Academic Standing

Grading System

All courses offered for academic credit at Belmont University shall be graded on the following basis except as described below.

A/A- is a grade of distinction.
B+/B/B- represents excellent work, above average.
C+/C/C- indicates average work.
D+/D/D- represents minimally acceptable work.
F indicates non-acceptable work; no credit is received.
Pass/Fail - Courses offered at Belmont University which fit the exceptions stated below will be graded on P/F basis. A grade of P indicates that the student has satisfactorily completed the course. However, the student does not receive quality points and the grade of P does not affect the student's overall GPA.

1. Continuing education and community service courses which do not offer academic credit.
2. Courses which offer academic credit, but which are not offered for classroom instruction at regularly scheduled hours. Such courses may include, but are not limited to, independent studies, co-operative education, internships, and travel study courses.
3. Courses which offer academic credit, but whose published course descriptions indicate that they will be offered on P/F basis only.

A student with junior standing (64 through 93 hours earned) may elect to earn up to twelve (12) semester hours of academic credit in courses which are general electives in the student’s plan of study. To earn general elective credit on P/F basis, the student must (a) register for P/F grading at the beginning of the term using the “AU/PF” column on the registration schedule form and (b) secure the agreement of the academic advisor that the course is a general elective and the student’s classification is appropriate. The student who elects P/F grading may not change to a graded scale after the last day to register.

I is an incomplete and is used only in cases of uncontrollable circumstances. Responsibility for completing the work must be assumed by the student. All incomplete work must be finished before mid-term of the next semester. An I is calculated as an F. The grade will be changed to an F at the midterm of the semester following the one in which it was earned unless a grade is submitted by the instructor.

W indicates the student withdrew during the first four weeks of the semester before a P/F status can be determined.

WP indicates the student is passing at the time of withdrawal. Permission to withdraw may be obtained from Belmont Central except that no student will be permitted to withdraw in the last 30 days of the semester. Failure to obtain this permission results in an F for the course. A WP does not affect the grade point average.

WF indicates that the student is failing at the time of withdrawal. A WF as a grade when the student did not withdrawal from the course indicates a failing grade due to excessive absences. A WF counts as an F when computing GPA.

AU indicates Audit.  Academic credit is not received when auditing a course.  The GPA is not affected.  (Tuition and fees still apply to audited courses.)

NR indicates Not Received. This means that the professor did not turn the grades in by the deadline at the end of the semester. This does not affect the student's GPA. The professor must complete a grade change form to change the grade and the student will be mailed a letter stating their grade and updated GPA when processed.

FX grade on the student's transcript will indicate that the failure of the course was due to an Honor Pledge violation. The grade will be treated as an F for purposes of the student's grade point average. After appeal, any decision resulting in a grade of "FX" will automatically be reviewed by the Provost. During a student's last semester prior to graduation, s/he may have the "FX" changed to an F on the transcript in the following manner:
• The student must have retaken and received a passing grade in the class in which the "FX" was given;
• The student must have no subsequent violations of the Honor Pledge while a student at Belmont;
• The student must write a letter to the Provost requesting the removal of the "FX";
• The student must propose and perform an activity or program that promotes academic integrity on campus and which will be mutually agreed upon by student and the Honor Court. The Honor Court will certify that the program has been completed in a letter to the Provost.

If the student satisfactorily completes the four conditions above, the Provost will instruct the Registrar to change the "FX" to a grade of "F" on the student's transcript.

Refer to the Academic Honors System in this catalog for information regarding Honor Code violations.

IP indicates In Progress academic work. Course work is continued. Does not count in GPA calculations. The IP grade is only available for undergraduates taking study abroad courses which are ongoing or while pending receipt of transcript / grade information from the study abroad institution.

Each hour of academic work taken for credit in the university is evaluated in terms of its relative quality, as shown by the grade received in the course. The various grades and their corresponding quality points are:

The student indicates at registration the address where the grades will be sent. The reports are usually sent within a week following the last exam of the semester.

Repeating Courses

The student may repeat any course which was previously taken at Belmont if the student wishes to improve the grade. The student will not be allowed to repeat the course more than once with the exception of an “F” grade which may be repeated an unlimited number of times. The last grade earned will be posted to the transcript as the officially recognized grade for the course unless it is lower than the first grade. The original grade will remain on the transcript but will not be figured into the cumulative grade average. All “repeat” courses must be taken at Belmont. A course grade transferred from another institution may not be removed by repeating the course at Belmont.

