Final grades for courses are “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,”  and “F” (except for courses taken in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural Food and Life Sciences).

Grades and Marks

Grade/Mark	Given For:	Grade Points
A
	Outstanding achievement, given to a relatively small number of excellent scholars	4
B	Good achievement	3
C	Average achievement	2
D	Poor but passing work	1
F	Failure, unsatisfactory work	0
XF	Failure, academic dishonesty	0
I	Incomplete course requirements	N/A
AU	Audit, officially registered	N/A
CR	Credit without grade points	N/A
S	Satisfactory work in courses w/o credit	N/A
W	Withdrawal	N/A

A mark of “CR” (Credit) is given for a course (for example, practice teaching, certain seminars, certain honors colloquia, and courses where credit is earned by examination) for which the University allows credit toward a degree, but for which no grade points are earned.

A mark of “S” (Satisfactory) is assigned in courses such as special problems and research when a final grade is inappropriate. The mark “S” is not assigned to courses or work for which credit is given (and thus no grade points are earned for such work). If credit is awarded upon the completion of such work, a grade or mark may be assigned at that time, and, if a grade is assigned, grade points will be earned.

A mark of “AU” (Audit) is given to a student who officially registers in a course for audit purposes (see Registration for Audit).

A mark of “W” (Withdrawal) will be given for courses from which students withdraw after the first 10 days of the semester and before the drop deadline of the semester.

“I,” “AU,” “CR,” “S,” and “W" marks will not be counted in the gradepoint average. Grades of plus and minus are assigned grade-point values in the Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the Fay Jones School of Architecture. The grade-point average is computed by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of credit hours attempted in courses for which grades (rather than marks) are given. Students who utilized grade renewal or grade forgiveness in retaking courses (prior to Fall Semester 1986 and after Fall 1996) have only the last grade used in computing grade-point averages.

A mark of “I” may be assigned when a legitimate good cause has prevented the student from completing all course requirements, and the work completed is of passing quality. It is the discretion of the instructor that determines what qualifies as a legitimate good cause. It is recommended that the instructor, prior to the assignment of an “I” mark, document the legitimate good cause and conditions for completing course requirements. An “I” so assigned may be changed to a grade provided all course requirements have been completed within 12 weeks from the beginning of the next semester (excluding summer semesters) of the student’s enrollment after receiving the “I.” If the instructor does not report the grade within the 12-week period, the “I” shall be changed to an “F.” When a mark of “I” is changed to a final grade, the grade points and academic standing are appropriately adjusted on the student’s official academic records.

No credit is earned for courses in which a grade of “F” is recorded. A final grade of “F” shall be assigned to a student who is failing on the basis of work completed and who has not completed all requirements. The instructor may change an “F” so assigned to a passing grade if warranted by satisfactory completion of all requirements. Students who fail to present an acceptable reason for not having completed all course requirements including the final examination will receive the grade they would have received had they failed such requirements.

If a student questions the fairness or accuracy of a grade, there is recourse through a student grade appeal structure. Disagreements shall be heard that allege the instructor’s policy was not applied consistently to all students, differed substantially from the announced policy, or that a policy was not announced. All grievances concerning course grades must be filed within one calendar year of the end of the term in which the grade that is being appealed was assigned. The procedures are:

• The student should first discuss the matter with the instructor involved, doing so as soon as possible after receiving the grade. The instructor should be willing to listen, to provide explanation, and to be receptive to changing the grade if the student provides convincing argument for doing so. The student’s questions may be answered satisfactorily during this discussion.
• If the student chooses to pursue the grievance, the student shall take the appeal in written form to the appropriate department chairperson. That person, if she or he believes the complaint may have merit, will discuss it with the instructor.
• If the matter remains unresolved, it will be referred to an ad hoc committee composed of the entire faculty of the instructor’s department. The committee will examine available written information on the dispute, will be available for meetings with the student and with the instructor, and will meet with others as it sees fit.
• If the faculty committee, through its inquiries and deliberations, determines that the grade should be changed, it will request that the instructor make the change and provide the instructor with a written explanation. Should the instructor decline, he or she must provide an explanation for refusing.
• If the faculty committee, after considering the instructor’s explanation, concludes it would be unjust to allow the original grade to stand, it may then recommend to the department chairperson that the grade be changed. That individual will provide the instructor with a copy of the recommendation and will ask the instructor to implement it. If the instructor continues to decline, the chairperson is then obligated to change the grade, notifying the instructor and the student of this action. Only the chairperson has the authority to effect a grade change over the objection of the instructor who assigned the original grade, and only after the foregoing procedures have been followed. If the faculty committee determines that the grade should not be changed, it should communicate this conclusion to the student, the faculty member, and the chair.

Under the Grade Forgiveness Policy, a student may improve the undergraduate cumulative GPA by repeating a maximum of two courses (up to nine hours) in which a grade of “D” or “F” was received and requesting that the repeat grade be the only one that is counted in the calculation. Only two such requests are available to any student in his or her undergraduate career. The repeated grade must be in the same course taken at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Only a course in which a grade of “D” or “F” was earned may be repeated under the Forgiveness Policy. Grade forgiveness may not be used to replace a grade assigned as a result of academic dishonesty. The student must file a written petition to use grade forgiveness indicating which course(s) he/she chooses to grade renew: the petition must be completed and approved prior to graduation. Both attempts at the course will remain on the transcript, but only the second will be used to calculate both credit and GPA. The first attempt and the grade earned will be recorded on the transcript with the symbol “R” to denote that it has been repeated. Students considering grade forgiveness should be aware that many graduate schools, professional schools, employers or other institutions, in considering admission or employment, recompute the GPA and include all courses attempted even though a course was repeated. This means that if the cumulative GPA has been raised because of grade renewal or forgiveness, the recomputed GPA will be lower. Students seeking to exercise the Grade Forgiveness Policy will need to submit this completed form

.