Academics
The following procedure is provided to students who believe they have been treated unfairly by a faculty member in the final grade given for the course:
The student may initiate consideration of the challenged grade with the faculty member who gave the grade. The grade challenge must occur within four weeks after grades were posted on the student's academic record.
If the issue isn't resolved during informal discussions with the faculty member, the student must start the Application for Formal Inquiry. The Application for Formal Inquiry is available in the Office of the Registrar or on the University's Web site (Keyword: grade challenge).
Step One: The student and the faculty member will provide a brief summary of their discussion(s) regarding the student's request for a change of grade. The faculty member will sign the Application for Formal Inquiry before the student continues the process by meeting with the faculty member's department chair/program director. Note, the faculty member must sign the Application for Formal Inquiry within four weeks of when grades were posted to the student's academic record. If a faculty member is unavailable at the time of the appeal a student may move to Step Two without obtaining the faculty member’s signature. The student must provide written documentation (e.g. e-mail) showing that he/she attempted to contact the faculty member.
Step Two: If the student's request is not resolved with the faculty member's department chair/program director, the student and the faculty member's department chair/program director will provide a brief summary of their discussion(s) regarding the student's request for a change of grade. The faculty member's department chair/program director will sign the Application for Formal Inquiry before the student continues the process by meeting with the Dean of Undergraduate Education/Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Step Three: If the student's request is not resolved with the Dean of Undergraduate Education/Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, the student and the Dean of Undergraduate Education/Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies will provide a brief summary of their discussion(s) regarding the student's request for a change of grade. The Dean of Undergraduate Education/Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies will sign the Application for Formal Inquiry before the student submits the Application for Formal Inquiry to the Office of the Registrar for review by the appropriate Student Academic Standards Committee. The appropriate college dean will be notified when the Application for Formal Inquiry reaches Step Three.
Step Four: The Application for Formal Inquiry will be reviewed by the Graduate/Undergraduate Student Academic Standards Committee. The final grade will be determined by the Committee which will then report the grade to the student, the faculty member, the student’s adviser and the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty.
If at any time during steps 1-3 all parties are satisfied with the outcome, a change of grade form can be filed along with the Application for Formal Inquiry in the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar will process the change of grade form and will then report the grade to the student, the faculty member, the student’s adviser and the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty.
If the University representative is associated with multiple roles within these steps, the lower of the two steps will be considered complete. Faculty response is expected unless the faculty member has left the institution.Repeat PolicyIf students register for a course not intended to be repeated, they will receive only the credit and quality points earned in the most recent registration. The credit and grade earned previously will remain on the student's record but will not be counted in the grade point average. A course will count only once toward cumulative hours earned. Repeating a three-hour course means the student will receive only three hours for that course rather than three hours for each time he/she takes the course.
The university retains the right to flag repeat courses and adjust grade point averages at its own discretion in adherence with the repeat course policy outlined above. The repeated courses will be designated as such at the end of each academic semester.
If a student is registering for a course for the third time, he/she will be required to have academic assistance for this course. In general, students are limited to registering for an undergraduate course three times. If a student elects to register for a course more than three times, he/she is limited to taking only the course being repeated and he/she may see an impact on his/her visa status, eligibility for federal financial aid (i.e., loans/grants), tuition remission and/or athletics. A course is considered a repeat when a student is registered for the course after the last day to add a class.
