Grading System

Grades

The grading system at Delta College is a letter system with associated grade points which are used to compute cumulative grade point averages. You will receive one final grade in each course taken.

Note: Non Credit Courses also use the above letter grades for their courses; however, no grade points are awarded and grade point averages are not maintained.

Courses below 100 level are considered developmental and do not count toward credit hours earned, credit hours attempted, grade point average, or graduation.

Final Grades

Final grades are generally available to you within one week of the official ending date of each semester. They are available on Self-Service. Final grades are listed on your official academic transcript, which is maintained by the Registrar's Office. Your final grade is the responsibility of individual faculty members. Instructors may exercise their own prerogatives with respect to your grades as long as these prerogatives do not conflict with other institutional policies.

I - Incomplete

An instructor may assign an Incomplete grade if you have not fulfilled all course requirements when final grades are assigned. An Incomplete is a temporary grade given only when your work has been of acceptable quality near the end of the course, but the required amount has not been completed because of reasons satisfactory to the instructor.

Requirements of a course are to be completed no later than December 1 for Incomplete grades issued in the Winter and Spring/Summer Semesters and April 1 for Incomplete grades issued in the Fall Semester. In exceptional circumstances, additional time may be granted for completion of course work by written notification from the instructor to the Registrar.

X - Audit

1. A student enrolling in a course for an audit may do so by completing an Audit Request Form in the Registrar’s Office no later than the end of the Delta College official refund period. After that date, no courses may be converted from credit to audit or from audit to credit. The Registrar’s Office will:
   1. Inform the instructors of those students auditing their courses.
   2. Inform the Financial Aid Office of those students electing to audit.
2. When a student enrolls in a course as an auditor, the following will apply:
   1. Tuition and fees will be paid as required.
   2. Instructor audit objectives will be fulfilled.
   3. A grade of “X” will be assigned and will not count in the Grade Point Average.
   4. No credit will be earned.
3. Once a student has elected to audit a course, the audit may not be converted to credit.

W - Withdrawal

This grade is used when you officially withdraw from a course from after the refund period through the completion of 80% of the course. For information on the drop and withdrawal policies and procedures, see Enrollment , Registration .

WI - Instructor Initiated Withdrawal

This grade was previously used for instructor initiated withdraws for lack of course prerequisites or attendance through 80% of the course. This grade is now utilized for administrative withdraws in unique circumstances such as cases of a failure to meet or maintain specialized program requirements.

Grade Change Procedure

Once recorded by the Registrar’s Office, grades will be changed only if an official Grade Change Form is submitted online by the instructor and approved by the appropriate academic Dean. The Grade Change Form must be received no later than one year following grade issuance. This policy does not apply to grade changes under consideration via the Disputed Grade Policy.

P/NC - Pass/No Credit Option

The Pass/No Credit grade option is available for several courses at Delta College. If you are interested in this grading option in place of the usual “A” through “F” grading system, you should declare this choice at registration or no later than the completion of 80% of the course by completing a form online. Courses approved for the P/NC grade option are available online.

Guidelines and Procedures for P/NC Grades:

1. Grades on the P/NC system are not included in computing the semester or cumulative grade point average.
2. Grade of “P” (Pass): Credit is granted and represents performance at or above the “C”/2.0 level.
   Grade of “NC” (No Credit): No credit is granted and represents performance at or below the “C-“/1.7 level.
3. You may not apply more than a total of 12 credits of P/NC course work toward Delta graduation requirements.

4. Enrollment on a P/NC basis is recorded with the Registrar’s Office.  No indication of your P/NC status will be communicated to a faculty member by any office of the College.

5. A letter grade will be on file in the Registrar’s Office, but only “P” or “NC” will appear on your transcript.

6. If you desire to have any grades converted from P/NC to letter grades, you may do so by applying online no later than the end of the following semester after the P/NC grade was issued.

7. Course prerequisites and other criteria for enrolling in any course are determined by the Department or Division offering the course and apply equally to both the traditional and the P/NC grading systems.

