Grading and General Information

Academic Advising

The Supplemental Academic Advising Center (S.A.A.C.) is a service available through the Office of Enrollment Planning and Academic Services. Its purpose is to serve freshmen who are either undecided about a major or who need a little extra assistance. The Program additionally serves students admitted at Level 1 and those admitted under an admissions contract. The Center attempts to contact incoming freshmen to provide them with academic advising services. Incoming freshmen who have not been contacted by the S.A.A.C. or by an academic department about academic advising are welcome to contact the Center at (208) 236-3277 for advising or referral. It is located in Room 316 of the Administration Building.

Some departments assign advisors to incoming freshmen. Other students are assigned to the S.A.A.C. If students are unsure about whether an advisor has been assigned to them, contact the S.A.A.C. for information.

Indication of Intent to Major

Each degree-seeking student admitted to Idaho State University will indicate an intent to major in a subject field in which a degree is offered by the university. As a part of the admissions process, the student will select from a coded list of majors the one which most appropriately applies to his/her educational goal. If a student intends to pursue a double major or to seek two degrees, the student will select both of the codes for the two majors or for the two degrees. The major code (or codes) will be entered by the Admissions Office on the student's record. The student will be considered a pre-major in the field selected. A student may elect to change an intent to major by notifying the college coordinator of the new major code to be entered on his/her record.

Non-Degree Seeking Status

Each non-degree-seeking student admitted to Idaho State University will declare himself/herself by selecting the code for this non-degree-seeking status. This code will be entered by the Admissions Office on the student's record. The student may change his/her status to that of a degree-seeking student by notifying the Office of Admissions. A maximum of 32 credits may be earned under this classification.

Application for Status as a Major in a Field of Study

When a degree-seeking student has completed the prerequisites for majoring in a field of study, the student should apply to the appropriate department or college for admission to status as a major and be accepted as a major by the department or college no later than the time at which s/he has acquired 90 semester credits. Failure to do so will block subsequent registration as a degree-seeking student. No student may graduate from the university without having been accepted as a major by the appropriate department or college. The student will initiate the application for status as a major by filing an application form with the appropriate department or college. A student who is pursuing a double major or a double degree must apply to both of the appropriate departments or colleges.

A student may change his/her status as a major by applying to and being accepted into the appropriate department or college for the new major.

Withdrawal Procedures Before the Withdrawal Deadline:

Students may withdraw from a class or from the university. To initiate a withdrawal from a class, a student must obtain a drop/add card from the Office of Registration and Records.

To withdraw from the university, the student must obtain a withdrawal permit from the Office of Registration and Records and obtain all appropriate signatures.

After the Withdrawal Deadline:

Students may withdraw from individual classes for medical or hardship reasons only. Hardship withdrawals are handled by the student's academic dean. The procedure is the same as the petitioning process for considering extraordinary curricular or admissions problems. Students withdrawing must do so prior to the beginning of closed week each semester.

Medical Withdrawals

Medical withdrawal because of illness or disability is initiated through the Medical Director of the Student Health Services. In addition to an interview with the Medical Director, the individual requesting withdrawal is required to present a written summary of the problem as well as documentation such as a letter from the attending physician describing the problem or a hospital discharge summary. The request for a medical withdrawal and supporting information is then considered by the Medical Director and/or University Medical Withdrawal Committee which may grant or deny the request.

Medical Readmission

Students who have withdrawn for medical reasons may be requested to petition the Medical Withdrawal Committee for readmission. Readmission is based upon consideration of: (1) reports of treatment, (2) letters of recommendation, and (3) personal interview by the Medical Director.

