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Catalog Policy

Temporary Grading Change for Spring 2020 Semester.  At the conclusion of the Spring 2020 semester, students will have a short period of time in which they can change grades in individual courses with letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F to grades to CR and NC according to the following rules:

• Changes can be applied to any graded course completed during the Spring 2020 semester.
• Changes can be applied to one or more courses.
• Grades of A, B, C, and D can be converted to grades of CR.
• Grades of F can be converted to grades of NC.
• Changes cannot be made by graduating seniors if the changes would keep them from graduating.
• CR/NC grades will continue to have no effect on GPA calculations.
• Converted grades of CR may be used to satisfy major, minor, and Collegiate Center course requirements that usually require a letter grade.
• Converted grades of CR may be used to satisfy W1 and W2, and Odyssey requirements that usually require a grade of C or better.
• For capstone grades:
  • Capstone grades submitted during the Spring 2020 semester may also be changed from letter grades to CR/NC grades in the same way as regular course grades.
  • Capstone course grades from the Fall 2019 semester may NOT be changed although the associated capstone grade can be changed.
  • Converted grades of CR may be used to satisfy capstone requirements that usually require a particular course grade of C or better.
  • Guidelines for Latin Honors and the Dean’s List will remain as they are.  However, both lists will not be computed until after all grade changes have been made.
  • Once converted, CR/NC grades cannot be changed back to letter grades.

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Timeline for Graduating Students

• May 14             Senior Grades Due
• May 14-15        Registrar decisions about who graduates
• May 16             Conferral Date
• May 22             Date by which graduated seniors can change to CR/NC
• May 23            Determination of Latin honors and final GPAs
• May 26             Start mailing diplomas

Timeline for Returning Students 

• May 18             Grades Due
• June 5               Deadline for students to change to CR/NC
• June 10             Finalize changes and turn-over semester in Jenzabar
• June 11             Finalize Dean’s List and GPAs
  
  

Student Procedures

• For seniors, grades will be available on-line after the due date of May 14. 
  • Between May 14 and May 22, seniors should consult with their academic advisors and the Office of Financial Aid (if needed).
  • The student checklist on CampusWeb will have a task that will require them to accept their letter grades or to request the courses they wish to be changed to CR/NC.  This needs to be completed on or before May 22.
  • After May 22, the registrar will approve requests that do no impact the student's ability to graduate.
• For all continuing students, grades will be available on-line after the due date of May 18.
  • Between May 18 and May 31, students are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisors and the Office of Financial Aid. 
  • Between May 31 and June 5, students may still consult with the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Academic Success.
  • The student checklist on CampusWeb will have a task that will require them to accept their letter grades or to request the course they wish to be changed to CR/NC. This must be completed on or before June 5.
    

Caveats for Students to Take into Account about CR/NC Grade Changes

Before deciding to change any grades from letter grades to credit only grades, students should carefully consider the following potential implications for their academic records. Students should consult the Office of Financial Aid and their advisors before proceeding.

• State Scholarships with GPA Requirements. The State scholarships with GPA requirements are the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, the Governor's Scholarship, and the Governor's Distinguished Scholarship. GPAs are reported to the state at the end of the spring semester. Students should keep their GPA requirements in mind as they make decisions about converting courses from letter grades to credit only because these decisions will change the GPA. Currently, the state is planning to wave these requirements for this academic year, but the details are still fluid. Students will need to check with the Office of Financial Aid for the latest decisions on this from the state. 
  
• Private or Federal Scholarships with GPA Requirements. These types of scholarships vary widely. Students will need to check with the Office of Financial Aid about specific details.ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ GPA Graduation Requirements. ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ has no waived any graduation requirements (for this or future years) involving GPAs. Graduation continues to require a 2.0 GPA on all courses counted for the B.A. degree and a 2.0 GPA on all courses counted towards a major and minor. Students should carefully consider the implications of these GPA requirements when deciding about changing any grades to credit only. 
• Latin Honors and Dean's List. ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ has not waived any requirements for graduation with Latin honors or Dean's list. Latin honors are determined by final GPAs and the Dean's list requires the completion of no fewer than four whole credit courses with no grade other than A. Students should carefully consider the implications on these honors when deciding about changing any grades to credit only.
• Post-Graduate programs (e.g. medical school, dental school, law school, Ph.D. and Masters programs, and other competitive graduate programs). Many competitive post-graduate programs may have specific courses for which they require a letter grade or they may have a policy that they recalculate GPAs by replacing a CR grade with either a C or the lowest grade that is allowed (which the current case for spring 2020 for ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ would be a D). Currently, it is very difficult to know what programs are or are not waiving those requirements for the future. Students should consider the implications of these requirements when deciding about changing any grades to credit only. 
• Private Company Discounts. Students should also keep in mind any discount they might receive base on GPAs. A common one is a grade discount for automobile insurance policies.