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Grading Policies

Grading Policies

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For continued enrollment at the University, undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative retention/graduation grade point average (GPA) as indicated below:

  • 0-29 attempted hours - 1.70 Cumulative GPA

  • Greater than 30 attempted hours - 2.00 Cumulative GPA

Retention grade point average is based on all attempted hours (transfer and OU), minus those courses repeated or reprieved in accordance with the Academic Forgiveness Policy.  Remedial courses and PE activity courses are included in the calculation of attempted hours.  These standards are minimal.  Each degree-recommending college may establish higher standards for retention.

Credit hours completed after the end of a term, or credit earned at another institution, is included in student retention/graduation grade point average at the time the work is recorded in Academic Records. Academic status is reviewed and/or updated at that time, but previous postings of academic standing will remain unchanged.  

Academic retention is reviewed at the conclusion of each academic term (Fall, Spring, and Summer).

Academic Notice

Students with 0-29 attempted credit hours and a 1.70-1.99 cumulative GPA are placed on Academic Notice.

Academic Probation

Students with greater than 30 attempted hours and less than a 2.00 cumulative GPA OR less than 30 hours and less than a 1.70 GPA are placed on Academic Probation. Students on academic probation must earn at least a 2.00 semester GPA in the term of their probation to continue enrollment at OU. Students who fail to raise their semester or cumulative GPA to 2.00 or better will be suspended from OU for poor scholarship.

*Students should check with their Academic Advisor or Academic Records for specific enrollment requirements while on academic probation*

Academic Suspension

Students enrolled on academic probation who fail to raise their semester or cumulative GPA to 2.00 or better are suspended from OU for poor scholarship.

Students suspended for poor scholarship are not eligible for readmission until one full semester has elapsed following the date of suspension. 

To be readmitted, suspended students must complete a new admission application and letter of appeal to the Office of Admissions & Recruitment.

Students who wish to appeal their academic suspension should complete the Academic Suspension Appeal Form.

Complete Withdrawal from the University

Undergraduate students withdrawing from all courses receive the grade of W in each course of enrollment. Graduate students withdrawing from all courses in the first six weeks of classes in Fall or Spring receive the grade of W in each course of enrollment. Beginning with the seventh week through the last day of classes of the semester or summer term, students must receive a grade of W or F from the instructor in each course upon withdrawal.

Dropping Courses While Still Enrolled

For students who drop one or more courses after classes begin, but who remain enrolled in at least one course, the following grading regulations for dropped courses apply:

  • In the first two weeks of the semester, no grade is recorded;
  • Undergraduate students: Third through twelfth week of Fall and Spring, courses dropped during this time will be recorded with a grade of W. Thirteenth week through end of classes in Fall and Spring, instructors assign a grade of W or F.
    Graduate students: Third through sixth week of Fall and Spring, courses dropped during this time will be recorded with a grade of “W.” Seventh week through end of classes in Fall and Spring, instructors assign a grade of W or F.

For summer session, please refer to the Academic Calendar for specific dates for all summer blocks. Courses that do not meet the full term will have different deadlines.

I is a neutral mark and means incomplete. It is not an alternative to a grade of F, and no student may be failing a course at the time an I grade is awarded. To receive an I grade, the student should have satisfactorily completed a substantial portion of the required coursework for the semester. The instructor will indicate to the student and to Academic Records what must be done to complete the course and set a time limit appropriate to the circumstances. However, the time limit allowed may not exceed one calendar year. If by the end of the year no change in grade has been submitted, the grade of I will be changed to the predetermined permanent grade. After a grade of I has been changed, a student may re-enroll in the course if appropriate or required. The foregoing time limitations concerning removal of an incomplete do not apply to graduate research and graduate problem courses.

All instructional faculty are required to use the university-wide Incomplete Contract Form when assigning a grade of Incomplete. This document protects both faculty and students by documenting circumstances that led to the assignment of an Incomplete grade.

Effective Fall 2014: If an incomplete is received, the "I" grade remains on the student's record and the final grade is next to the "I" (example I/B).

*Prior to Fall 2014, all "I" grades were considered final grades.

Students’ grades in all courses are filed in the Office of Registrar - Academic Records and become a part of the official records of the University. Current students can view grades (usually one week after finals are over) on the web by logging on to one.ou.edu.

  • Passing grades used are A, B, C, D and under certain conditions, P and S
  • Nonpassing grades are F, U and NP

A, the highest grade, is given for work of exceptional quality. D is the lowest grade for which credit is given in any undergraduate college and means that, although in the judgment of the instructor credit should be allowed for the course, a degree will not be conferred upon a student whose work is all of that level. In the Graduate College, however, the grade of D is failing, insofar as credit toward a graduate degree is concerned, and cannot be used to satisfy prerequisite requirements and/or requirements for certificates. F means failure. No credit hours or grade points are awarded for an F, but the credit hours are calculated into the cumulative grade point average.

