Grading System

Grades represent the professional judgment about student performance in relation to the goals and requirements of a particular course.  Dominican University of California records the student’s progress or achievement in a particular course by letter grades. Grades are given at the end of the semester. The grade submitted to the Registrar’s Office at the end of the semester is the final recorded grade for the course. 

Grade notations are as follows:

A	outstanding work
B	very good work: significantly better than average
C	average work: assignments completed in a satisfactory manner
D	work below the standards of the course: credit given for the work done although of inferior quality
F	no credit given for the course: the amount or quality of work done for the course does not deserve credit
I	incomplete: indicates that a portion of required coursework has not been completed and evaluated in the prescribed time period due to unforeseen, but fully justified, reasons and that there is still a possibility of earning credit. Students should not re-register for a course in which a grade of 'I' was received. Grades of 'I' are automatically changed to 'F' if no grade is submitted by the appropriate deadline.
P	pass: units given for course but no grade points assigned; units for documented demonstration of college level learning. Sources include: Experiential Learning Portfolio, CLEP, Excelsior College, Advanced Placement tests, ACE/PONSI, military basic training, and Dominican course challenge.  Pass grades are limited to elective courses only, as letter grades are required for all General Education and Major/Minor coursework.   A  pass grade is equivalent to a C (2.0) or better in undergraduate courses, and equivalent to a B (3.0) or better in post-baccalaureate or graduate courses.
PR	in progress: given only for senior thesis or courses requiring that work extends into the following semester. This grade does not penalize a student academically in computing the grade point average for the current semester and does not prevent an otherwise qualified student from being on the Dean's List. Students should not re-register for a course in which a grade of 'PR' was received. Grades of 'PR' are automatically changed to 'F' if no grade is submitted by the appropriate deadline. Grades of 'PR' are automatically changed to 'F' if no grade is submitted by the appropriate deadline.
NR	grade not reported by instructor
S	satisfactory progress: given only for developmental courses (i.e., ENGL 1001, 1002, and 1003) where the student has not made sufficient progress to exit from the course. Units are awarded.
UF	unofficial failure: Assigned when an ungraded course remains unresolved past deadline.  This grade calculates as an ‘F’ in computing the GPA.
W	withdrawn: course dropped after third week of semester
AU	course audited: no credit appears on transcript
NG	not graded: applies to labs and colloquium and cluster titles only

Calculation of Grade Point Average (GPA)

Grade points for each semester unit of work are assigned to the grades as follows:

A	4 points	C-	1.7 points
A-	3.7 points	D+	1.3 points
B+	3.3 points	D	1 point
B	3 points	D-	0.7 point
B-	2.7 points	F	0 point
C+	2.3 points	UF	0 point
C	2 points

‘'A+'’ grades are recorded as ‘'A'’ with 4 grade points. Not computed in the grade point average are: I, P, S, W, PR, AU, NG, NR.

The grade point average, which determines the student'’s academic standing, is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of computable, letter-graded, semester units carried.

Pass-Fail Courses - Undergraduate Programs

A student in good academic standing (at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA) may enroll in any course on a pass/fail basis if he/she has the consent of the instructor teaching the course. Courses taken pass/fail may not be used to fulfill the General Education requirements for graduation or the units required for a major or minor (with the exception of the senior seminar, internship, fieldwork, and in certain other special cases approved through the academic petition process). After the deadline for adding courses each semester, the student who has registered to take a course for a letter grade or on a pass/fail basis may not change the grading option. A student registered for a course on a pass/fail basis is expected to do all of the work for the course.

The Experiential Learning Portfolio is a process that evaluates college level learning through proficiency assessment. While letter grades are not assigned to units awarded through Experiential Learning Portfolio, students must demonstrate proficiency at the level of ‘C’ (2.0) or better. Selected Experiential Learning units may meet General Education requirements or elective units in some majors. See Credit for Unsponsored Learning for experiential learning areas that may be petitioned for credit.

Students may apply credit earned through selected CLEP and Excelsior College (formerly Regents or PEP) examinations and through approved course challenges toward requirements in the major or for certain General Education areas because proficiency must be demonstrated above the ‘C’ (2.0) level. See Credit for Unsponsored Learning.

