Academic Information - Grading

The following table outlines the grading system used at Montana State University–Great Falls College of Technology:

Audit
Registered students may, with the permission of faculty, enroll in a course as an auditor for no credit. A student must decide to audit a course by the Add deadline of the term. Auditors pay the same fees as students enrolled for credit and are expected to follow the attendance guidelines set forth in the course. If attendance guidelines are not followed, the student may be issued a failing grade. If attendance guidelines are followed, the student will receive a grade of AU.

Incomplete
An Incomplete (I) grade is issued at instructor discretion when student course work has been satisfactory up until the final few weeks of a semester, but unavoidable mitigating circumstances have prevented the student from completing the course. After consulting with the instructor of the course, a student must make a formal request for an Incomplete grade by completing the Request for an Incomplete Grade form, stating what unavoidable mitigating circumstance(s) prevented completion of the work and proposing the conditions under which the work will be completed. If a request form does not accompany the final grade, the student will be issued a Not Recorded (NR) grade until the proper paperwork is completed and submitted to the Registrar. If the instructor approves the request, the student will have until the end of the following semester to make up the Incomplete. If a student fails to make up an Incomplete within the allotted time, the Incomplete grade will be converted to an “F”. The department chair will approve all Requests for Incomplete Grades before they are submitted to the Registrar for posting. The department chair must be given all information necessary to do final grading for the student as backup for the instructor in case he/she is not available to do the grading at the appropriate time.

Pass/Fail Policy
As a general policy, courses at Montana State University – Great Falls College of Technology are graded with the letter grades A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- and F. However, certain courses, as indicated in the catalog, are offered only on a pass/fail basis for ALL students registered in the course. A passing (P) grade is equivalent to a grade of “C-” or better. Students receiving “P” grades may not request a change to a letter grade.

Course Repeat
Courses may be repeated to increase one’s knowledge and/or grade point average. The original grade, as well as subsequent grade(s) in the course, is reflected on the academic transcript. However, the grade and grade point value for the repeated course will replace the earlier grade and grade point value in the cumulative totals. The grade and accompanying information for a repeated course will be posted on the student’s academic transcript for the semester during which the repeated course was completed. Course repeats will not affect academic progress as it relates to recipients of Federal and State financial aid.

Grade Point Average (GPA)
A student’s level of academic performance is determined by the grade point average (GPA). To calculate the GPA the total number of grade points is divided by the total number of completed credits.

Grade Reports
Mid-term grades are available on Banner Web/My Info after the half way point of spring and fall semesters. Final grades are available on Banner Web/My Info one week after the end of the term.

Academic Records
Appeals regarding academic records must be addressed within three years of course enrollment. Any appeals filed more than three years after the date of last attendance will not be considered. Note: This policy applies to appeals for retroactive withdrawals and tuition refunds only. For policy on academic performance appeals, please see the Academic Complaints section of this catalog.

Change of Grade
A change of grade may be submitted to the Registrar for a variety of reasons. All grade changes must come from the instructor or department chair. If, after consulting with the instructor, questions
still remain about the changing of a grade, please refer to the Academic Complaint Procedure.