Grade Appeals

Students have the right to appeal grades directly to the instructor if they believe that an incorrect grade has been assigned for the course.  If a grade issue is not resolved after contact with the instructor, the student may appeal in writing to the department chair / associate dean of the college. This must occur by the mid-term point of the next semester. In the written appeal the student must be prepared to demonstrate and document an unusual circumstance that warrants a review of the grade and evidences of the grade s/he believes should have been given by the instructor. All written appeals will be reviewed within one month of receipt and responded to in writing either confirming or changing the posted final grade. A copy of this response will go to the Registrar’s Office for the student’s record.

Further appeal is through the administrative structure of the college in which the course was taken, with final appeal to the Provost. Any appeal must be in writing and include appropriate documentation to support the student’s position that a grade change is warranted.

The final grade is the instructor’s posted grade, which may be viewed in the student’s grade report on-line at the close of the term or part-of-term. It is solely the responsibility of the student to check that grades are posted for all courses taken during a semester and note the grade given for each class.  All grade appeals must be requested by the mid-term point of the next semester.  Unless an active appeal is under review, after the mid-term point of the next semester, neither instructors nor the university will consider a grade change.

Once a final grade has been posted the student may not petition the instructor to do additional work or extra credit to raise the grade awarded. Any grade change as a result of such action will be disallowed.

For grades of IP or I, once the I or IP is replaced (required prior to mid-term of the follow semester) by a grade, including a change to F, that becomes the posting date of the final grade.  Administrative grades such as W (withdrawal) are handled through the Registrar’s Office.

Academic Discipline

Academic standing is based upon the cumulative grade point average of all work attempted at Belmont University. Students whose admission carried stipulations from the Admissions Committee have conditions of approval that must be met in order for the student to continue enrollment as a fully admitted student. As such, Admissions Committee stipulations take precedence over the progression requirements outlined below.

To continue enrollment in good standing, a fully admitted student must maintain a cumulative Belmont University grade point average of 2.0 or higher. A student is placed on probation whenever the cumulative GPA falls below 2.0. Students on probation may take no more than 13 hours and are required, whenever possible, to repeat courses in which they received a “D” or “F".

A student must earn the following minimum grade point average (gpa) on Belmont work or the student will be placed on academic suspension.

1.5 gpa after 32 Belmont gpa hours counted the end of the term
1.75 gpa after 64 Belmont gpa hours counted the end of the term
2.0 gpa after 96 Belmont gpa hours counted the end of the term

A student placed on academic suspension is ineligible to enroll at Belmont University. A student who receives a first academic suspension from Belmont may petition for readmission to the university after one semester. A student who receives a second suspension may appeal for readmission after one year from the date of the last suspension. A third suspension results in expulsion from the university with no opportunity for readmission.

Any appeal for reinstatement from suspension is made to the Admissions Committee and is subject to full review. In no case is reinstatement guaranteed. Any appeal for readmission after suspension must be made at least one month prior to registration of the semester for which the student desires to enroll.

The system described above is not necessarily one of progressive discipline. A student may move immediately to suspension or expulsion if the grade point average falls to that level. Belmont does not accept coursework from other universities while the student is serving suspension from Belmont. Neither does the university accept coursework completed while the student is serving an active suspension from any other accredited college or university. Students who are suspended during the semester, for whatever reason, are assigned the grade of “F” in their classes and forfeit their tuition and fees for that term.

Rules Governing University Representation

Students on academic probation at the beginning of a semester will not be permitted to represent the university in activities which require absence from classes during that semester.

Students who did not begin the semester on academic probation, but whose names appear on the Mid-Term Deficiency list, may not represent the university in activities which would require them to miss classes in which they are deficient. If the deficiency is removed, the Provost may grant permission for the student to participate.

Classification

Dean's List

1. A minimum load of 12 semester credit hours. Summer Dean's List is based on a minimum 9-hour load over 10 weeks. Hours taken as audit or P/F courses are not included in the minimum credit hour load count.
2. No grade below a C in any course including P/F (pass/fail) and zero credit courses.
3. A quality point average of 3.5 or better.
4. Eligibility is also based upon completing of all course work by the last official day of the semester with the exception of "in progress" (IP) for study abroad courses.

Honors

Academic honors are calculated on all grades from all institutions of higher education attended. Those students who earn a Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) between 3.50 and 3.749 are graduated Cum laude (with honors). Students who earn a G.P.A. between 3.75 and 3.949, are graduated Magna cum laude (with high honors). Students who earn a G.P.A. between 3.950 and 4.00 are graduated Summa cum laude (with highest honors).