The College utilizes the grading system adopted by all four campuses of the University of Colorado.
- A superior or excellent performance 4.0 quality points per credit hour
- B good or better than average performance 3.0
- C competent or average performance 2.0
- D minimum passing performance 1.0
- F failure, no credit allowed 0.0
A plus/minus grading system may be used. A '+' increases the numeric grade by 0.3 units while a '–' decreases the numeric grade by 0.3 units. 'A+,' 'F–' and 'F+' grades are not allowed.
Faculty may assign students an incomplete grade of "IW' or 'IF' to signify that special circumstances beyond the
student's control prevented the student from completing a small portion of the course and that a final grade cannot
yet be assigned. Upon completion of the missing course work, a Change of Record Form is completed by the
original instructor to change the "IW' or 'IF' to a letter grade.
An "IW' is an Incomplete Withdrawal while an 'IF' is an Incomplete Failure. The 'IF' grade does not denote that the
student is failing the course, but may be interpreted in such manner outside the University. Students have 12
months to complete the missing assignments with the original instructor. If the missing assignments are not
completed within the allotted 12 months, the "IW' reverts to a W and the 'IF' reverts to a F on the student's
transcript. The original Incomplete grade remains on the student's transcript even after a letter grade is assigned.
Incomplete grades, "IW' or 'IF' are faculty discretionary grades available on the grade sheets provided at the end of
the semester. However, CLAS faculty have passed a college policy relating to the awarding of Incomplete grades,
and some departments have specific policies on Incomplete grades. Faculty are encouraged to state the CLAS
policy below on their syllabus.
Text for Syllabus Inclusion:
Students in CLAS classes may be awarded an Incomplete grade, "IW' or 'IF' , only if the following conditions are
satisfied: (1) student successfully completes 75% of course, (2) student has special circumstances that
precluded the completion of graded assignments, (3) the missed assignments are to be completed with the
original instructor, and (4) course grade is determined using original grade combined with missed
assignments.
Students who must retake the course are not eligible for an Incomplete.
Students with poor academic performance are not eligible for an Incomplete.
Students making up an incomplete should not re-register for the course.
Students who meet criteria for an incomplete are encouraged to complete the CLAS Course Completion
Agreement which is available from the CLAS Advising Office, NC 2024. This informal, but important, contract
verifies completed assignments, identifies missing assignments, gives current course grade, and stipulates the time
frame and other conditions necessary to obtain a letter grade in the course.
Students may select the pass/fail grading option for many courses. Students should be encouraged to contact
their advisor in the CLAS Advising Office to review restrictions regarding the pass/fail option. In most cases, the
instructor will not have knowledge of the student's pass/fail grade option.
For pass/fail courses, the instructor submits a regular letter grade to the Records office at which time grades of D-
or higher are translated to a P and do not affect the student's grade point average. A pass/fail letter grade of 'F'
remains an 'F' and contributes to the student's grade point average.
Students must decide on taking a course pass/fail by the end of the add/drop period as noted in the Schedule of
Courses. Students are rarely allowed to change their pass/fail status after this deadline, and never after graded
assignments are due. The pass/fail grading option is exercised on the UC Denver Schedule Adjustment
(Drop/Add) Form, and instructor permission is not required if within the add/drop period.
A No Credit grading option is an official audit and carries no credit towards graduation requirements. The 'NC' grade is automatically indicated on the course grade sheet and placed on the student's transcript. Students rarely select the No Credit grading option.
No Credit is an official registration providing students with the same rights and privileges as students registered for a letter grade. It is up to the student and instructor to formulate policies for course attendance, participation and graded exercises.
Students must decide on taking a course for No Credit by the end of the drop/add period as noted in the Schedule of Courses. Students must pay for No Credit courses consistent with tuition policies for the semester.
Students may re-register for any course. Both (all) courses remain on the transcript and both (all) grades are used
to calculate the student's grade point average. Course credit toward graduation is counted only once for a given
course no matter how many times the course is repeated.
