Auditing Courses: A student may audit a course (i.e., take it without credit) with the permission of the instructor and the dean of the college involved if the course has been approved to be taken Audit. The Registrar’s Office can verify whether a course is approved to be taken as Audit. After registering for the course as usual, students must obtain the “audit a course” form from the Registrar’s Office, obtain the appropriate signatures and return it to that office, Whitlock 239. Fees are the same as for courses taken for credit. Students enrolled for audit must comply with the attendance policy of the instructor or no course entry will be made on their academic record.

Changes to Transcript: Once a degree has been posted to the transcript, changes will not be made to courses or grades that were earned prior to the posting of the degree. Students have one calendar year in which to bring to the Registrar’s attention an error on their transcript. This does not include any challenge based upon an unsatisfactory grade. Refer to the student handbook for the appropriate process for grade challenges (http://studentaffairs.eku.edu/studenthandbook).

Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) Coursework: The grade of “CR” (credit) is awarded as recognition of appropriate scores on AP, IB, CLEP or other proficiency exams and prior learning assessment. International coursework transferred to EKU will be recorded as CR/NC. Existing EKU students who complete an EKU-approved/sponsored study abroad program, and have a completed Study Abroad Pre-Approval form on file in the EKU Office of International Student and Scholar Services, may receive a regular letter grade for the international coursework taken while participating in the sanctioned study abroad experience.

Undergraduate course work with CR grades may be used to fulfill major, minor, certificate, supporting program, and/or concentration area requirements, (unless explicitly prohibited by the appropriate academic department), to a maximum of 20% of the credit hours required for each component of an academic program’s major. Exceptions to this limit may be authorized by the Dean/Associate Dean of the college offering the program. There is no limit to the number of CR credit hours used to meet general education areas or to serve as free electives.

Previous Developmental College Readiness Coursework (Zero-Level)¹: Prior to Fall 2018, developmental courses were numbered 090 or 095. These are institutional-credit courses. Credit hours for a zero-level course do not apply toward graduation; however, zero-level courses do count toward enrollment status for purposes of financial aid eligibility and full-time student status. Grades for 090 and 095 developmental courses include A, B, C, and F. 

¹

MAT 098 is a zero-level course but not a developmental course

Equivalent Courses: Equivalent or cross listed courses are those in which credit will be earned for just one course. Equivalent courses may or may not be cross-listed in the schedule. Should there be a second enrollment in an equivalent or cross listed course, the student will either be disenrolled from the course or have credit removed at the end of the semester. Upon a change of major, permission for enrollment and credit for the second course, when required in the new major, must be obtained in advance from the college dean of the new major. In that instance, credit for the first taking will be removed.

Failure Due to Academic Dishonesty (FX): This grade is a sanction for repeated violations of the Academic Integrity (AI) Policy. The “FX” grade denotes failure in the course due to academic dishonesty and is a permanent grade reflected on the student’s transcript. A student assigned an “FX” grade will not be permitted to drop or withdraw from the course. A student who wishes to repeat a course in which an FX grade was applied may do so for the purpose of rehabilitating their GPA. The course may only be repeated at EKU. Repeating an FX course will not remove the FX grade from the student’s transcript.

Grade Appeals: If a student believes that the final grade assigned in a course is unjustified, that student should consult the instructor seeking a satisfactory explanation. If, after doing so, the student still feels that the grade is unjustified, the student may appeal the grade, in writing, to the department chair. A written appeal must be filed with the chair within 30 days after the beginning of the next semester (exclusive of summer session). Refer to the University Handbook for Students for the complete policy concerning grade appeals.

Grade Changes: All grade changes must be made by the following deadlines: for fall semester grades—the last day of regular classes (prior to finals week) for the following spring semester; and for spring and summer semester grades—the last day of regular classes (prior to finals week) for the following fall semester.

Grade Point Average (GPA): The GPA is a calculation of the sum of total quality points earned, divided by the total attempted course credits. Quality points are determined by multiplying the numerical value for each grade earned, times the credit hours for the course.

Each student has an institutional GPA reflecting their overall academic performance, as well as a term GPA indicating achievement for the current semester. Grades for all non-zero level EKU and transfer courses are included in a student’s overall GPA calculation. The GPA is used to measure a student’s academic standing. Successful completion of any degree or certificate program requires a minimum of a 2.0 overall as well as institutional GPA. The official EKU GPA is truncated at two decimal places; GPAs are never rounded numbers.

