In the containers below you will find frequently consulted policies associated with classes and grading at Ivy Tech Community College. For additional information on policies and procedures, consult the Ivy Tech Student Handbook.
For assistance with any of these policies, contact your Advisor.
Grades
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Grades
Ivy Tech Community College uses a grading system consisting of letter grades A, B, C, D, and F. Plus and minus grades are not used.
Status Codes
Status codes may be used to indicate a state or condition of a course on a student's record for which a grade has not been awarded. Status codes include:
- I (Incomplete)
- AU (Audit)
- S (Satisfactory)
- U (Unsatisfactory)
- V (Verified Competency)
- W (Withdrawal)
- FW denotes a failing grade in a course where the student did not complete the last required academic event. It acts in the same way as an "F" in terms of GPA.
Pass/Fail Grading
Students may opt to arrange to take some courses as pass/fail. The College assigns a status code of “S” for satisfactory completion of coursework, and a “U” for unsatisfactory completion of coursework.
- Requests for this type of grading must be declared at the time of registration.
- Courses graded with an “S” do not count toward graduation requirements.
- The “U” differs from an “F” in that quality points are not computed and the student’s GPA is unaffected.
S Grades
An "S" preceding a grade denotes that the course is an Academic Skills Course. An "SA" equals an "A", a "SB" equals a "B", etc. Academic Skills courses do not count toward graduation requirements, but credit hours are earned for the courses.
Quality Points
Quality points are numerical values indicating the quality of student performance in a class.
- A=4
- B=3
- C=2
- D=1
- F/FW=0
The quality points earned for a course equal the quality point value times the number of credits. A student who earns an “A” in a four-credit course earns 16 quality points: the quality point value (4) x the number of credits (4) = the total quality points (16).
Grade Point Average
The grade point average (GPA) is a numerical indication of the student’s performance in all courses in which quality points can be earned. Grade point average (GPA) is determined by dividing hours taken into the total number of quality points. The term and cumulative GPA, calculated to three decimal places, will appear on the online grade report as well as on the transcript.
Grade Reports
Grade reports are available on the web via MyIvy under Student Grades on the Course Info page. You can also click on the Grades link on the Student Dashboard. Midterm grades are also available on MyIvy.
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Students’ progress will be evaluated at the end of every term. The evaluation conducted every term places the student into one of the following statuses: Good, Academic Monitoring, Academic Monitoring Continued, Academic Dismissal, and Academic Reinstatement.
For a definition of each of these statuses, visit the Ivy Tech Policies & Procedures microsite:
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Credit is described in semester hours (the number of credits taken per semester). The number of credits is determined by the demands of the course, course work ,and by the number of contact hours—the hours actually spent in the classroom or laboratory.
- A credit hour represents one hour of lecture, two hours of laboratory, three hours of clinical/practicum/studio, or five hours of internship instruction per week for the semester.
- A three-credit-hour lecture course meets 48 hours during a 16-week semester (3 hours/week x 16 weeks).
- An average full-time semester class load in most Ivy Tech programs consists of 12-15 credit hours.
- A class load of more than 18 credit hours requires approval of the campus Chief Academic Officer or designee.
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The Dean’s List recognizes academic achievement by students during a term.
- Criteria for Dean’s List selection:
- Student must be degree-seeking.
- Student must have achieved a minimum 3.50 grade point average in non-academic skills advancement courses.
- Student must not have received any D or F grades during the term.
- Student must have earned six or more Ivy Tech credits during the semester.
- Student must have earned at least a total of 12 non-academic skills advancement credits during the student’s entire enrollment at Ivy Tech.
- Letters are sent to the student’s address on file and the Dean’s List is posted on the website. Students who have requested that their Directory Information be kept confidential will not be listed on the online Dean’s List.
- Criteria for Dean’s List selection:
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Grade Exclusion
- Under extenuating circumstances, a student may petition the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs to exclude coursework from the cumulative GPA calculation.
- Courses excluded from the cumulative GPA calculation as a result of a petition will not be counted as earned credit and cannot be used to satisfy program requirements for degree-seeking students.
- Grades for excluded courses will remain in the student’s term GPA, and the courses will continue to appear on the transcript; however, the cumulative GPA will reflect the exclusion of the coursework.
Appeal of a Grade
When a student believes the final grade he or she received in a course is inaccurate, he or she should make an appointment with the instructor who issued the grade or status and explain the reasons for this belief. This process must be initiated within 30 calendar days of receiving the grade. The instructor and the student should make every effort to resolve the issue. It is expected that most if not all misunderstandings will be resolved at this level.
If the grade or status issue is not resolved the student can appeal in writing to the instructor’s supervisor. This individual may be the department chairperson or program chairperson. Once the student has appealed the grade or status with the chairperson, if the issue is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction the student may appeal to the department chairperson, next higher chairperson, or whoever is next in line.
The student’s next recourse is to appeal to the campus chief academic officer. The student must notify the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in writing of his or her intent to appeal the grade. An appeals committee will be formed by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, consisting of a faculty member from the program or from the division in which the program is housed, a faculty member from another division, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs or designee, the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, and an optional fifth regional person, possibly staff. The appeals committee’s decision will be forwarded to the student. Students not satisfied with the committee’s decision may make a final appeal to the campus chancellor.
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An incomplete designation is received by students who have actively pursued a course and are doing passing work at the end of the course but who have not completed the final examination and/or other specific course assignments.
- The status code that displays on the student’s record is “I”.
- To remove an “I” designation, a student must meet with the instructor and make arrangements to complete course requirements in a specified period not to exceed 30 days beyond the start of the following term.
- After 30 days beyond the start of the following term, any incomplete status codes that have not been graded will change to an F (failing) grade.