Grades

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Students in advanced degree programs leading to the master of science, master of business administration, and doctor of philosophy degrees should refer to the College of Graduate Studies Policies and Procedures Handbook for information on grading. Academic departments may also have additional handbooks containing information relevant to the discipline or the profession. Students should check with their academic departments.

The following grading system is used to indicate the quality of academic performance at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia:

For courses taken on a pass/fail basis, the final course grade will be either “P” (for Pass, which has no point value and is not included in the calculation of a grade point average) or “F” (for Failure, which has a value of “0” but is included in the calculation of the grade point average).

Occasionally a student is unable to complete all the work for a course during the semester in which it is offered. Then a student may request an Incomplete grade. Whether or not a student is granted an Incomplete grade will be determined by the course instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to request an Incomplete from the course instructor. It is the faculty member’s prerogative to approve or refuse the request.

Students not fulfilling course requirements at the completion of the semester may be assigned an “Incomplete” or “I” designation on their transcript. The instructor is required to replace this “Incomplete” designation with a final grade as soon as possible but no later than 42 calendar days from the end of the semester or the end of the drop/add period of the next semester, whichever comes first. If the instructor has not entered a final grade within the prescribed time limit, the Registrar will automatically enter a grade of “F” and inform the instructor and student. Extension beyond 42 calendar days may be granted by the course instructor in consultation with the student’s college dean in exceptional cases.

Students will sign an Incomplete contract for each course for which an extension is approved. The instructor will determine what the student must do (e.g., take one or more examinations, perform laboratory work, turn in reports, turn in notebooks, perform library assignments) in order to meet contract requirements. Information regarding requirements to complete the course will be supplied to the student directly by the instructor. The student is responsible for completing the work in the time allotted.

When an Incomplete grade is converted to a letter grade, the GPA is recalculated retroactive to the end of the semester in which the course was originally taken. University/Program academic policies and procedures governing probations, dismissal, etc., apply to GPA changes resulting from conversions of Incomplete grades. For example, should a converted Incomplete result in a GPA warranting dismissal from the University/Program, the student’s dismissal would be effective retroactive to the end of the semester in which the course was originally taken.

It is the student’s responsibility to estimate and calculate the results of a converted Incomplete on the retroactive GPA. Should the dismissed student be registered for, and/or attending classes, taking exams, etc., in the semester or summer session subsequent to the semester in which the Incomplete was assigned, the courses for the subsequent session will be deleted from the student’s record. No academic credit will be granted for the courses; refunds will be made according to the tuition refund schedule.

A semester grade point average (GPA) is computed at the conclusion of each academic semester. Course grades are assigned “Quality Point Values.” Grades of “IF” and “F” (in a pass/fail course) are considered equivalent to a failing grade of “F” (0) and are included in the calculation of the GPA. Grades of “W,” “I,” “AU,” “IP,” “P,” “S,” “U,” “PRG,” “NC,” and “NG” are not included in the calculation of a GPA.

The following illustrates how a semester GPA is computed:

NOTE: For each course, the quality point value is multiplied by the number of course credits to obtain the course quality points.

The semester GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of course quality points by the total number of course credits and rounded to two decimal points. In the example given above, the 1 credit for CAS003 is not counted because of the “W” grade, therefore the calculation is 44.6/15 = 2.97.

The cumulative GPA (the average of grades from two or more semesters) equals the sum of the course quality points of all grades received at the University divided by the total number of course credits for courses receiving quality points.

Satisfactory Academic Progress and Financial Aid

Students attending the University must maintain satisfactory academic progress. Additionally, as requirement for eligibility for financial aid, a student must maintain academic progress. Academic progress is measured at the end of each academic year (or its equivalent).

A student maintains satisfactory academic progress if the student:

Completes the minimum number of credits each academic year; undergraduate students must complete at least 24 credits

Maintains the minimum GPA standard

If a student does not meet these academic progress requirements for financial aid, the student may petition the Director of Financial Aid for a waiver of academic progress if there are unusual circumstances relating to the student’s academic progress.