Grading Policies
Grade Code Categories
Grades are earned upon completion of a course in the following categories:
| Grade | Points/Credit Hour | Description | Used to Calculate GPA? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | Excellent Performance | Yes |
| B | 3 | Good Performance | Yes |
| C | 2 | Adequate Performance | Yes |
| D | 1 | Marginal Performance | Yes |
| F | 0 | Unacceptable Performance | Yes |
| X | 0 | Fail (stopped attending) | Yes |
| P | - | Pass—satisfactory progress of at least C level | No |
| NP | - | No pass—unsatisfactory progress below C level | No |
| NC | - | No credit | No |
| I | - | Incomplete | No |
| AU | - | Audit | No |
| NG | - | Non-Graded | No |
| W | - | Withdrawal | No |
| CIP | - | Course in Progress | No |
Note: CWI follows a whole grade system (A, B, C...)
Grade Point Average (GPA)
For each student, CWI calculates several types of grade point average (GPA), depending on where and how the GPA is used.
Official and Unofficial Transcript GPA Types
Term GPA
Includes all coursework receiving a grade of A, B, C, D, F, or X (including developmental coursework) taken during a specific term at CWI. This GPA appears on the CWI transcript as “Term GPA.” Term GPA is used to calculate the President’s List and Dean’s List.
Institutional GPA
Includes all coursework receiving a grade of A, B, C, D, F, or X (including developmental coursework) a student has taken while at CWI. This GPA appears on the CWI transcript as “Inst GPA.”
Cumulative GPA
Includes all coursework receiving a grade of A, B, C, D, F, or X (including developmental coursework) a student has taken while at CWI and all college-level transfer coursework accepted by CWI. This GPA appears on the CWI transcript as “Cum GPA.” Cumulative GPA is used to calculate academic standing.
Graduation GPA Types
Institutional GPA for Graduation (Excludes Developmental Coursework)
Includes all college-level coursework receiving a grade of A, B, C, D, F, or X a student has taken while at CWI. This GPA appears on the student’s program evaluation (degree-audit report). This GPA is used to determine honors received at graduation.
Note: See the Graduation catalog page for more information about graduation honors.
Overall GPA for Graduation (Excludes Developmental Coursework)
Includes all college-level coursework receiving a grade of A, B, C, D, F, or X a student has taken while at CWI and all college-level transfer coursework accepted by CWI. This GPA appears on the student’s program evaluation (degree-audit report) as “Overall GPA.” This GPA is used to determine if a student meets the minimum 2.0 GPA required to graduate.
Quality Points
Quality points are used to calculate a student’s grade point average (GPA). The number of quality points a student has depends on the grade they receive in a course:
A = 4 quality points per credit
B = 3 quality points per credit
C = 2 quality points per credit
D = 1 quality point per credit
F = 0 quality points per credit
X = 0 quality points per credit
The student’s total number of quality points is calculated based on this equation:
Number of quality points earned in a class (example: 4)
x Number of credits that class is worth (example: 3)
= Total number of quality points (4 x 3 = 12)
For example, let’s say in one semester a student receives:
- An A in a three-credit course (4 quality points per credit x 3 = 12 quality points)
- A B in a two-credit course (3 quality points per credit x 2 = 6 quality points)
- An F in a one-credit course (0 quality points per credit x 1 = 0 quality points)
- No grade in an audited three-credit course (0 quality points)1
- An incomplete in a three-credit course (0 quality points)1
In this example, the student would have earned:
12 + 6 + 0 = 18 (Total number of quality points)
- 1
Note: Audited courses and courses in which a student receives an “incomplete” grade are not used to calculate GPA.
Calculating GPA
A student’s GPA is calculated based on this equation:
Total number of quality points
÷ Total number of credits taken
= GPA
In the above example, this would be:
18 (Total number of quality points)
÷ 6 (Total number of credits taken)
= 3 (GPA)
Incomplete Grades
At the discretion of the instructor, a grade of incomplete ("I") may be assigned in a course where:
- The student has completed more than 50 percent of the course
- The student is maintaining a passing grade
- The instructor judges the student’s inability to complete the course due to legitimate unforeseen causes
The instructor must indicate what course requirements the student has left to complete. The remaining requirements and the deadline must be listed on the Incomplete Grade Contract and must be determined prior to the final examination date. Incomplete grades must be completed within one (1) year. A copy of the contract is kept on file as part of the student’s record with the Registrar.
A term grade of "I" must be changed to a final grade within one week of the extension deadline. After that time, the grade will automatically be changed to an "F," and the student must repeat the course to receive credit. The student is responsible for completing all outstanding course requirements and for working with the instructor to initiate the grade change.