Scope

All Indiana University Bloomington academic appointees and administrators with responsibilities to assign, record, report, or supervise grades and all students on the Bloomington campus.

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Policy Statement

A. The provisions in this policy apply to all Indiana University Bloomington students in all units, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, unless expressly identified as applying to undergraduates only, subject to two principles:

1. Units with graduate or professional programs may adopt or modify any provisions, including grade submission deadlines, as appropriate to their programs. Different policies must be reported to the chief academic affairs officer and registrar of the Bloomington campus.
2. Nothing in this policy is intended to override accreditation standards that may require units to vary from its terms.

B. Except as otherwise provided in this policy, Indiana University Bloomington uses a grading system from A (highest) through F (failing) with pluses and minuses. The grades and their numerical equivalent used for computing GPAs are: A + = 4.0, A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C - = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1, D- = 0.7, F = 0.

C. Other Grades

1. FN (failed, non-attendance). An “FN” should be assigned to a student who has failed a course because the student stopped attending classes, labs, exams, or other activities and has not officially withdrawn. As specified in VPSS 10, Unofficial Withdrawal, when an FN is assigned, the instructor must indicate the last known date of class attendance and when an FN assigned in an online course, the instructor must indicate the last date of participation in an academic activity. When an “FN” has been assigned, an “F” will appear on the student’s transcript. The “N” and date of last attendance will be retained in the student’s record as an internal grade only.
2. FNN (failed, never attended). An “FNN” should be assigned to a student who has failed a course because the student never attended a class and did not withdraw. When an “FNN” has been assigned, an “F” will appear on the student’s transcript. The “NN” will be retained in the student’s record as an internal grade only.
3.  I (incomplete). An “I” should be assigned to a student who, in the judgment of the instructor, has performed at a satisfactory level during a majority of the course but has not completed all the required work by the end of the term due to hardship or other good cause that the instructor deems would make it unjust to penalize that student for not completing the required work on time.

a. The instructor will inform the student of the missing course requirements and the assignments to be completed, and set a deadline for their completion, which may not exceed one year from the end of the term in which the course was taken. During this time, the student may not re-enroll in the course.

b. At the end of the period allowed, the instructor will update the “I” with a final grade.

c.  If no final grade has been submitted within one year from the end of the term in which the course was taken, and the student has not been allowed to withdraw, the campus registrar shall change the “I” to an “F.”

d. Each academic unit shall develop a procedure for maintaining a record of incomplete grades that includes the reasons it was assigned, the deadline for removing it, and a guide for its removal in the event of the absence of the instructor from the campus.

e. If the instructor, in consultation with the principal administrator of the unit offering the course, determines that it is not feasible for the student to complete the required work, the student may be:

i. assigned the grade earned as if the incomplete had never been assigned; or

ii. allowed to withdraw from the course, if withdrawal in this circumstance is allowed under the policy of the unit offering the course.

4. X (retaken/replaced). For undergraduates only: A letter grade may be changed to an “X” when a student has retaken a course.

a. Students shall be allowed to replace the grade in any course unless a unit decides that it will not allow its students to replace grades in courses required for a major, minor, certificate, honors program, or other recognition by the unit.

b. The “X” shall replace the original grade and be recorded on the student’s transcript for the term in which the course was taken the first time. The letter grade shall be recorded on the transcript for the term in which the course was retaken. The terms do not have to be contiguous.

c. The student is required to obtain consent to replace a grade from the principal administrator of the student’s unit no later than 24 hours after grades are due in the semester the student graduates.

d. The grade replacement option may not be exercised if the original grade was assigned as a result of the student’s academic misconduct.

e. Only the grade earned on retake shall be reported on the student’s transcript and counted toward grade point average. The previous grade shall be changed to an “X” on the student’s transcript and the credit hours for the previous grade shall not be counted. The previous grade shall not appear on the transcript but must be retained as an internal grade by the student’s unit and the campus registrar.

f. A student may exercise the grade replacement option for any letter grade received.

g. A student may exercise the grade replacement option for up to three courses or courses that total no more than 10 credit hours. If a student transfers between campuses with different policies, or takes courses on multiple campuses, eligibility for grade replacement is determined by the policy of the student’s degree- granting campus.

h. A student must receive a letter grade upon retake in order to change the previous grade to an “X.” The previous grade remains on the transcript if the student receives a “W,” “I” or “NC” in the retaken course.
i. The course that the student retakes must be the same course as the previous one but need not be offered by the same instructor. The principal administrator of the unit offering the original course shall determine whether the course is the same.

j. A student may exercise the grade replacement option for the same course more than once, but each replacement counts toward the maximum courses or credit hours allowed.

k. Only courses attempted during or after the Fall 2001 term will be eligible for replacement.

l. A student may not request reversal after asking for and applying the GPA exclusion.

