Advisement Handbook

In most schools and colleges students in good academic standing are permitted to select three elective courses during their studies under the Pass-Fail grading option. Students selecting a course under the Pass/Fail option must do so within the first two weeks of the semester; students removing a course from the Pass/ Fail option must do so within the first ten weeks of the semester. The advisor's role is to ensure that student knows the regulations on Pass-Fail and to direct them to the Office of the Registrar.

Students are eligible to earn up to a quarter of the credits required for undergraduate degrees through this mechanism. The procedure does not directly involve the advisor except in pointing the student in the right direction. The student secures the form from the Registrar, consults with the instructor and department head for the course in question and obtains their approval, obtains permission from the dean of the school or college in which he/she is enrolled, and returns the form to the department offering the course for grade submission.

The University of Connecticut uses a +/- marking system. Thus, a student's transcript will include grades like B+, C- or A. (Grades of A+, F+ or F- are not possible.) There are, in addition, a plethora of other marking types. The following are, like the letter grades, a permanent record on the transcript: P@ (Pass/Fail Pass), F@ (Pass/Fail Failure), S (Satisfactory), U (Unsatisfactory), Aud (Audit), W (Withdrawal).

I (incomplete). The instructor reports an I if the completed work is passing and the instructor decides that, due to unusual circumstances, the student cannot complete the course assignments. If the student completes the work by the end of the third week of the next, registered semester, the instructor will send the Registrar a grade for the course. Otherwise, the Registrar will convert the I to F. Effective with spring 2004 classes, upon successful completion of a course, the I on the academic record is replaced by the permanent letter grade. If the instructor does not submit a grade the Registrar will change the grade to IF or IU.
X (absent from the final examination). The instructor reports an X only when a student missed the final examination and when passing it with a high mark could have given the student a passing grade for the course. If the student would have failed the course regardless of the grade on the final examination, the student will receive an F. If the instructor reports an X and the Dean of Students Office excuses the absence, the instructor will give the student another opportunity to take the examination. The absence must be due to sickness or other unavoidable causes. The instructor must give the examination before the end of the third week of the next, registered semester. If by the end of the third week of the next, registered semester the instructor does not send a grade to the Registrar, the Registrar will change the X to XF or XU.

Other Temporary Marks. The letters N is a temporary mark posted on a sutdent's academic record when the instructor has not reported a final grade. N is recorded when no grade is reported for a student who has been registered in a course section; usually indicates a registration problem.N, X, and Y temporary marks are replaced on the academic record by the actual grade when submitted by the instructor. An N mark which remains unresolved will become NF and be computed as an F at the end of the third week of the next semester of registration. If no grade is submitted for a mark of X, the mark will automatically revert to an grade of F or U and will be shown as XF or XU.

Temporary marks I, X, N, Y do not prevent the calculation of either the semester or the cumulative grade point average.

Temporary marks I, X, and N do not represent earned credit. A student placed on probation with unresolved grades will be relieved of probation status if satisfactory completion of the work places his/her academic performance above the probation standards.

Repeating Courses. Any student who is regularly registered for courses and who satisfies the requirements shall receive credit except that no student shall receive credit for the same course twice, unless it is specifically so stated as in a variable content course. Courses with the same number that cover the same course content cannot be counted more than once for credit. The parenthetical phrases (Formerly offered as...) and (Also offered as...) that follow a course title as a cross reference indicate that a student may not take both the course and the cross-referenced course. A student is regularly registered for a course only if he or she has conformed to all university or college regulations or requirements applying to registration for the course.

A student may repeat a course previously taken one time without seeking permission in order to earn a higher grade. The student may take the course a third time with the permission of the dean of the school or college in which the student is enrolled and the instructor of the course. Under no circumstances may a student take a course more than three times.

When a student repeats a course, credit shall be allowed only once. Furthermore, in the computation of the grade point average, the registered credit and grade points for the most recent taking of the course shall be included in the GPA calculation and the registered credit and grade for the prior taking of the course shall remain on the transcript, but shall be removed from the GPA calculation.

The student should note that repeating a course that was previously passed can have negative consequences. For example, if a student fails a class previously passed, the student would lose credit for the first, passed, attempt and not earn credit for the second, failed, attempt. Repeating a previously passed course may also have an effect on financial aid. Students considering repeating previously passed courses should consult their advisors and Student Financial Aid Services staff.

When a student repeats a course after receiving a degree, the student's transcript will indicate a grade, but no registered credit, for the repeated course. The grade and registered credit recorded for the course prior to receipt of the degree shall continue to be included in the GPA and credit calculations.

A student must have department head permission to repeat a course that is listed as a prerequisite or corequisite for any course that the student has passed. For example, a student who received a D in Chemistry 127Q and subsequently passed Chemistry 128Q may not retake Chemistry 127Q without permission.

Grades

Pass/Fail Marking Request