Office of the Registrar ~ Grading Policy

Grade Mode

The grading policy of the university permits either letter grades A, B, C, D, F, with plus or minus designations, or CR/NC to represent credit/no-credit. You may request either graded or credit/no-credit grading unless the course has specifically been designated as graded or credit/no-credit. You may only change a grade mode through the course adjustment period. There is no limitation regarding the number of courses that may be graded in either manner. You must earn an assessment equivalent to a letter grade of C or better to receive a designation of CR.

Grade Points

The following grade points are associated with each letter grade:

Administrative Grading Symbols

The following administrative grading symbols may be assigned for various categories of enrollment.

AU (Audit)

You can enroll in a course as an auditor with permission of the instructor only after students eligible to enroll on a credit basis have had an opportunity to do so. As an auditor, you are subject to the same fees structure as credit students and regular course attendance is expected. Once enrolled as an auditor, you may only change to credit status during the course adjustment period. If enrolled for credit, you may not change to audit after the third week of instruction. Enrollment as an auditor requires that you obtain the permission of the instructor and submit a Schedule Adjustment Form to the Campus Service Center during the course adjustment period. The "AU" symbol does not indicate completion of the class.

I (Incomplete Authorized)

The "I"symbol indicates that a portion of your required coursework has not been completed and evaluated in the prescribed time period due to unforeseen, but fully justified reasons, and that earning credit remains possible. It is your responsibility to bring pertinent information to the attention of the instructor and to determine from the instructor the remaining course requirements which must be satisfied to remove an incomplete. The instructor assigns your final grade when the work agreed upon has been completed and evaluated.

An "I" must normally be made up within one calendar year immediately following the end of the term during which it was assigned. The limitation prevails whether or not you maintain continuous enrollment. Failure to complete the assigned work will result in the "I" automatically changing to a grade of "IC", unless the faculty member indicates a specific letter grade to be assigned at the time the incomplete is assigned. The academic program responsible for the course maintains an official record of the written contract. If the instructor of record is no longer available, the academic program chair ensures that the instructor's obligations are fulfilled.

IC (Incomplete Charged)

The "IC" symbol is used if you received an authorized incomplete "I" and have not completed the required course work within the allowed time limit. The "IC" replaces the "I" and is counted as a failing grade for grade point average and progress point computation.

RD (Report Delayed)

The "RD" symbol may be used where a delay in the reporting of a grade is due to circumstances beyond your control as a student. Only the registrar can assign this symbol, and, if assigned, it is replaced by a substantive grading symbol as soon as possible. An "RD" is not used in calculating grade point average or progress points.

RP (Report in Progress)

The "RP" symbol is used in connection with courses that extend beyond one academic term (e.g. Capstone, graduate thesis, or a long term upper-division project-based class). It indicates that work is in progress but that assignment of a final grade must await completion of additional work. Work is to be completed within one year except for graduate degree thesis work.

W (Withdrawal)

The symbol "W" indicates that you were permitted to withdraw from the course after the eleventh day of instruction with the approval of the instructor and appropriate campus officials. It carries no connotation of quality of your performance and is not used in calculating grade point average or progress points

WU (Withdrawal Unauthorized)

The symbol "WU" indicates that you were enrolled, did not withdraw from the course, and failed to complete the course requirements. It is used when, in the opinion of the instructor, completed assignments or course activities or both were insufficient to make normal evaluations of academic performance possible. For purposes of grade point average and progress point computation, this symbol is equivalent to an "F".

Change of Grade

A change of grade may be made only in the case of a clerical or other administrative grading error. An appeal for a change of grade must be initiated by you as the student and must be approved by the instructor. 

Repeated Courses

Repeat of Learning Experience for Assessment Improvement

Only courses repeated at CSUMB may be used to adjust the GPA. Grades earned in courses taken at other institutions may not be used to replace grades in CSUMB courses.

General Rules

These procedures apply to attempted completions of a course, which include any course in which a letter grade or a grade of WU, IC, or NC was assigned. For the purposes of course repeat for GPA adjustment, grades of AU, RD, RP, and W do not count as attempts to complete a course.  Once a student has been awarded a Bachelor's degree, courses may not be repeated to raise the undergraduate GPA.

Students may not repeat a course in which a grade of CR was assigned.

These procedures do not apply to courses that are designated as 'repeatable'. Repeatable courses are explicitly designed to allow students to repeat a successfully completed course for up to a certain number of units. Examples of repeatable courses include graduate thesis courses and special topics courses.

In any course or program where enrollment demand exceeds the resources to offer sufficient openings or sections to meet that demand, registration priority may be given to students taking the course for the first time.

Undergraduates

Undergraduates may repeat an attempted course one time. An undergraduate student may petition to take a course a third time only with a course repeat petition. No course may be repeated more than two times (three total attempts).  No course in which the grade assigned was the result of a finding of academic dishonesty may be repeated.

Students may only repeat a course in which a grade of C- or lower is assigned. No more than 16 units may be repeated during the entire undergraduate degree program.

When a course is repeated, only the HIGHEST grade will count in calculating the GPA. However, all grades will be recorded on the official transcript as a matter of accurate academic record keeping.

When one requirement is met by two or more co-requisite courses (i.e., a course and a lab) and a C- or lower is assigned in one of those courses, students may be required to repeat one or both courses to fulfill the requirement. Different degree programs interpret co-requisite course repeats differently; students should consult an advisor to determine their obligation.

Students may petition to repeat an additional 12 units (i.e., units in addition to the 16 for which grade forgiveness is permitted).  In such instances, the repeat grade shall not replace the original grade, but rather, both grades shall be calculated into the student's overall grade-point average.

Graduate, Credential and Post-baccalaureate Students

Courses taken as part of a graduate, post baccalaureate, or credential program may be repeated only by petition, and only when a grade of B- or lower was assigned. All grades in a course count toward the GPA, and all attempted courses are recorded on a student's official transcript. No course may be repeated more than once (two total attempts).

No more than two different, distinct courses may be repeated during a graduate or credential degree program.

Certain degree programs may have more stringent restrictions on course repeats. Students must follow the more stringent requirements.

Petition process

Repeat petitions must be approved by the chair of the program offering the course. Students are urged to meet with their academic advisor before repeating a course in order to develop strategies to be successful in the course.

Implementation

Courses repeated after the effective date of these procedures will automatically affect the GPA as described above. However, students who successfully repeated a course prior to the effective date of these procedures should check their transcripts to ensure that low grades have been excluded from the GPA calculation (indicated by an "E" next to the course on the transcript).

If a student has already repeated a course more than the maximum number of times prior to the implementation of these procedures in Fall 2006, the student may petition the Dean of their College to repeat a course a maximum of one additional time. This petition will need to be approved by the student's academic advisor, department chair and dean. The approved petition will then need to be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar.