Grading System

Per UWF REG 3.031, grades will be reported in the following manner:

**

Grade not included when computing the GPA.

Student teaching, practica, and special courses are graded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory ("S" or "U"). "S" grades are equivalent to a “C” average or better. Other courses at the undergraduate level only may be taken under a pass or fail ("P" or "F") option.  Pass or Fail (P/F) grades are not utilized for graduate courses.

In computation of the required grade point average (GPA) for academic standing and conferral of a degree, the total number of quality points (grade points multiplied by course semester hour credits) is divided by the total number of semester hours for which letter grades are received (see the Grading System for grade points table above). All academic requirements tied to a specific grade average should be interpreted to mean the numerical average associated with that specific grade. Hence, the required “C average or better” is interpreted as “2.0 average or better.”

Coursework completed in any student classification (including non-degree) will be included in the undergraduate or graduate GPA as determined by the level of the course.

Grade Changes

Grade changes will only be allowed to the end of the following semester that a student has completed a course. The end of the semester is defined as the last day of finals week, as determined by the Academic Calendar. Once a student has graduated from UWF, a grade change will not be allowed for courses taken before degree conferral.  Exceptions may be considered for extenuating circumstances with the required approvals.

For information about grade appeals, see the Appeals section of this Catalog.

Grades of Incomplete

An incomplete (“I”) grade signifies that all course requirements have not been met. If circumstances exist beyond the control of the student, as determined by the instructor, the following applies:

• The instructor may assign a grade of “I,” provided the student has satisfactorily completed at least 70 percent of the course requirements and the student has a grade of at least C– or S (satisfactory) in coursework up to that point in time. Students who receive an involuntary call to active military duty should consult with their instructors.
• The “I” becomes an “F” at the end of the next regular semester (summer excluded) unless the grade is changed by the instructor to a letter grade “A-F.” The student is responsible for contacting the department for a grade change or extension prior to the end of the last instructional day of that semester. Instructors may approve extensions only for extenuating circumstances and only for a maximum of 12 months.
• Students receiving grades of incomplete should not re-register for courses in which an “I” has been assigned.
• When assigning an incomplete grade “I,” instructors should complete a “Report on Assignment of Incomplete Grade.” This will assist students in understanding the requirements for completing a course, and it will provide necessary information in the event the instructor is not available to monitor the completion of the requirements.
• An “I” grade will be converted to an “F” grade upon graduation if no other grade is submitted. Students may not graduate with an outstanding “I” grade. Graduated students having an “I,” which was converted to an automatic “F” or other incomplete grade for a course, may have the grade changed to a letter grade within one year after receiving a degree. To change the grade, the student must complete the required work and the course instructor must submit the appropriate grade change form through the chairperson and the dean. The student’s transcript will be annotated to show that the course requirements were completed after graduation.

Audit Grading

With the approval of the student’s assigned Academic Advisor, students may choose to audit a course using the Grade Mode Change form.  

Instructors are not required to grade the work of students auditing a course. No credit is earned for an audit course. Students may change from the audit to the conventional letter grade system on or before the end of the fourth week of a fall or spring semester (see Academic Dates and Deadlines). Students must have the instructor's permission to change to an audit after the end of the drop/add period.

Out-of-State fees are not assessed for audit courses. Out-of-State students changing from audit to the conventional letter grade system will be assessed out-of-state fees.

**Passed by UWF Faculty Senate: 07/01/1999

Grade Point Average (GPA) Types

All three GPA types listed below are reflected on the unofficial and official UWF transcripts.  

Institutional/University (UWF) GPA

The institutional (UWF) GPA is the sum of all UWF quality points earned divided by the number of all UWF hours attempted (except for those hours with grades of CR, G, I, I*, P, S, TR, AW, W, WR, X, XX or *, and UWF hours repeated for which the grade forgiveness or term forgiveness policy was subsequently invoked). The resulting quotient is the total institutional (UWF) GPA.

The UWF Institutional GPA is the determining GPA used for degree completion and conferral of degrees.

Total Transfer GPA

The total transfer GPA is calculated using those courses UWF considers transferable. The sum of quality points earned in transferable courses from other institutions is divided by the number of semester hours transferable from other institutions. The resulting quotient is the total transfer GPA.

Overall Cumulative GPA

The overall cumulative GPA is the sum of all quality points earned at UWF and in transferable courses from other institutions divided by the number of all UWF hours attempted (except those hours with grades of grades of CR, G, I, I*, P, S, TR, AW, W, WR, X, XX or *, and UWF hours repeated for which the grade forgiveness or term forgiveness policy was subsequently invoked) plus the number of semester hours transferable from other institutions. The resulting quotient is the overall cumulative GPA.