Students are advised that the GPA for Graduation Honors must be based on the student’s transferable coursework and all computable units completed at Dominican (a minimum of 30 units taken at Dominican is required for the undergraduate degree).  Pass/fail units are not included in the computation for honors at graduation.

Pass-Fail Courses - Post-Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs

Graduate level courses are not offered for pass/fail credit, except for internship or field placement courses, or by special permission of the department. By contrast, post-baccalaureate teaching credential courses are graded exclusively on a Pass-Fail basis.  A grade of “Pass” in a post-baccalaureate or graduate level course is equivalent to at least a 3.0, which is a grade of ‘B’ or better.

Incomplete Grades/In Progress

The student must file a formal request for an Incomplete or In Progress with the Registrar’s Office before the last day of the semester. Requests for an Incomplete or In Progress must have the signatures of the student and the instructor. Unless an earlier date is specified on the request form/contract, all coursework for an incomplete or in progress class incurred during the spring semester or summer sessions must be submitted by the following December 1 and those incurred during the fall semester must be made up by submitting the completed coursework by the following May 1. Students must have the instructor’s approval and the approval of the Academic Petition Committee to extend the deadline for completing the work. Failure to meet these deadlines will result in the assignment of the grade of ‘F.’ Incomplete or In Progress grades which have reverted to ‘F’ are final. A student with an ‘Incomplete’ or ‘In Progress’ grade in a prior term is not eligible for honors such as the Dean's List and may jeopardize his/her Financial Aid eligibility in the current term of attendance.

Internship Grading

If students enrolled in internships do not complete their internship hours within the semester, they must file an incomplete request form. If no grade is submitted on the following May 1 for a fall semester “"incomplete"” or by the following December 1 for a spring or summer session “"incomplete",” the “"incomplete”" will become a '‘UF'.’ (‘'PR'’ or In Progress grades are not allowed for an internship.)

Repeated Courses

Undergraduate students may repeat courses in which a grade of ‘D’ or ‘F’ has been earned. Graduate students may repeat courses with a ‘C’ (2.0) or below with the Program Director’s approval. In certain courses such as English 1004, math courses that are prerequisite to the terminal math course in the Mathematical Thinking & Quantitative Reasoning area of General Education, and certain nursing and OT courses, a student must achieve a grade of ‘C’ (2.0) or above in order to progress in the program, and therefore must repeat any such courses in which less than a 2.0 grade is earned. Students should refer to specific majors for details.

Both grades for repeated Dominican courses remain on the academic record, but upon successful completion of the repeated course, only the higher grade is calculated into the grade point average, and the student receives credit for the course only once. If a course taken at another college is repeated at Dominican, the Dominican grade will be applied toward the degree; both grades will appear on the record and credit will be given only once.

Students should notify the Registrar’s Office in writing after the completion of a repeated course to request to have their grade point average adjusted. See the section on Academic Renewal Policy for unsuccessful work taken at least five years earlier.

Grade Appeal Process

Grades represent the professional judgment about student performance in relation to the goals and requirements of a particular course. Although it is the sole responsibility of the instructor to assign grades, students should not be subjected to prejudicial or capricious grading, such as results from calculation errors or misapplication of course criteria for grading or the application of non-academic criteria, such as race, politics, religion, or gender.

All grades except 'I'* (incomplete), ‘'NR'’ (not reported), and '‘PR'’* (in progress) are considered final. An instructor may change a grade when he/she has made a computational, procedural, or judgmental error.

*Incomplete or In Progress grades that have reverted to ‘'F'’ are final.

If a student believes there has been a computational, procedural, or judgmental error in the calculation of a grade, the student must raise the question with the instructor, either verbally or in writing, no later than February 15 in the case of fall semester grades and October 1 regarding spring semester and summer sessions grades. If an instructor determines that there has been an error in grading, he/she obtains the official form for requesting the change from the Registrar’'s Office. The instructor must submit grade change forms directly to the Registrar. Students may not submit the grade change form.