Each student can view their GPA through their secure online myEKU self-service account. In myEKU the GPA appears on the Official Grade Report, the student transcript, and on each student’s Degree Works degree audit. Each student is expected to monitor their GPA through these sources. Note that a separate GPA calculation is done for determining University graduation honors (also referred to as Latin Honors). Refer to the Latin Honor section of this catalog for rules regarding Latin Honors GPAs.

Incomplete Grades: Instructors may assign an incomplete grade “I” to students who have satisfactorily completed at least 60% of a course but are unable to complete the course due to extenuating circumstances. An “I” grade is never appropriate as a midterm grade. Instructors who assign an “I” grade must provide an Incomplete Grade Agreement within 15 university business days.

Incomplete Grades Blocking Graduation: A degree cannot be awarded to a student with any incomplete EKU courses on their record. Any student who is a pending graduate with unresolved EKU incomplete grades (“I”) will be given the choice of either accepting an “F” for the course (or “NC” for unresolved “IP” grades) or being deferred to the next term for graduation consideration. All incompletes for students pending graduation must be resolved before their published degree conferral date.

In-Progress Grades: Instructors may assign a grade of “IP” in certain approved courses in which it might reasonably take students more than a single semester to complete all requirements. A student assigned an “IP” grade for internship, practicum, or self-paced courses must complete requirements within the calendar year after the “IP” is awarded to receive credit. If requirements are not completed by the deadline, the Registrar will change the “IP” grade to “NC” (no credit), and the student must register again for the course to receive credit.

Incomplete Grade Agreement: When a student has extenuating circumstances that impede him/her from completing a course, an incomplete grade may be awarded as a temporary final grade. The incomplete grade cannot be used simply because a student has failed to complete the work in the course or as a means of raising the student’s grade by doing additional work after the grade report time.

Students must request an incomplete grade from the faculty member prior to the last day of class when a student wishes to pursue an incomplete grade. If the instructor agrees that the student has extenuating circumstances beyond their control and the instructor agrees to assign an incomplete grade, the instructor must complete an Incomplete Grade Agreement detailing all outstanding assignments and/or conditions needed to complete the course, and a due date for each assignment. An incomplete grade may not be given as a midterm grade. Any student given an incomplete is expected to have satisfactorily completed at least 60% of the course.

The following procedure applies when an instructor has agreed to assign a grade of “I” for students who are unable to complete the course because of extenuating circumstances.

1. On the Incomplete Grade Agreement, the instructor will identify all outstanding assignments and/or other conditions needed to complete the course, and due dates for each assignment.
2. Faculty are strongly encouraged to give students the shortest reasonable time period in which to complete the work. The longest possible time period is the end of the next regular semester (fall/spring); however, typically it benefits students to complete work before they begin classes the next semester.
3. The Incomplete Grade Agreement must be signed by the faculty member, student, chair of the department offering the course, and dean of the college offering the course. Student approval of the terms of the Incomplete Agreement can be submitted electronically, and attached to the form. Chairs should assure that the Agreement includes reasonable due dates for completing the work, and all signatures.
4. The Incomplete Grade Agreement must be received by the Registrar’s Office no later than 15 university business days past the deadline for final grade submission. While the faculty will be able to submit the “I” grade through the online grade submission process, any “I” grade that is not accompanied by an Incomplete Grade Agreement within 15 university business days of the advertised final grade submission deadline will be converted to an “F.”
5. Outstanding work must be completed by the student and a Grade Change form must be submitted by the instructor to the Registrar’s Office by the deadline noted on the Incomplete Grade Agreement. If a grade change is not submitted by the established deadline, the incomplete will automatically default to a failing (“F”) grade.
6. If, due to extenuating circumstances, a student is unable to complete the contracted course work to fulfill the incomplete course by the deadline on the Incomplete Grade Agreement, the student has the option of requesting a one-time, one semester extension to the incomplete deadline. The student must initiate the request through the instructor before the original deadline. Approval of the extension of an incomplete grade is not automatic and depends on the student’s unique circumstances.

Letter Grades: Grades, which are represented by letters, are given point values as indicated:

Grades

Grade	Meaning	Grade Points per Hour
A	Excellent	4.00
B	Good	3.00
C	Average	2.00
D	Poor	1.00
F	Failure	0.00
FN	Failure-Student Stopped Attending Class	0.00
FX	Failure-Academic Dishonesty	0.00
I	Incomplete	0.00
IM	Incomplete Due To Military Activation	0.00
P	Passing	0.00
S	Passing	0.00
U	Failure1	0.00
UN	Failure1-Student Stopped Attending Class	0.00
W	Withdrawal (Official)	0.00
WM	Withdraw Due To Military Activation	0.00
AU	Audit	0.00
CR	Credit Only	0.00
IP	In Progress	0.00
NC	No Credit	0.00
NR	Not Reported	0.00

¹

FN/UN: Students who stop attending/participation in online courses and do not resume participation have unofficially withdrawn from the class. This act may have significant financial aid repercussions. EKU is required by the U.S. Department of Education to provide a last date of attendance/participation for such students.

Throughout this Catalog, specific grade requirements are to be interpreted precisely as stated. Thus, if a requirement specifies that a grade of at least “C” is required, a “C-” will not satisfy the requirement. If it is intended that “C-” is to be allowed, “C-” will be listed rather than “C.” This applies to all specific grade requirements.

The grade point average (GPA) is based on those courses in which a student earned grades of “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” “F,” or “U.”

First-Time Student Mid-Term Grade Review: See Academic Standards.

Submission of Mid-Term Grades: Faculty will provide mid-term grades via the Banner (myEKU) system for all students in undergraduate-credit, full-semester courses by the end of the eighth week. In the case of non-standard courses, faculty will enter mid-term grades by the mid-point of the course and before the last day to withdraw from the course, as published on the Colonel’s Compass.

Mid-term grades are not required for the following types of classes: non-gradable laboratory sections, co-op, practicums, and internships.

Military Activation: A student who is called to active duty or whose spouse/legal guardian is called to active duty may be unable to complete courses in which they enrolled. If military activation affects the ability of a student to complete a course, the University provides several options, including withdrawal from the course and/or University or taking an incomplete and completing the course(s) following completion of active duty.

A student who volunteers for military service during a semester makes the decision to join the military instead of being a student, and does so while the semester is in progress, (instead of completing the semester and then joining), is not eligible for Military Withdraw, Military Incomplete, or to receive a grade early in the semester. The spouse of a student who volunteers for military service and cannot complete a semester will not be eligible for Military Withdraw, Military Incomplete, or to receive a grade early in the semester.

Students with military status (Active, Reserves, National Guard) at the beginning of the semester, or spouses of such students, finding it necessary to leave the University because of required active military duty must complete one (1) of the following:

Option 1– Receive a Grade

1. When military activation occurs after the 12th week of the semester, the instructor has the option of assigning the student a grade in the class based upon work completed. That grade would be submitted during normal final grade submission, and no additional work would be required of the student.
2. The request for assignment of a grade based on coursework completed must be made in writing and must be approved by the Chair of the Department and the Dean of the College in which the course(s) is offered. A copy of activation papers must be attached.

Option 2 – Receive an Incomplete Due to Military Activation

1. The affected student will petition the faculty members to request an assignment of a grade of “IM” in course(s) currently enrolled.
2. If the instructor feels that the portion of the semester remaining, and volume of uncovered material is such that it can be made up in a reasonable amount of time and effort, a grade of ”Incomplete for Military Activation” may be given.
3. The instructor completes an Incomplete Grade Contract and notes on the contract that this is due to military activation. The student shall provide a copy of the military orders and the instructor must ensure that a copy of the student’s military orders is attached to then Incomplete Grade Contract. Without a copy of these orders the student cannot receive the “Incomplete for Military Activation” grade.
4. The Incomplete Grade Contract shall be processed as normal.
5. Once the Registrar’s Office receives a copy of the military orders an “IM” grade will be recorded.
6. The student has two (2) years from the date of military discharge to complete an “IM” grade. The student, upon completion of active military duty, must follow up with the faculty member. If the faculty member is no longer with the University or is on leave from the University, the student should contact the Department Chair for determining how to fulfill the Incomplete Grade Contract. If the student does not make contact within 2 years of leaving the University, the “IM” turns to a “W.”
7. Upon completion of coursework, the instructor will submit a change of grade form.

