA and does count as attempted credit.

Courses taken for Pass-Fail might not be accepted for transfer credit when attending another institution; are excluded from GPA calculations which may impact a student’s ability to meet certain GPA requirements needed for their major, graduation, or honors; and may not be satisfactory in meeting prerequisite requirements when applying to graduate programs. Consulting an advisor, as documented with the Pass-Fail Contract, serves as evidence that the student is aware of the potential impact of their decision.

Once a student selects the Pass-Fail option it will not be possible to revert to a graded option following the add/drop period for the course. The Pass-Fail contract must be endorsed by their advisor prior to the start of the 4th week of the fall or spring semester, or prior to the start of the 2nd week for courses in a shorter term.