A student who believes he/she has been assigned a grade unfairly, based upon the criteria mentioned in paragraph one above (race, politics, religion, gender), must first discuss the grade with the instructor. The student should begin by requesting the instructor to review with him/her:

1. The factors that were weighed in assigning the grade; and
2. The instructor’'s perceptions of where and how the student’s performance fell short.

If the student still thinks that an error has been made, the student must submit to the instructor, with a copy to the Department Chair, a full written statement of the case along with all graded course assignments. This statement must be made no later than March 15 for a fall semester grade and by November 1 for a spring semester or summer session grade. The instructor must make his/her written response to the student, with a copy to the Chair, and set a meeting date with the student within 10 working days of receipt of the student’s written statement.

If, after the exchange of written statements and conversation, the student still thinks that the grade is unfair, he/she must formally appeal in writing to the Chair within 10 working days of the receipt of the instructor’'s response. The Chair will consider any additional material presented by either the faculty member or the student and then prepare a written response, with copies to the instructor, student, and Dean of the School, regarding his/her assessment. If, in the judgment of the Chair, the grade is unfair, the Chair will ask the instructor to re-evaluate the student’s work. In every case the burden of proof remains with the student.

If the student wishes to appeal the decision of the Chair, he/she must file a formal complaint in writing to the Dean of the School within 10 working days of the Chair’'s decision. The written formal complaint should contain reasons why the Chair’'s decision should be reconsidered. The Dean will provide a formal response within 10 working days of receiving the formal complaint. The decision of the Dean is final.

Students who have incurred ‘'UF'’ grades, assigned by the Registrar’'s Office when the course instructor has not assigned a grade, and the student has not properly withdrawn from that course, may, with good reasons, petition for retroactive withdrawal from the course up to the following May 1 for a fall semester course and up to the following December 1 for a spring or summer session course.

Independent Study

The privilege of independent study is possible for students who are admitted to the University and who are prepared to undertake it with the approval of the Chair of the department, the instructor concerned, and the Dean of the School. The course may be in any field, provided the department considers the student’'s preparation adequate. The study must be in an area not covered by a regularly scheduled course. A contract is drawn by the student and the instructor containing a description of the study, method of evaluation, unit value, and time limit. The student, the instructor, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the School sign the contract. The original is filed in the Registrar'’s Office; one copy is retained by the instructor, and one by the student. The maximum number of units that can be earned in one semester by independent study is three; a total of six units of independent study may be applied toward the degree. Exceptions may be made for students in the Honors Program. Students pay the regular tuition for independent study.

Tutorial Seminars

Courses with fewer than seven students may be conducted as tutorial seminars. Tutorials meet in face-to-face classes on fewer occasions than a regular semester course. The Office of Academic Affairs establishes the policy on minimum and maximum class sizes. Class sizes may vary between fall, spring, and summer sessions.

Thesis Continuation

Each department has a specified number of senior thesis/senior project courses. These vary in number and unit value by department, depending on the nature of the discipline and the stress the department puts on the thesis or project. Students who do not complete the thesis or project during the department’s regular course or courses receive a PR, in progress, grade. A PR grade does not prevent an otherwise qualified student from being on the Dean’'s List.

Some academic departments permit students who do not complete the thesis/project within the department’s normal course sequence to register for one semester of thesis continuation.  There is a fee of $500 for thesis continuation, which is in addition to tuition for any other courses in which the student may be enrolled. When the student finishes the senior thesis, the PR grades are replaced by the thesis grade (usually 'A', 'P,' or 'F').  Thesis continuation may not be repeated.

If the student does not finish at the end of the thesis continuation semester, an ‘F’ (or ‘UF’) replaces the ‘PR’ grades in the department’s senior thesis/project course sequence. If the student receives an ‘F’ (or ‘UF’) and later wants to complete the thesis/project, he/she must have the approval of the Department Chair to re-enroll in the department’s appropriate senior thesis/project course(s) for the appropriate units and pay at the tuition rate then applicable.   

As always, students may, for good reasons, petition for an exception to policy.