5. R (deferred). An “R” should be assigned at the end of the first term of a multi-term course, thesis, or research project, to indicate that a letter grade cannot be assigned until all required work has been completed. When all required work has been completed, the instructor shall submit a letter grade covering all terms that will replace the “R” on the student’s transcript. If a student withdraws during a term of the course, the instructor shall enter a letter grade for the completed terms if appropriate.

6. S (satisfactory). An “S” means "satisfactory," without further quality evaluation, and may be assigned in the following situations:

a. To a student who has satisfactorily completed a course which was approved according to unit and campus procedures, to be offered to all students only on an S/F basis.

b. To a student who has successfully earned course credit or satisfied an academic requirement based on an individual examination of the student’s knowledge, work or experience that was not part of a regular course.

c. During a state of emergency or other extraordinary circumstance that prevents the normal completion of a term, courses that were originally to be graded on an A through F basis may be converted to S/ F courses. The university president may direct that this applies to all courses, the campus chancellor or provost may direct that it applies to some or all courses on a campus, or the decision may be delegated to individual units. Consultation with the appropriate faculty governance organization is required. Students must be notified of the change and must be given the opportunity to withdraw from the class or, if feasible, to request an A through D grade instead of an "S."

7. W (withdrawn) For undergraduates only.

a. Withdrawal from a class can have consequences for financial aid, visas, and other matters.

b. The permanent record will not show withdrawals made during the period of drop/add, (e.g., during the first week of classes during a regular semester). An exception to this rule occurs when a student withdraws from the University, in which case Ws are automatically recorded by the Registrar.

c. A “W” may be given in the following situations in which the student withdraws after the drop/add period:

i. If a student withdraws after the drop/add period but within the automatic withdrawal period. The grade is assigned on the date of withdrawal.

ii. If a student withdraws after the automatic withdrawal period if allowed under a policy of the student’s unit, with the consent of the principal administrator of the student’s unit, after consulting with the instructor.

iii. Under section C.3.e.

iv. When the withdrawal is approved under VPSS-02, Military Withdrawal.

8. P (pass). A “P” may be assigned in the following situations:

a. Under a procedure adopted by a unit, a student may, with the approval of the principal administrator of the student’s unit, register to take a course graded A through F on a pass/fail basis. The instructor shall not be informed that the student has registered for this option. The instructor shall assign the student the letter grade earned, and a passing grade shall be converted to a "P" by the campus registrar. The "P" grade does not have GPA value and cannot be changed back to an A through D grade.

b. During a state of emergency or other extraordinary circumstance that prevents thenormal completion of a term, students may be allowed to request P/F grading in a courseotherwise graded A through F. The university president may direct that this option appliesto all campuses, the campus chancellor or provost may direct that it applies to some orall courses on a campus, or the decision may be delegated to individual units.Consultation with the appropriate faculty governance organization is required. Studentsmust be provided with a clear procedure for requesting P/F grading that includes theopportunity to appeal the denial of the option.

9. NC (non-credit). The grade “NC” is recorded by the campus registrar to a student whohas successfully audited a course.

10.[Grade]* (academic misconduct). An asterisk will be appended by the campus registrar to a student’s grade to indicate that the student committed academic misconduct in the class. If a misconduct investigation is underway that might impact the student’s grade, the student should receive an “I*." Only the letter grade will appear on the student’s transcript. A grade with an asterisk may not be replaced with an “X.”

11. NR (no report). An “NR” should be used by the campus registrar when an instructor has not submitted grades for the term by the campus deadline. It will be replaced by a letter grade when one is submitted.

12. NY (enrollment in special program). An “NY” should be used by the campus registrar to show enrollment in a special program for credit for which a grade has not been received by the registrar.