Mandatory Medical Withdrawal

In those instances in which, for medical or psychological reasons, a student's behavior is disruptive of the institutional purpose or environment, or a threat to the well-being of himself/herself or others, the student may, after due process, be mandatorily withdrawn from the university as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Credit or Credit Hour

This term, sometimes referred to as semester credit or semester hour, is a unit of academic work. One credit is defined to require fifty minutes in class each week for one semester (or the equivalent). One semester credit hour in academic courses requires (1) fifty minutes in class each week for one semester (which assumes approximately twice this amount of time in study and preparation outside the classroom), or (2) approximately two and one-half hours in laboratory each week for a semester, or (3) equivalent combinations of (1) and (2). For purposes of equivalency calculations a semester is assumed to be sixteen weeks. Short term courses of one week (five days) or more require time in class, laboratory, and preparation equivalent to the above for a total of 40 clock hours per credit.

Number of Credits

Students may enroll for up to 18 credits a semester. However, they may enroll for a larger number with permission of the dean. To be eligible for participation in student activities, a student must be enrolled for at least 8 credits.

Course Grades

A five-letter grading system is used to describe the instructor's evaluation of a student's performance in each course:

    A - excellent performance 
B - good performance 
C - adequate performance 
D - marginal performance 
F - unacceptable performance
    Credits for courses in which an A, B, or C grade is earned are always acceptable toward graduation. Credits for courses in which a D grade is earned are acceptable towards graduation unless specifically excluded for a particular course or degree. No credits are awarded for any course in which an F grade is earned. At the beginning of each course, the instructor should inform students of the criteria to be used in judging their performance.

    Other grading symbols used are: I-incomplete; IP-thesis work "in progress"; W-withdrawal after the close of the registration period; P-NP-the pass-no pass option; and S-U-satisfactory/unsatisfactory performance. Each of these grades has special conditions which are described below.

    Incomplete Grades

    An incomplete grade, I, may be awarded at midterm or semester end. At midterm, an I indicates the student, through illness or other excusable absence, has missed so much work the instructor cannot assign a regular grade. An incomplete grade may be given at the end of the semester only when a student has satisfactory performance to within three weeks of the end-of-semester examination period. An incomplete grade at mid-semester is not the final grade. It may not be awarded for withdrawal from the university unless the withdrawal is within the above three-week period. If an I grade is given, the instructor must send the student and the dean of the college in which the student is a major a written statement describing what the student must do to remove the incomplete. A specific deadline for completion of the course work should be negotiated between the student and instructor. In no case may the deadline exceed six years. At the end of the negotiated period, the instructor will request that the registrar convert the I to the grade earned. An I not removed after six years will automatically become an F or U grade which cannot be improved without repeating the entire course. If, during that six-year period, a student applies to graduate or to transfer credits to another university, an unremoved I will be converted to an F or U grade.

    Withdrawal Grades

    A student may withdraw from a course in the first ten days of a semester and no transcript entry will reflect his/her ever having been in the course. From the end of the registration period to the end of the withdrawal period, a student may withdraw at his/her option. After the withdrawal period, a student may withdraw from individual courses only by the procedure described in the preceding sections which discuss withdrawal procedures. In both cases above, a W grade will be recorded. If a student simply ceases to attend without formally withdrawing from the university, an F grade will be recorded for each affected class. A student may be withdrawn from a course or receive a reduced grade resulting from disruptive classroom behavior.

    In-Progress Grades

    The number of credits awarded for a graduate thesis and other courses varies from department to department, and students frequently spread the registration for those credits over several semesters.

    An IP grade to indicate work in progress is automatically recorded for such credits until the entire thesis or other approved coursework is approved by the student's thesis committee or course instructor. At that time, the committee or instructor will request that the registrar convert the IP to the grade earned.

    Pass/No-Pass Grades

    P/NP grades are given in courses taken under the pass/no-pass option. This option is offered as an inducement for students to take courses outside their major curriculum. The following restrictions apply: the option is available only to undergraduate students; the option must be declared at the original registration of classes, not later; credits earned under the option will not satisfy specific graduation requirements except that they may be counted towards total credits required; students taking a course under this option must comply with the established prerequisite or obtain the permission of the instructor; students may not register for more than one P/NP course per semester. Instructors will report ordinary letter grades on the grade list. The Office of Registration and Records will affix to the student's transcript a P for letter grades A, B, C, or D, or an NP for a letter grade of F. The P or NP may be changed on the transcript to the original letter grade only on the approval of the student's college scholarship requirements committee. The intent of this provision is to accommodate students who declare majors which require one or more courses previously completed on the P/NP option.