The posting of grades by name or student number (even with name obscured) violates federal law under the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and is strictly prohibited. In principle, no grade may be
posted in a manner that would allow a student to learn another student's grade.
Assignment Grades – assignment grades and cumulative course grades during the semester
Faculty should ask each student to provide a code, known only to the student and the instructor, which can be the
basis of sorting students and posting grade information. Please note that posting of grade information using a
private code is still prohibited if the listing of students is done alphabetically. Faculty must sort student names
according to the private code before grade information is posted.
It is not acceptable to the College to post grades using the last four digits (or any portion) of the official student
number.
Course Grades – final letter grade after completion of the semester
Faculty should not post final course grades in any manner. Student grades turned in by faculty are quickly posted
on the SIS computer and available to students via phone or the Internet.
It is acceptable for students to supply the faculty member with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to return the
final examination or paper, and to divulge the final course grade.
The College does not have a policy regarding individual student grades or average course grades. Grading
profiles are at the discretion of the instructor. Departments have the option of asking faculty to grade within a
certain ranges, and instructors of courses with multiple sections have an obligation to keep grade differences
between sections within a reasonable range.
The Dean's Office evaluates grades at the end of each semester. Department averages are shared across the
College and individual faculty grades are shared with the department Chair.
Over the last five years the average
CLAS grades are as follows:
- lower division undergraduate 2.6–2.8
- upper division undergraduate 2.9–3.1
- graduate 3.4–3.6
1. Student asks whether the faculty member uses plus/minus grading. Plus/minus grading is at the
discretion of the faculty member. Faculty electing to not use plus/minus grades should indicate this
on the course syllabus as most CLAS faculty utilize the plus/minus grades.
2. Student asks for Incomplete grade to satisfy financial aid requirements. Financial aid requires
students to successfully complete certain semester hours by the end of the semester. Grades of "IW' ,
'IF' , 'W', 'NC', and 'F' do not satisfy financial aid requirements. An Incomplete grade will not satisfy
Financial Aid requirements.
3. Student asks for Incomplete to complete a course assignment. In the absence of special
circumstances, extending the semester for a student is a form of individual extra credit and not
allowed by college policies.
4. Student asks for No Credit after midterm. The Metropolitan State College of Denver 'no credit' is
equivalent to the UC Denver 'drop.' Students should be asked if they are MSCD or UCD students.
UC Denver students are ineligible for changes in the 'no credit' status after the add/drop period.
MSCD students are typically subject to CLAS deadlines and course policies.
5. The grade sheet from MSCD does not contain plus/minus grades. MSCD provides a separate grade
sheet for their students taking UC Denver courses through the Common Pool. Plus/minus grades are
not permitted for MSCD students, and handwritten '+' or '–' notations are ignored.
6. Student inquires as to what it will take to earn a grade of 'X' in course. Students are responsible for
knowing the passing grade, typically 'D-' or 'C', in their courses. Faculty should not encourage poorly
performing students to stay in the course past the 10-week drop deadline as student performance
rarely improves at the end of the semester. Regular communication of student performance during
the semester is the best way to minimize this type of student question.
7. Faculty deliberate "IW' or 'IF' grade for student who meets Incomplete grade policies. While Business
and Engineering faculty can only use the 'IF' grade, CLAS faculty can award either the 'IF' or "IW'
grade. Faculty control is the advantage of the 'IF' . Transcript appearance (avoids connotation of
failing performance) to student is the advantage of the "IW' .
8. Student complains about grade after the semester is completed. Faculty are encouraged to regularly
communicate grade information to students during the semester to minimize student complaints.
Faculty should meet with student to evaluate nature of complaint. Faculty grading mistakes are
easily handled with the Change of Record Form. Otherwise, student should be directed to contact
department Chair for departmental review or the CLAS Advising Office about a formal grade
appeal.