Grading
In general, letter grades will be assigned as follows for all courses for which students have registered. Note that some programs, such as Aviation Maintenance Technology, may have more stringent standards. See program handbooks and/or the course syllabus for grading policies for specific courses.
A - Excellent 90 - 100
B - Good 80 - 89
C - Average 70 - 79
D - Poor 60 - 69
F - Failure Below 60
W - Withdrawal
WP - Withdraw Passing (official withdrawal only)
WF - Withdraw Failing
I - Incomplete
AU - Audit
Satisfactory grades are “A,” “B,” and “C.” Most colleges and universities will not accept transfer of grades of “D.”
Grade Appeal Process
Students who wish to challenge a final course grade must notify the course instructor within thirty (30) calendar days of the final day of the instructional term in which the grade was awarded. If after meeting with the instructor there is no resolution to the grade appeal, the student may then appeal to the division chairperson. If after meeting with the division chairperson the matter remains unresolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student may file a written appeal to the Dean of Instruction, who forwards the appeal to the Grade Appeal Committee, which is composed of the College division chairs and the Dean of Instruction. A hearing by the Grade Appeal Committee will be conducted with the student and instructor within thirty (30) college business days of the Committee receiving the appeal. The chair of the division housing the course in which the grade is in question will recuse himself or herself from the committee hearing but may provide testimony during the hearing. The decision of the Grade Appeal Committee is final.
Quality Points
To evaluate the academic standing of students, the following quality points are assigned to grades:
A - 4 quality points per credit hour
B - 3 quality points per credit hour
C - 2 quality points per credit hour
D - 1 quality point per credit hour
F - 0 quality points per credit hour
The student’s scholastic standing or quality point average is obtained by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of semester credit hours attempted for which the grades of “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” are assigned.
A student must earn a cumulative quality point average of 2.00 in order to be eligible for graduation.
Course Forgiveness
Any course for which the student has previously registered may be repeated.
If a student repeats a course once, the second grade awarded replaces the first grade in the computation of the cumulative grade point average. The semester grade point average during the semester in which the course was first attempted will not be affected. Regardless of the grade, the second grade awarded will be counted in the computation of the cumulative grade point average.
When a course is repeated more than once, all grades for the course—excluding the first grade—will be employed in computation of the cumulative grade point average.
Official records at the institution will list each course in which the student has enrolled. A course may be counted only once toward fulfillment of credit hours for graduation. This policy may not apply to aviation programs which must follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines.
Implementation of course forgiveness at the College does not guarantee that other institutions will approve such action. This determination is made by the respective transfer institution.
Incompletes
An instructor may assign a student the grade of incomplete (I) when a student has been prevented from completing the final portions of a course (such as the final exam) because of extenuating circumstances (illness, death in the family, accident, etc.) Within the first five (5) days of the next semester, the student must make arrangements to complete the missed work according to a time set by the instructor. If no arrangements are made within the five-day time limit or if the missed work is not completed according to schedule by the end of the semester, the “I” will be changed to “F” by the Associate Dean of Students. This policy may not apply to aviation programs which must follow FAA guidelines.
Auditing
Audit students must meet the same entrance requirements as regularly enrolled students. Course prerequisites must be met. Students who audit a course must signify their intentions of doing so by completing an Intent to Audit Form available at any ESCC location. This must be done during the drop/add period at the beginning of each semester. After the drop/add period is over, it is not possible to change a grade to “Audit.” Regular fees are charged for auditing classes. This policy may not apply to aviation programs which must follow FAA guidelines.