    No credits are awarded for any course in which an NP grade is earned. Departments must designate in the class schedule those courses offered for P/NP option.

    Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

    S/U grades are awarded in such courses as religion, student teaching and special projects to which the regular performance grades are not applicable. The use of S/U grades must be specifically approved by the University Curriculum Committee. All students in such courses are graded either S or U. There is no method for incorporating these grades into a student's grade point average. No credits are awarded in any course for which a U grade is earned.

    Auditors

    An auditor is a person who is permitted to attend a course without participating in the discussions or submitting work for a grade.

    Permission to audit must be attained for all classes not listed for audit in the class schedule. Such permission is given by the instructor and academic dean. This request will be made by petition. Students must then make payment of an auditor's fee. The fee is waived in the case of regularly enrolled students. The audit fee is the same as for part-time credit hours. Attendance as an auditor does not entitle one to credit or admission to examination. Auditor privileges are extended in the cases of activity or laboratory courses only by university petition.

    If, in the judgment of the instructor, an auditor has not attended sufficiently, the audit will not be recorded on the student's transcript.

    Grade Point Average

    Numerical grade points for each course credit are assigned as 4 for an A, 3 for a B, 2 for a C, 1 for a D. No grade points are assigned for any other letter grades.

    A grade point average (GPA) is computed each semester by dividing the sum of the products of grade points and credits for each course by the sum of the credits for the courses. Only course grades of A, B, C, D, or F are included in this computation.

    An accumulated grade point average (Accum. GPA) is computed by the same process, but the student's entire record, including transfer credits, is covered by the computation.

    Courses in which an F grade is earned must be repeated if that course is required for graduation. Courses in which a D grade is earned must be repeated if the major department so requires. Also, a student may elect to repeat a course provided he/she has not completed a course for which that course was prerequisite. If a course is repeated, the latest grade is used in computing grade point average.

    Grades for Transfer Courses

    When students transfer credit to Idaho State University, the university reserves the right to reclassify credit designated as correspondence, extension, credit by examination and repeated credit according to its own policy governing the acceptance and limitations of such credit. Grades transferred from other institutions will be converted to the equivalent grades at Idaho State University by the registrar. Where there is a question as to whether transferred courses satisfy specific departmental requirements, the head of the department concerned will make the interpretation.

    Transfer students may be required to repeat transfer courses in which a grade equivalent to a D or F was received.

    Midterm Grades

    Only D, F, U, NP, or I grades are reported at midterm. Students receiving such grades will be notified by mail. Those grades are not recorded on the student's transcript and are not used in grade point average computations.

    Examinations

    Regular final examinations are held during an examination period at the end of the semester in accordance with a schedule published by the registrar. They shall not be rescheduled outside of the period, nor to a different time within it except by permission of the counsel of Academic Deans. No examination shall be longer than the scheduled time.

    Special examinations may be arranged for individual students within the examination period. Except in the case of sickness or other unavoidable cause, the student is required to pay a fee of $5 to the Business Office to take a special final examination.

    A student who is absent from a regular final examination without valid excuse receives an F. If the excuse is valid and the work of the semester is satisfactory, the student receives an incomplete, which may be removed by taking a special final examination.

    Closed/Final Week Policy

    Any final examination must be conducted during the officially scheduled time slot except in laboratory courses or sections where the final examination may be conducted during the last regularly scheduled class session. Any exception to this policy may be allowed only on an individual student basis, to be arranged between the professor and the student.

    Other required tests or quizzes on which the professor bases any part of the course grade are prohibited during the 7 calendar days immediately preceding the first day of final examinations week except in performance sections, night classes, 8-week courses, and summer sessions.