A student has the right to appeal the repeat policy with the Student Academic Standards Committee. Minimum Progress by Program Students are expected to make normal progress toward meeting degree requirements. Failure to do so will result in academic warning, probation, or suspension. Progress will be reviewed at the end of each semester, and students will be notified if they are not making adequate progress. A change in the student's academic status will become effective at the point final grades are processed by the Office of the Registrar. The cumulative grade point average is based only on grades earned at The University of Findlay.WARNING: A student will be placed on warning the first and second times a semester grade point average fall below 2.00 but is above the suspension level as indicated by the following table. It is recommended that a student who registers for courses during a period of warning receive academic assistance from the Academic Support Center. It is mandatory that a student who registers for courses during a second period of warning receive academic assistance from the Academic Support Center. This mandatory academic assistance will include registration in ACAD 110. A student on warning will remain on warning until he/she has successfully completed (i.e., with a semester GPA greater than or equal to 2.0) two semesters of academic course work, of which summer may be included (minimum of 18 semester hours). Upon completion of these two semesters, the student will be placed in academic good standing. If the student has another session grade point average of less than a 2.0 or his/her cumulative GPA falls below the acceptable level as indicated by the following table, he/she will be placed on probation.PROBATION: A student will be placed on probation the third time a semester grade point average falls below 2.00 but is above the suspension level as indicated by the following table. It is mandatory that a student who registers for courses during a period of probation receive academic support from the Academic Support Center.A student on probation will remain on probation until he/she has successfully completed (i.e., with a semester GPA greater than or equal to 2.0) two semesters of academic course work, of which summer may be included (minimum of 18 semester hours). Upon successful completion of these two semesters, the student will be placed on academic warning. If the student has another session grade point average of less than a 2.0 or his/her cumulative GPA falls below the acceptable level as indicated by the following table, he/she will be suspended from the institution.SUSPENSION: A student will be placed on suspension either the fourth time a semester grade point average falls below 2.00 but is above the suspension level as indicated by the following table or when his/her cumulative grade point average drops below the suspension level as indicated by the following table.If the grade point average falls below the level required under suspension, students will be suspended from the University for a period of at least two semesters. The summer semester may count as one of the semesters. Students requesting early re-admission or to take course work elsewhere during the mandatory two-semester suspension must have the approval of the Student Academic Standards Committee with support from the Academic Support Center. Students requesting to return after the mandatory two-semester suspension only need approval through the Academic Support Center.A student who returns to the institution after a period of suspension will be placed on academic probation. If his/her session grade point average falls below 2.0 or his/her cumulative grade point average falls below the acceptable level as indicated by the following table, he/she will be suspended from the institution.A student wishing to return to the University after his/her second suspension must appeal to the Student Academic Standards Committee.A student returning to the University after suspension must be advised by the Academic Support Center.SEMESTER HOURS SUSPENSION (cumulative GPA)(credits attempted plus transfer credits)0.50-18.00 Below 1.518.01-30.00 Below 1.630.01-45.00 Below 1.745.01-60.00 Below 1.860.01-87.00 Below 1.987.01- Below 2.0Any student who earns a grade point average below 2.00 during the first semester at The University of Findlay will be enrolled in a required study strategies course the following semester.Program Minimum Progress: Some programs at the University have set stricter minimum progress standards. These program minimum progress standards may include grades. However, minimum progress standards may also include other non-academic standards (e.g., fitness, professional behavior). A student's failure to meet these stricter progress standards does not preclude the student from being eligible to register within another program at the University if he/she meets University minimum progress standards.Grading Policy (Graduate)The academic standards of the University are expressed in terms of grades that are worth points. Each semester hour of credit for each letter grade carries the number of quality points indicated: “A”‑excellent, 4 points; “A-” -slightly less than excellent, 3.67 points; “B+”-slightly more than good, 3.33 points; “B”‑good, 3 points; “B-”-slightly less than good, 2.67 points; “C+”-slightly more than marginal, 2.33 points; “C”-marginal, 2 points; “C-”-slightly less than marginal, 1.67 points; “D+”-slightly above poor, 1.33 points; “D”‑poor, 1 point; “D-”-slightly above failing, .67 points; “F”‑failure, 0 points. Other symbols recorded on the academic record are as follows: “X”‑incomplete; “W”‑withdrawal; “S”‑satisfactory (“C” or better); “P”-pass (“C” or better); “U”‑unsatisfactory (“C-” or poorer); “EC”‑extended course; “NR”‑no grade received; “NC”-no credit, does not affect the GPA. The grades of “S,” “P” and “U” are used in selected courses. A grade point average of 3.0 must be earned in order to graduate. No courses used toward graduation requirements can be completed with a grade of “D+” or lower. Incomplete Course A grade of “X,” initiated by the student, will be approved only when documented circumstances beyond a student’s control (such as illness or family emergency) have prevented the student from completing the course work. Inability to get work in on time will not constitute a reason for the grade of “X.” A student must complete the course work within 10 weeks (or a shorter time period based on the discretion of the instructor) immediately following the end of the course session in which the “X” was given. The time limit may be extended, up to one year following the end of the course session in which the “X” was given, at the discretion of the instructor and the dean of the college in which the course was taken. If a student does not complete the required course work within the prescribed time period, the “X” grade will automatically convert to an “F.” If you wish to request an incomplete, you will need to complete the Incomplete Grade Request Form and return it to the Office of the Registrar for processing.Extended CourseThe grade of “EC” is used for courses, such as clinics, internships and capstones that extend more than one semester. The grade “EC” will be replaced by the grade finally reported for the completed course work. A student must complete the course work within the semester (or a shorter time period based on the discretion of the instructor) immediately following the end of the course session in which the “EC” was given. If a student does not complete the required course work within the prescribed time period, the “EC” grade will automatically convert to an “F.” A maximum of three “X” grades or nine semester hours will be permitted. If a student should carry four or more “X” grades, the student will NOT be permitted to register for additional courses until the “X” grades are reduced to a maximum of three “X” grades or nine semester hours.Repeat Policy Students may register for a non-repeatable course with the understanding that the last grade received will be used to determine grade point average.In general, students are limited to registering for a graduate course two times. A student who elects to register for a course more than twice may see an impact on his/her eligibility for federal financial aid (e.g., loans/grants), tuition remission, visa status, and/or athletics; he/she is limited to register for only the repeated course. A course is considered a repeat when a student is registered for the course after the last day to add a class. Therefore, students withdrawing from a course after the first week of classes will be subjected to the repeat policy.A student has the right to appeal the repeat policy with the Graduate Student Academic Standards Committee.Graduate Minimum Progress Degree-seeking students enrolled in graduate programs are expected to make normal progress toward meeting degree requirements. Failure to do so will result in academic probation or suspension from the University. Progress will be reviewed at the end of each semester and students will be notified if they are not making adequate progress. Graduate academic status does not preclude a student from registering for undergraduate courses.A student's minimum progress is tracked by both grades and cumulative grade point average. A student must maintain minimum progress based on the following conditions or he/she will be placed on academic probation or suspension from the University.Probation If a degree-seeking student receives two grades of "C+" or below and/or unsatisfactory he/she will be placed on probation until at least one of the deficient grades is replaced with a grade of "B" or higher.If a student's cumulative grade point average falls below a 3.0 he/she will be placed on probation.A student may be removed from probation after he/she has successfully completed two semesters of courses for a minimum of 18 credit hours.Suspension If a degree-seeking student receives three grades of "C+" or below and/or unsatisfactory he/she will be suspended from the University.If a student's cumulative grade point average falls below a 3.0 for a second time he/she will be placed on suspension.Suspension from the university lasts for a period of one semester. Readmission after the first University suspension is handled through the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies and the student's specific graduate program. A student who is suspended more than once may appeal for readmission to the Graduate Student Academic Standards Committee and also his/her specific graduate program.Students returning from suspension are automatically placed on probation. Students returning to the institution after suspension and receiving a grade less than "B" will automatically be suspended indefinitely from the institution.Minimum Progress by Program A student may be placed on probation, suspension or dismissal from his/her graduate program. A student should refer to the graduate program to determine its standards of minimum progress. However, if a student is still eligible to register via the University's graduate standards or minimum progress he/she may request admission into another graduate program.Plagiarism Please refer to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Statement, Section VIII, Academic Dishonesty, for a complete description of the plagiarism policy for The University of Findlay.