8. If you are planning to transfer, you should first check with a Delta Student Success Advisor regarding the acceptance of the P/NC grade option for specific courses by the transfer institution.

Grade Point Average (G.P.A.)

A student’s Grade Point Average is determined by dividing the number of credits attempted into the grade points. For example:

Credits Attempted - Credits for which the student enrolled and for which grades of A through F were given. Credits for courses in which grades of NC,P, W, WI, I, and X are given are not included here.

Credits Earned - Includes all academic credits taken at Delta for which final grades of A through D- were recorded. Courses below 100 level are not included in credit hours earned.

Credits Transferred from other institutions or earned by examination are not included in cumulative averages.

Non-Credit Courses - Non-credit courses are not included in cumulative averages.

Grade Points – The number of grade points earned in a course is the number of credits multiplied by the number of grade points corresponding to the letter grade received. For example, a grade of B+ in a four-credit course equals 13.2 grade points (3.3 x 4 = 13.2).

Repeated Courses – The highest grade received for any given course shall be the grade used in computing the cumulative grade point average and the number of credits shall only be counted once in the total number of credits attempted. All grades received in a given course shall, however, remain on your academic transcript but will be designated by the Registrar’s Office as having been repeated, so it is clear that only the highest grades earned are being counted in cumulative totals.

You may not enroll in a course for credit or audit, whether completed or not, more than three times. Exceptions to this policy requires authorization by the appropriate Associate Dean or Academic Dean.

Academic Transcripts

Your transcript is Delta College’s official record of your work. Your record is updated at the close of each semester. Your academic record includes all academic courses attempted and completed (course titles, credit hours, final grades, and honor points, semesters enrolled, transfer credit accepted, credit awarded by examination or advanced placement, certificates/degrees awarded and honors). Other items included may also include academic probation, suspension, expulsion, or other dismissal status where appropriate based on academic, conduct or Title IX violations. Grades of most non-credit course work are also maintained by the Registrar’s Office. Transcript copies will not be furnished if you have delinquent accounts with the College or as specified by the student handbook or other institutional policy.

Attendance Policy

It will be necessary for certain groups of students (e.g., veterans, financial aid recipients) to adhere to attendance requirements imposed by the policies of external regulatory agencies beyond the following stipulated by Delta College:

1. Attendance is expected at all courses for your maximum achievement.
2. It is your responsibility to make arrangements for missed course work. 
3. The College recognizes that on occasion special College-connected events will conflict with scheduled course/laboratory times. Before those special occasions, you will need to work with the instructor to make alternate arrangements.
4. Individual instructors determine attendance rules and will explain those rules at the initial course meeting and/or in the course syllabus.

Change of Student Information

A change in your name, home address, e-mail address, or program needs to be reported immediately to the Registrar’s Office or the Admissions Office. Most communications will be sent to your Delta e-mail address. Legal name change or a Social Security number change require proper documentation.

Classification of Students

The classifications below apply only to academic students pursuing certificate or associate degree programs. Non credit course hours are not included.

Financial Aid Attendance Information

A student receiving Federal aid who withdraws prior to the end date of the semester will be subject to a Title IV Return of Funds recalculation. Financial aid for the semester in question may be adjusted based on aid earned and the last date of attendance.

Unearned financial aid is returned according to Federal guidelines in the following order: Federal Loan Programs, Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, and to other Title IV aid programs. Students are responsible for repaying any unearned aid that results in a balance owed to Delta College. Arrangements must be made with Delta College to repay the unearned funds in full.

On the Web: Financial Aid Attendance Policy

Semester Honors

Each semester a President’s List is issued of all students who receive a grade point average of 4.0 for that semester; a Vice President’s List for all students who receive 3.7 through 3.99 grade point averages; and a Dean’s List of students who receive 3.5 through 3.69 grade point averages. To be eligible, you must complete at least 6 credit hours in a Fall, Winter or Spring/Summer Semester. Courses taken on the Pass/No Credit option do not apply.