    Graduate-level courses and activities are exempt from this closed week and final exam policy.

    Academic Study Day Policy

    The University annual calendar includes two academic study days each semester. The academic study days are scheduled during the two calendar days directly following Closed Week and directly preceding Final Examination Week. When the last two calendar days directly following Closed Week fall on Saturday, Sunday, or both, those days will be designated as academic study days. No undergraduate classes are held during academic study days. For academic study days falling on Monday through Friday, faculty will schedule office hours.

    Scholastic Probation and Dismissal

    At the end of any semester or summer session, undergraduate students may be placed on probation if the accumulative ISU grade point average does not meet the minimum requirement as stated in the scholastic probation scale.

      Scholastic Probation Scale 
Credits Attempted			Minimum ISU 
(Including Transfer			Accumulative 
Credits )				GPA 
1 through 6				1.00 
7 through 32				1.60 
33 through 64				1.80 
65 and up				2.00
      Students on scholastic probation who attain a GPA of 2.0 or higher during the next or subsequent semester after being placed on probation, but whose accumulative GPA is still below the minimum required for their rank, remain on academic probation.

      Students on scholastic probation who attain an accumulative GPA higher than the minimum required on the scholastic probation scale are automatically removed from probation.

      A student on probation will be dismissed at the end of any probationary semester or summer session in which the student obtains a GPA of less than 2.0 unless the grades earned in that semester or summer session are sufficient to take the student off probation. Students will be notified at mid-semester as to whether they are doing D or F work in any class. The students' advisors will also receive this information so they may work with the students to try to prevent probationary status. (Refer to Academic Dismissal and Reinstatement under Petitions, below.)

      A student who has been academically dismissed under scholastic probation rules may not take any course for credit at Idaho State University. Such a student is allowed to audit courses with approval of the instructor and academic dean. This request shall be made by petition.

      Graduation, Progression, and Probation Requirements for Students in the School of Applied Technology. See the School of Applied Technology section of this catalog.

      Petitions

      A student may petition to the appropriate college dean or committee for consideration of problems of curricula or admission which are not covered by stated procedures. Curricular petitions must: 1) include a recommendation from the student's advisor, 2) a recommendation by the chair of the department offering courses in the subject field or by a special committee overseeing the requirement, and 3) catalog copy of descriptions of courses transferred from other institutions if the course is to be considered in a test of course equivalency. All copies of the petition are to be advanced to the Registrar's Office for action after all signatures are affixed. Decisions may require several weeks, and notice of the result will be mailed to the student. A student may petition:

      1. Deletion of Idaho State University grades from computation in the grade point average (GPA) under the conditions which follow:

        a. When a student changes to a radically different curriculum, lower division courses which are not required in nor appropriate to the new curriculum may be eliminated from computation of grade point averages for the purpose of determining probation or graduation at the discretion of the dean who has responsibility for the new curriculum.

        b. Elimination of computation of courses from grade point average by petition also results in the elimination of the corresponding course credits. c. This adjustment will not be made until the conclusion of one semester in the new curriculum.

        d. Courses that satisfy any general education requirements in the university cannot be removed from GPA computation, even if alternate courses meeting the requirement have been taken.

      2. Academic dismissal and reinstatement. Students will be notified at mid-semester as to whether they are doing D or F work in any class. The students' advisors will also receive this information so they may work with the students to try to prevent probationary status.

        Following dismissal, under the scholastic probation ruling, a student on first dismissal may be reinstated after a one-semester layout by petitioning the college dean. A student on second dismissal may be reinstated after a one-year layout by petitioning the college dean. No more than two reinstatements will be permitted. A third dismissal is final. Students seeking reinstatement prior to expiration of the mandatory layout period may petition their Dean. The summer session does not qualify for a semester layout.

      3. Substitution of departmental requirements. A student may petition to substitute courses in lieu of departmental requirements. The course or courses the student wishes to substitute must be approved by the departmental chairperson.

