Grading System

Grade Notification

Grades are available via Web for Students at the end of each semester and mini-term. The university does not mail grades.  Students should log on to Web for Students to obtain their grades.  Please refer to the semester schedule calendar for the date by which the instructor must submit grades each semester.

Note: See “Grade Disputes, Grievances, and Appeals Processes” below for more information.

Grades: Meaning and Value

Scale Grade Interpretation Grade Points
90-100 A Excellent 4
80-89 B Good 3
70-79 C Average 2
60-69 D Pass 1
<60 F Fail 0
X Incomplete 0
W Withdrew 0
DR Dropped 0
S Satisfactory 0
U Unsatisfactory 0
CR Credit Only 0
NG No Grade 0
K Grade not submitted 0

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The university computes the GPA dividing the grade points the student has accumulated by the number of hours for which the student receives a grade, other than X, W, S, U, K, or NG.

The university bases the cumulative GPA on all previous credit the student attempted at the undergraduate or graduate levels.  When a student repeats a course, the university will only use the grade for the last enrollment for that course (even if the grade is lower) for computing a cumulative GPA. The university will use the second grade to determine credit the student earned for the course and will invalidate the first credit earned for the course. No one may erase a grade from a student’s record.

The university shall exclude academic work at foreign colleges, universities, or preparatory schools as well as developmental-education courses from GPA calculation.

Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory (S/U) Grades

The university will evaluate certain courses on a satisfactory or unsatisfactory (S/U) graded basis rather than through the traditional letter-grade system.  The university awards credit hours for courses in which the student receives an “S.” However, the university does not award grade points, and the university does not include the credit hours in computation of grade point averages.

The student may count only a grade of “S” toward fulfillment of degree requirements. A student in no case may apply more than three S/U graded courses toward fulfillment of the requirements for graduation. A student cannot earn credit hours with a grade of “U,” and a grade of “U” does not count against the computed grade point average.

The class schedule and the syllabus presented to students on the first class day for that course will clearly identify S/U graded courses.  Officials will not change courses from S/U-graded courses to letter-graded courses or from letter grades to an S/U system after the first regularly scheduled meeting of the class.  The Veterans Administration (VA) requires Texas A&M University-Texarkana to calculate GPA for courses fulfilling graduate-degree requirements. Note: For VA purposes, an “S” equals 3.00, and a U equals 0.00.

Guidelines for Assigning an Incomplete Grade “X”

  1. The instructor may give an incomplete grade (“X”) when a student’s work is satisfactory in quality; but, due to circumstances beyond his or her control, the student has not completed the work by the end of the semester.
  2. The student must contact the instructor to initiate the request for a grade of incomplete and, if the instructor grants the request, to initiate discussion with the instructor concerning fulfillment of remaining course requirements in a timely manner.
  3. If the faculty member agrees to the student’s request, the faculty member must complete an “Incomplete Grade” form detailing the circumstances that prevented the student from completing the course and listing the remaining requirements for completing the course.  The deadline for completing the course work is the last class day of the next long term immediately after the term in which the instructor posted the incomplete grade.  If the student does not complete the work by that time, the university will automatically convert the incomplete grade to a grade of F except in cases of pregnancy or medical emergencies.   
  4. The student, instructor, and dean must sign the completed “Incomplete Grade” form. The student may access the form on the university Web site located in the “Faculty Forms” section. In cases where the student is unavailable, the student may give written agreement by fax, e-mail, or letter. A representative of an incapacitated student must contact the Registrar’s Office for further instructions.
  5. The student should submit the original copy of the “Incomplete Grade” form to the Registrar's Office. The faculty member should maintain a copy; the faculty member should give or mail a copy to the student; and the dean’s secretary should file a copy of the form in the dean’s office.
  6. In rare cases, the instructor may assign incomplete grades for every student in a course. In this case, one “Incomplete Grade” form for the entire student roster will suffice, and the form requires no student signatures.

No Grade (NG) Designation

  1. Under very unusual circumstances and with appropriate documentation, an instructor may recommend to the dean of his or her college that the dean give a No Grade “NG” as a final grade in a course.
  2. The student must contact the instructor to initiate the request for a No Grade and provide the required documentation. If the instructor believes that extenuating circumstances warrant a grade of NG, the student, instructor, and dean must sign the “No Grade” form.  Locate the form on the university Web site located in the “Faculty Forms” section. In cases where the student is unavailable, the student may give written agreement by  fax, e-mail, or letter. A representative of an incapacitated student must contact the Registrar’s Office for further instructions.
  3. The student should submit the original copy of the “No Grade” form to the Registrar's Office. The faculty member should maintain a copy, the faculty member should give or mail a copy to the student, the faculty member should send a copy to the Offices of Financial Aid and Veteran Services, and the dean’s secretary should file a copy in the dean’s office.
  4. If the student received financial aid or veteran’s benefits for the course, he or she is responsible for contacting the Offices of Financial Aid and Veteran Services regarding any adverse effects the grade of NG may have on the student’s financial aid or benefits.

Recording and Changing Grades

After reporting a student’s grade to the Registrar's Office, the instructor may not change any grade other than “X” unless he or she has made an error in calculation. The instructor shall provide written documentation of the error to the Registrar's Office by completing the appropriate Grade Change form.

The instructor must submit grades by the deadline stated by the Registrar's Office for the semester in which the student earned the grade.  The instructor may erase no grade from a student record.

Grade Disputes, Grievances, and Appeals Processes

A student with a grievance regarding a course grade should attempt to resolve the issue by conferring with the course instructor.  A student challenging a final grade must show the instructor’s judgment was unfair based upon some basis other than performance; standards different from those applied to other students in the same course section; or a substantial, unreasonable, and unannounced departure from previously articulated standards or the syllabus.  The burden of proof lies with the student.

For additional information regarding the formal “Grade Grievance and Appeal Process,” please refer to the rules and procedures page.