Grades
Grades reflect student's performance and achievement in academic courses. Instructors members are responsible for assessing student performance and assigning grades according to the following grade designations:
"A," excellent/outstanding; "B," above average; "C," average or satisfactory; "D," minimally passing; "F," failure; "I," incomplete.
These letter grades correspond to the following quality points (grade points) and numerical ranges:
| Grade | Quality Points | Numerical Ranges |
| A | 4.00 quality points | 95 to 100 |
| A- | 3.67 quality points | 90 to 94 |
| B+ | 3.33 quality points | 87 to 89 |
| B | 3.00 quality points | 84 to 86 |
| B- | 2.67 quality points | 80 to 83 |
| C+ | 2.33 quality points | 77 to 79 |
| C | 2.00 quality points | 70 to 76 |
| D | 1.00 quality points | 60 to 69 |
| F | 0.00 quality points | below 60 |
Other Grades
| Grade | Explanation |
| I (Incomplete) | Students are expected to complete a course during the semester in which the course was taken. The incomplete (I) grade is a temporary course grade that may be assigned, at the discretion of the instructor, when extenuating circumstances (illness, necessary absence, etc.) beyond a student’s control prevent completion of course requirements. See the Incomplete Grade Policy in the Academic Policies section of this catalog. |
| IP (In-progress) | is given only for those courses which by their nature require more than a semester to complete (e.g., some senior projects and internships). |
| P and NP | marked for courses taken for "Pass/No Pass" credit. P indicates "pass" and is equivalent to course grade C or better. NP indicates "failure to pass," with the student not entitled to credit for the course or for the hours which had been assigned to it. "Pass/No Pass" (P/NP) and Audit arrangements must be made at the time of registration, and are non-changeable after the first week of class. The P/NP option is mandatory for internships and practice teaching, and for Applied Music and Ensembles (except for Music majors and minors). Other Business courses, Core Curriculum courses, and major and minor courses may NOT be taken P/NP. The P/NP option may be used for electives and is not to exceed 12 hours. A grade of P or NP have no quality points associated with them and hence, are not includd in the computation of the Grade Point Average (GPA). |
| W | signifies official withdrawal from class |
| WF | withdrawal with failure |
| WX | withdrawal in the last month by special permission of the Dean of the School |
| F | indicates failure; when this grade has been received, credit can be obtained only by repeating the course at St. Mary's |
| NC | signifies No Credit; registration administratively canceled |
| IS | indicates that the course is In Session |
The grade the Instructor submits is based on class work, tests, and final examination, combined in such proportion as the Instructor in charge of the course in question may decide. Class standing in the course, moreover, is determined by the regularity of the student's attendance at lectures (and laboratory or other similar exercises), by recitation grades, written assignments, laboratory work, etc.
Grades of F and WF are both equal to 0 quality points and do affect the Grade Point Average.
Grades of I, IP, IS, NC, P, NP, NR, W and WX have no quality points associated with them and, hence, are not included in the computation of the Grade Point Average.
How to Compute Your Grade-Point-Average (GPA)
- Assign a quality point to each grade:
Remaining quality points may be viewed above.GPA Grade Quality Points A 4.00 A- 3.67 B+ 3.33 B 3.00, etc. - Multiply: Quality Points X Number of Semester Hours earned in the course. The second digit of each course number indicates the number of semester hours the course carries: e.g., in EN 1311, second digit is a 3, therefore course is a three-semester hour course.
- Add and Divide: The total number of quality points divided by the total number of semester hours earned.
Add and Divide Course Credit Hours Grade Quality Points Calculation Total Quality Points EN 1311 3 B- 2.67 3 x 2.67 8.01 SMC 1301 3 A 4.00 3 x 4.00 12.00 AR 1301 3 B 3.00 3 x 3.00 9.00 SE 1341 3 A- 3.67 3 x 3.67 11.01 BL 1401 4 B+ 3.33 4 x 3.33 13.32 16 53.34
(Total # of Quality Points/Total # of Semester Hours) = GPA
53.34/16 = 3.33 GPA
Grade Points Required for Graduation
A candidate for graduation must present, in addition to the required credit hours, at least a two-point average (2.0) over all courses offered to fulfill graduation requirements in his or her major and minor subjects, and in the total of the remaining courses. He or she must also present a "C" average on the courses taken at St. Mary's and applied to graduation in the major subject, and the total of the remaining courses taken at St. Mary's.
Dean's List
To be eligible for the Dean’s List in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Science, Engineering and Technology or the Greehey School of Business, undergraduate students must be full-time status (12 earned GPA hours) and earned a minimum semester grade point average of 3.60. The Dean’s List consists of three categories: Highest Honors, student must earn a grade point average of 3.90 to 4.00; High Honors, a student must earn a grade point average of 3.80 to 3.89; Honors, a student must earn a grade point average of 3.60 to 3.79. The Dean's List is published each Fall and Spring semester.