S and U, meaning Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory, may be used in grading certain courses identified at the discretion of the degree-recommending college. Courses selected for S-U grading must be of a noncompetitive nature and the entire class must be graded on this basis. The S-U grades are considered neutral in the computation of a student’s grade point average. At the undergraduate level, a grade of S signifies work of D quality or better (except in the case of credit earned by advanced standing examination, when the grade of S represents work of C quality or better). In the Graduate College, the grade of S represents work of B quality or better. S must be used to indicate that a thesis or dissertation is satisfactorily completed, and is the only passing grade accepted for special problems, individual research and directed readings courses. The S grade may not be used for lecture/recitation courses except with the expressed approval of the graduate dean. The U grade is used to indicate that no credit is to be given for the work undertaken.

P and NP, meaning Pass and No Pass, are used as grades in a course in which a student has enrolled under the pass/no pass option. P meaning Pass is used as a passing grade and indicates quality of C work or better. NP, meaning No Pass, is a nonpassing mark used to indicate no credit for a pass/no-pass option enrollment. The grades of P and NP are considered neutral in the computation of the student’s grade point average.

W, meaning withdrawal, is a neutral grade assigned when the student is passing at the time of withdrawal. A student who withdraws from a course with failing grades will receive the grade of F.

I is a neutral mark and means incomplete. It is not an alternative to a grade of F, and no student may be failing a course at the time an I grade is awarded. To receive an I grade, the student should have satisfactorily completed a substantial portion of the required course work for the semester. The instructor will indicate to the student and to Academic Records what must be done to complete the course and set a time limit appropriate to the circumstances. However, the time limit allowed may not exceed one calendar year. If by the end of the year no change in grade has been submitted, the grade of I will be changed to the pre-determined permanent grade. After a grade of I has been changed, a student may re-enroll in the course if appropriate or required. The foregoing time limitations concerning removal of an incomplete do not apply to graduate research and graduate problem courses.

Graduate College "I." With the approval of the instructor and Graduate College Dean, a graduate student may be granted up to a one-year extension for making up incomplete work. No petitions for extensions beyond one year will be considered. After the incomplete work is made up, the instructor shall promptly report the new grade to Academic Records so that it can be posted to the student's transcript. In any case, the new grade must be posted to the student's transcript within one year of the deadline for making up the incomplete work (including any extension, if granted). If the new grade has not been posted within this one-year time period, the student shall have one additional year in which to file an appeal with the Graduate Dean requesting that the proper grade be posted. If no such appeal is received by the Graduate Dean within this second year time period, the grade of "I" shall be changed to the pre-determined permanent grade.

All instructional faculty are required to use the university-wide Incomplete Contract Form (PDF) when assigning a grade of Incomplete. This document protects both faculty and students by documenting circumstances that led to the assignment of an Incomplete grade.

indicates that satisfactory progress is being made and is a neutral grade to be used only for thesis and dissertation research courses numbered 5980 and 6980 and for thesis and dissertation equivalent courses numbered 5880 and 6880.

AU (Audit), Auditing is attending a class without participating in classwork or receiving credit. Enrollment as an auditor is indicated on the student’s permanent academic record and is subject to the same posting regulations governing credit enrollment.

AW, meaning Administrative Withdrawal, is a neutral grade used to indicate that a student has been involuntarily withdrawn after the add/drop period by the institution. Students may receive an AW for disciplinary reasons, financial reasons or inadequate attendance.

is a temporary grade used only to indicate that no final grade has been reported at the time of grade processing and is removed from the student’s record when the final grade is received. It is neutral in the computation of the student’s grade point average.

Each hour of A, B, C, D and F carries a grade point value as follows: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1 and F=0. Grades of P and S, as well as grades of I, X, U, N, NP, AW, and W, carry no grade point value and are not included in the computation of a student’s semester or cumulative grade point average.

The cumulative retention/graduation grade point average is based on all work attempted, both transfer and OU, minus those courses repeated in accordance with the policy on repeated courses. The minimum cumulative retention/graduation grade point average required for graduation is 2.0. Each degree-recommending college may establish higher standards for retention and graduation.

 # = Repeat Policy Applied
@ = Academic Renewal 
^ = Academic Reprieve
~ = PE/Activity Course
* = Remedial/Developmental Course 
SA = Transfer Advanced Standing Credit