D. Submitting and Posting Grades

1. At the end of a term, the instructor shall submit grades for all students enrolled in the course in accordance with procedures established by the campus registrar.

2. Grades must be submitted within four days after the last scheduled exam of the session.

3.If a final grade roster is not received by the processing deadline, the campus registrar shallenter an “NR” for that course on all student grade notifications. The status of the grade roster isthe responsibility of the instructor.

4.Grades shall be submitted to, recorded, and maintained by the campus registrar. Individual academic units may also maintain grade records.

5. Student grades shall not be posted physically or electronically where they can be viewed by anyone other than the student, instructor, and university officials.

E.Changing Grades

1. An “I” (incomplete) should be changed to a letter grade by the instructor after all required work has been completed. An “I” may be changed to a “W” under C.7.c.iii.

2. A grade of “R” (deferred) should be changed to a letter grade after all required work has been completed and a final grade submitted by the instructor.

3. Other than an “I” or “R,” a grade ordinarily may not be changed after it has been received by the campus registrar, except in the following situations:

a. A grade may be changed if an incorrect grade was submitted by the instructor. Both the instructor and the principal administrator of the unit offering the course must approve the change.

b. A grade may be changed if the change is authorized by the campus Provost or Chancellor, or the principal administrator of the unit offering the course, when the change has been recommended as a remedy for a student under policies governing academic fairness, grade appeals, personal misconduct, harassment, discrimination, or sexual misconduct.

c. For other extraordinary cause if approved by the principal administrator of the unit offering the course in consultation with the instructor.

4. Whenever a grade is changed, the registrar shall notify the principal administrator of the student’s unit.

F. Academic Distinction

1. To graduate with academic distinction, students must rank at least within the highest 10% of the graduating class of their respective degree-granting units. To graduate with academic distinction, baccalaureate degree candidates must have completed a minimum of 60 hours at Indiana University and associate degree candidates must have completed at least half of the hours required for their degree at Indiana University.
2. There are three levels of distinction: distinction, high distinction, and highest distinction. Each degree-granting unit shall determine the appropriate GPA or class rank required to graduate with distinction, high distinction, or highest distinction. If a unit uses GPA, it must periodically review its distinction percentages and adjust the GPAs accordingly. To go beyond the 10% restriction in the event of a tie is not a violation of this policy.
3. Academic units may establish Honors Programs and set their own criteria for the award of a degree with honors, which is not subject to this policy.

G. The faculty of every department or other unit shall, for the guidance of new instructors and the mutual understanding of all, discuss regularly the practice and standards of the department or unit in the assessment of student performance, including academic expectations and the awarding of letter grades.

H. Every unit shall have a policy on grade appeals, which must include the requirement that grade appeals must be submitted within one year from the end of the term in which the grade was entered.

I. Retention of Grade Records and Graded Materials

1. To the extent feasible, the exams, papers, projects, and other material upon which a grade is based, and which were not returned to the student, shall be retained by the instructor or in a university data base for a minimum of one year.
2. Instructors shall retain their own grade books and summary grade records for a minimum of five years.
3. This policy addresses academic appointees’ responsibility only and does not address whether and to what extent campus administrators should retain written or electronic records relating to student grades.

Reason for Policy

To articulate grading policies applicable to the Bloomington campus.

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Definitions

“A through F grades” and “A through D grades”: Include pluses and minuses for grades A through D.
Course: Any academic activity undertaken by a student for credit, whether or not it has a course number, including internships, externships, study-abroad programs, artistic performances, and an individual examination of a student’s knowledge or experience.
Day: A calendar day.
Instructor: An academic appointee with responsibility for evaluating and assigning a grade to a student for academic work.
Internal Grade: A grade record maintained by the registrar or a unit for internal purposes that does not appear on a student’s transcript.
Letter grade: A, B, C, D (including pluses and minuses), F, P, or S.
Passing Grade: A, B, C, or D (including pluses and minuses).
President, provost, chancellor, registrar, dean, and chief academic affairs officer:
Includes such officer’s designee.
Principal administrator: The dean of a college or school or that dean’s designee(s).
Unit: for purposes of this policy, means a college or school.
Year: A calendar year.

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History

Last amended 4/8/2025

Previous Versions:

12/4/2028 - 4/8/2025

12/06/2011 - 12/4/2018

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