      4. Substitution of the general education requirements. A student who transfers from another institution may petition to have courses with similar content but different titles than those offered at ISU substituted for courses listed in the general education requirements. Petitions must be approved by the department chairperson of the discipline in which the course being petitioned is offered.

      5. General education requirements deficiencies. A transfer student may petition to waive a maximum of one credit hour in the area of humanities, social science, or natural science to fulfill the general education requirements. This normally pertains to students transferring to Idaho State from an institution which uses the quarter system rather than the semester system.

      6. Pass-No-Pass option. A student may petition to have a P or NP converted to a letter grade. The petition must contain the grade assigned in the class and must be signed by the class instructor. (See Section on Pass-No Pass Grades.)

      Class Rating

      Sophomore. To be rated a sophomore, a student must have 26 hours credit. Junior. To be rated a junior, a student must have 58 hours credit. Senior. To be rated a senior, a student must have 90 hours. The classification under which a student registers at the beginning of the academic year will continue through the year.

      Course Numbering System

      Courses numbered 1-99 do not carry academic credit. Courses numbered 100-199 and 200-299 are lower division courses for freshmen and sophomores, respectively. Courses numbered 300-399 and 400-499 are upper division courses for juniors and seniors, respectively. Courses above 300 are open without restrictions, except specific prerequisites, to students who have completed 58 credits. Other students may take such courses on approval of the instructor, advisor, and dean. No one, juniors and seniors included, may take any upper division course if the basic requirements in English have not been completed or if high school deficiencies have not been removed.

      Courses prefixed by a "g" may be taken by students in the graduate school for graduate credit. In such cases additional work will be required. Graduate students should register for such courses under a 500 number, e.g. ART g441, Painting and Composition, would be indicated as ART 541. Courses numbered 600 and above are open only to graduate students.

      Attendance

      Students are expected to attend all meetings or classes in which they are registered. Each instructor may, consistent with departmental policy, establish such specific regulations governing attendance as may seem suited to a particular course. No one is authorized to excuse a student from a class meeting except the instructor in charge of the class.

      No student may be absent from the campus in connection with extracurricular activities more than sixteen college instructional days per semester. No one extracurricular activity may take students away from the campus more than twelve college instructional days.

      Student Outcomes Assessment

      All undergraduate academic programs at four year public institutions in Idaho are required to assess student learning in the major and general education programs. Similar requirements for assessment also appear in the new guidelines issued by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges which provides ISU's institution-wide accreditation.

      Idaho State University's goal is to encourage students to develop abilities and acquire knowledge that will be of lasting benefit in their personal and professional lives. To ensure that this goal is met, a program of student outcomes assessment has been implemented to improve the teaching and learning process.

      Comprehensive information that includes student performance and student opinion is vital to the success of the assessment program. To provide this information, undergraduate students in the academic division may be required to participate in a variety of assessment activities which may include formal and informal examinations, interviews, surveys and follow-up studies after graduation.

      Federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

      Idaho State University informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. This Act, with which the institution intends to comply fully, was designated to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. Students also have the right to file complaints with The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA), concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the Act. Institutional policy explains in detail the procedures to be used by the University for compliance with the provisions of the Act. Copies of the policy can be found in the Registrar's Office, located in the Museum Building, Room 319. An Office of the Registrar Information Release Policy Checklist is published in each term's class schedule booklet for student reference. Questions concerning the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act may be referred to the Associate Director of Registration and Records.

      A Directory of Records which list all education records maintained on students by this institution is available in the Registration and Records Office and the School of Applied Technology Student Services Office.

      Directory information, i.e., the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of registered students are considered public record, and are included in the annual campus directory. Students who do not want their names, address, and telephone number printed in this directory must notify the Office of Registration and Records at the beginning (fall semester) of each academic year.

      Idaho State University Academic Information

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      Revised: May 5, 1995

      URL http://www.isu.edu/academic-info/prev-isu-cat/ugrad95/general/grading_general.html