Grade point average
Students’ GPAs are determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credits attempted in those courses that count toward students’ GPA.
To calculate a GPA:
grade value x credit hours completed = grade points
| A |
4 x 4.5 = 18 |
| B |
3 x 4.5 = 13.5 |
| C |
2 x 4.5 = 9 |
| D |
1 x 4.5 = 4.5 |
| F |
0 x 4.5 = 0 |
Example
| Course |
Grade |
Hours completed |
Grade points |
| ENGL 1010 |
A |
4.5 |
18 |
| BSAD 1000 |
C |
4.5 |
9 |
| INFO 1001 |
F |
4.5 |
0 |
| ACCT 1050 |
D |
3.0 |
3 |
| Totals |
|
16.5 |
30 |
Take the total number of grade points (30) and divide by total hours completed (16.5): GPA= 1.82
Note: Actions of R, P, W ,V, and Z do not apply toward the GPA but do appear in attempted hours.
Auditing a course
Students who wish to attend a course without taking examinations or receiving credit for a course may request to audit the course. Students intending to audit should not register for the courses as they cannot already be enrolled in a class they wish to audit. Instead, they must request an audit from the instructor during the first week of class only. Students who audit a class pay the regular tuition rate and fees. Audited courses do not count toward graduation requirements nor do they satisfy prerequisite requirements for other courses. However, audited courses do appear on the transcript marked with a V.
Courses that are eligible for audit are determined by the appropriate academic dean; some courses may not be available for audit. Online courses may not be audited. An audit student may not change from audit to credit status once the course has started.
Audited courses are not considered when establishing the full- or part-time status of a student receiving financial aid or veteran's benefits.
Repeating a course
Students may repeat a course in an effort to earn a better grade. Both grades remain on the permanent record; the latest grade is used to compute the GPA. Students using federal financial aid to pay for courses may not use financial aid funds to repeat a course in which they earned a C or better.
Final grades for repeated courses for those graduating must first be verified by the Records office in order for those students to be considered for graduation requirements.
Appeals to change course grades
Students who wish to appeal a final course grade need to follow the appeal procedure listed below. The appeal process for final course grades must be initiated no later than the end of the quarter (the last class day) following the quarter in which the course was completed.
The procedure for a final course grade appeal at MCC requires that the student and instructor first have a conversation with the expectation of resolving the grading issue between them. The question is mainly whether or not the instructor’s syllabus has been followed.
If, after that conversation, there is still disagreement about whether or not the instructor has adhered to the syllabus in dealing with the student’s final grade issue, the student may choose to follow a formal appeal process.
The formal appeal process begins when a student puts his or her concern officially in writing by sending a letter or email to the instructor (first level of appeal). Upon receipt of the instructor’s response, the student may appeal, if necessary, in writing to the next level, the appropriate academic dean (second level of appeal). Upon receipt of the academic dean’s response, the student may appeal, if necessary, to the final level, the vice president for academic affairs, for a final decision.
The purpose of the initial first-level appeal letter (or email) is to seek resolution between student and instructor, pointing specifically to the syllabus and how the student can show that the procedures set up in the syllabus were not upheld.
The instructor’s written reply to this letter usually suffices to resolve the issue.
A grade appeal makes it to the level of the academic dean only in the rare cases when a written appeal to the instructor is unsuccessful.
The purpose of the written appeal to the academic dean is to show how the student was not dealt with in accordance with procedures set up in the instructor’s syllabus and how the instructor erred in his or her response to the student’s written appeal. When a written appeal is submitted to an academic dean, the student must attach the syllabus for the course, the student’s written appeal to the instructor, and the instructor’s written reply.
A grade appeal makes it to the level of the vice president for academic affairs in the unlikely event that an appeal was not resolved at the first level (instructor) or the second level (academic dean). The student must submit a written appeal that shows how the student was not dealt with in accordance to the procedures set up in the instructor’s syllabus and, specifically, where the instructor and the academic dean erred in their respective responses. When a written appeal is submitted to the vice president for academic affairs, the student must attach the syllabus for the course, the student’s written appeals to both the instructor and the academic dean, and the respective responses from the instructor and the academic dean.
Decisions made by the vice president for academic affairs concerning appeals to change a final course grade are final and not subject to further appeal.
Academic amnesty
Students who wish to petition for academic amnesty (elimination of a course(s) from a previous quarter), must meet the below provisions. The amnesty process begins when a student meets with an academic advisor to complete the petition. The petition requests the elimination of up to two quarters of students’ classes from the computation of their GPA.
- Academic amnesty can be granted only one time and is not reversible.
- Students must have successfully completed a minimum of 24.0 credit hours at 1000- or 2000-level MCC classes with a minimum GPA of 2.50 after the most recent quarter being petitioned for amnesty.
- Academic amnesty is applied to D and F grades only, which are eliminated from GPA calculation and hours attempted. Courses in which students received an A, B, or C grade continue to be included in students’ overall GPAs and are exempt from academic amnesty.
- Students’ permanent records (transcripts) reflect the original grade(s) received. Original grades are marked with a pound sign (#) on students’ transcripts but are not included in the GPA calculation.
NOTE: Academic amnesty has no bearing on financial aid eligibility, as all quarters, including those for which academic amnesty is granted, must be considered.