3.5 Grading System Policy
The board of trustees shall authorize the college administration to develop and institute policies and procedures pertaining to grades.
Grading and Academic Record Symbols Policy
Purpose: As Westmoreland County Community College is dedicated to maintaining academic integrity and student success, this policy ensures compliance with federal Title IV guidelines, other college policies, and provides comprehensive assessment components. Further, it specifies that each course taken for academic credit will be assigned a final grade by the faculty who delivers instruction.
Scope: Credit bearing courses at Westmoreland County Community College
Policy: Courses shall be graded using the grading system established by Westmoreland County Community College and made available to students.
The grading and academic record symbols are as follows:
Evaluative symbols included in the grade point average
Evaluative symbols not included in the grade point average
Non-Evaluative symbols:
Academic Forgiveness
Students returning to Westmoreland County Community College after a four-year absence may petition that the credits with D and F grades earned during their previous enrollment at the college be removed from the computation of the cumulative grade point average. This petition may be made only after completion of 12 additional college-level credits after the student returns with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher for these 12 credits. Once approved, previously earned credits with D and F grades are not used for calculating the student’s grade point average, however, they remain on the transcript with an appropriate notation. Students should meet with the counselor or their faculty advisor to initiate the process.
Repeating Courses
Students may repeat a course once without permission. Third and subsequent attempts require the written approval of a dean or department chair. Programs may adopt a stricter limit as needed. The most recent evaluative grade will count towards credential progress. Non-evaluative symbols (see above) will not count towards GPA.
Incomplete Grades
“Incomplete” is appropriate when the student has completed most of the course requirements, is passing based on work completed, and has contracted to make up the remaining or outstanding work. The faculty member must submit an Incomplete Form to their Academic Dean so the form can be attached to the student’s record. The grade of “incomplete” is given only at the discretion of the instructor if, in the instructor’s judgment, the student has furnished satisfactory evidence that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other extenuating circumstances. The incomplete (I) automatically changes to an F grade and the incomplete (I^) automatically changes to an NP grade if the work is not completed by the date specified by the instructor, not to exceed 120 days after term end.
Grade Appeal
All final grades posted on a student’s grade report at the end of a semester are considered correct unless a question is raised within one year of its recording. Students should address inquiries or appeal to the instructor of the course within one year from the end of the courses.