Grade Point Averaging and Deficits

The term average refers to the grade point average (GPA) for work completed in the current or most recent academic program attended at the University of West Florida. Grades received at other institutions are NOT averaged with grades received at the University of West Florida for the purpose of meeting the university/institutional GPA requirements. Other agencies and honorary societies will compute averages in accordance with their own standards and policies.

Averages are determined by computing the ratio of grade points to semester credits attempted. For the grade point average computation formula, please refer to the example below.

Calculating the Grade Point Average

Grade Point Averages (GPA) are calculated by dividing the total number of Grade Points by the number of Credit Hours enrolled.  Each grade has a specific number of points assigned to it:

A:     4.00
A-:    3.70
B+:   3.30
B:     3.00
B-:    2.70
C+:   2.30
C:     2.00
C-:    1.70
D+:   1.30
D:     1.00
F:     0.00

To determine the grade points earned per class, first multiply the points by the number of credit hours.

Example: if you earned a “C” in ENC 1101 (a 3 credit hour course), then you multiply 2 points times 3 credit hours to get 6 grade points.

To determine the total grade points earned per semester, determine the points for each class and add them together for the total grade points of that semester.

Example:  If you enrolled in 13 credit hours (three 3-hour courses and one 4-hour course) and earned a “B”, a “C”, and an “A” in the 3 hour courses, and a “C-” in the 4-hour course this is how you would calculate your total grade points: 

A = 4 points * 3 credit hours = 12 grade points

B = 3 points * 3 credit hours = 9 grade points

C = 2 points * 3 credit hours = 6 grade points

C- = 1.70 points * 4 credit hours = 6.8 grade points

Total:  13 credit hours = 33.8 grade points

To determine your grade point average, divide the total grade points by the total credit hours under consideration.  From the example above: Divide 33.8 grade points by the 13 credit hours to equal 2.60 GPA.

Special Notes

Grades of CR (Credit Awarded - Accelerated), G (Deferred - Thesis/Dissertation only), I (Incomplete), I* (Grade Not Reported), P (Pass), S (Satisfactory), TR (Withdrawal with full refund), AW (Administrative Withdrawal), W (Withdrawn), WR (Withdrawal and partial refund of fees), X (Audit), XX (No Grade) or * (Withdrawn (W or WF not yet reported) do not impact your GPA. Do not include the credit hours for these courses in your credit hour total for calculating GPA.

A grade of F, NF, U is equal to 0.00 points.

Pass or Fail (P/F) grades are not utilized for graduate courses.

* Unresolved Incomplete grades automatically will be changed to “F” by the Office of the Registrar.

GPA Requirement

Master's

A student must satisfy the UWF GPA requirement of 3.0 based upon grades for all courses included in the initial and approved degree plan and grades for all courses included in subsequent revisions. No grade for a course taken as part of an approved graduate degree program may be deleted from the GPA. Individual programs may set more stringent GPA requirements. Students must be cleared from academic probation in order to be eligible to graduate.

The UWF academic transcript, the student academic record, and grade report do not reflect the degree program GPA. These records indicate a GPA of all UWF graduate level courses with the exception of those included in a UWF baccalaureate degree.

Specialist

Refer to the Specialist Degree tab in the Degree Requirements section of this Catalog.

Doctoral

A student must maintain a minimum institutional program GPA of 3.25. No grade for a course taken as part of an approved doctoral degree program may be deleted from the GPA. Individual programs may set more stringent GPA requirements. Students must be cleared from academic probation in order to be eligible to graduate.

Ed.D. Program
Refer to the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) tab in the Degree Requirements section of this Catalog.

Ph.D. Program
Refer to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) tab in the Degree Requirements section of this Catalog.

Final Examinations

Exams are scheduled during the Final Examination week of the fall and spring semesters and may be scheduled on a Saturday. Final exams for summer are scheduled by the instructor. It is the student's responsibility to review the final exam schedule and know when/where the exam may occur (see the Academic Calendar).

Review the Final Exam schedule for more information. 

Access to Grades

Enrolled students may access their final grades via the Student Records menu in MyUWF after grades are due (see the Academic Calendar).

Repeated Courses

A graduate student may receive credit for a course only once regardless of how many times it is taken in transfer or at UWF. All attempts at UWF count in the GPA. The most recent attempt (regardless of grade) of the course counts toward meeting degree requirements. 

Exceptions to this rule are Special Topics, Theses, and Dissertation courses.