Option 3 – Receive a Military Withdrawal from the Course or from the University

1. Students choosing to withdraw from specific courses or from the University must send a letter requesting a withdrawal and enclose a copy of the military activation notification. The letter must include the following information:
   • Student name and Student EKU ID Number
   • A statement that the student wishes to withdraw completely from the University or listing the individual courses for withdrawal.
   • Student’s signature (mandatory) and the date
2. The Officer staff will process the withdrawal which also triggers a 100% refund in all tuition and course fees. Room and board fees will be prorated.
3. If a student requests an incomplete and the faculty declines to grant an “IM,” then the student will have to withdraw.

For additional information regarding Military Incomplete status please see the Military Activation Web site at: http://www.registrar.eku.edu/registration/military/.

Pass-Fail (“P” - “F”) Option: The Pass-Fail option encourages students to take courses they might otherwise avoid because of lack of background or concern for lowering their grade point average (GPA). Not all courses are approved to be taken Pass-Fail. The Registrar’s Office will verify the course is approved to be taken as Pass-Fail.

Students who have earned 30 or more semester hours of credit with a minimum GPA of 2.0 may choose the Pass-Fail (“P” - “F”) option for a total of 15 hours of free electives. These hours must be exclusive of general education, major, minor, and other course requirements for graduation. Eligible courses must belong exclusively to the category, free electives. Hours passed under the Pass-Fail option will not be used in the computation of GPA’s; however, hours failed (“F”) will be used.

Students may choose the Pass-Fail option for one course per semester with a maximum of five credit hours per semester. Students may repeat a course using the Pass-Fail option only if the previous taking was also Pass-Fail.

Students may select the “Pass-Fail” option by completing the Audit/Pass-Fail registration form, available from the Registrar’s Office. Students may change to or from the Pass-Fail option by the date specified each semester in the Colonel’s Compass. The student must submit to the Registrar’s Office the completed form as authorization to change their registered course to Pass/Fail.

Repeating Courses: Students may repeat college-level courses. In those courses, the highest grades earned will replace a lower grade in calculations of the student’s term and institutional GPA. This grade replacement occurs irrespective of whether the lower grade was earned in the original taking of the course or in a repeat enrollment.¹

The repeated course and grade will still appear on the transcript but with a notation indicating whether the grade is included in, or excluded from, the student’s GPA. If a student attempts to repeat a course and replace the grade but then withdraws from the course, that course attempt will not be counted among those for which grade replacement is available.²

Students who repeat a course in which they earned a failing grade, and fail the course again, will have the most recent failing grade included in the GPA.

A student may enroll in the same course for a third time (second repeat) only under extraordinary circumstances and with permission of the dean of their major. Students seeking permission for a third enrollment shall first meet with an academic or college advisor to review why they have not previously been successful in the course, and to assess whether the student is in an appropriate major.

For GPA calculation, a grade of “S,” “CR,” “NC” or “P” will not replace a grade of any “C”, “D”, “FN”, “F” or “FX” (earned in normal grading) grades. A “P” will replace an “F” only when the “F” was earned under the Pass-Fail option. An “S” will replace a “U” or “UN” when earned under the Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory grading option.

¹

Some professional programs (e.g. Nursing and Occupational Science) have licensure, regulation, and accreditation requirements with restrictive time limitations for applying a course toward a degree. In those programs the best grade for a course may be excluded because it is outside the required time frame. Students should speak with a major advisor or refer to the relevant portion of this catalog to determine if such time restriction apply to any required course for their major.

²

Some courses may not allow the best grade to stand if the student has been required to repeat a corequisite lecture, clinical, or lab experience. In those situations it is the most recent grade earned from both co-requisite courses that will be used to calculate the term and institutional GPA. Courses with these requirements will be identified as such in individual course descriptions found in the back of this catalog.

Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory (“S” - “U”) Grading System: Some courses are approved to be taught exclusively on a “Satisfactory” (“S”) or “Unsatisfactory” (“U”) basis. Each student enrolled in the class will receive either a grade of “S” or “U.” Hours passed under the Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory option will not be used in the computation of GPA’s; however, hours failed (“U”) will be used.