Policy: Academic Grades, Standing, and Status

Document Number: 1.006
Title: Course Classification
Effective Date: 06/13/2024
Revised Date: N/A

Policy Statement

River Parishes Community College’s faculty assign grades reflecting a student’s level of academic achievement in a course. Letters are used to designate the quality of student achievement (grades) or to convey additional information about a student’s achievement in a course.

The level of achievement demonstrated by a student at the completion of a course is assigned a letter grade: A, for superior work; B, for excellent work; C, for average work; D, for poor work; F, for unsatisfactory work. Letter grades are converted to quality points to determine the average of the grades a student earns for all courses, called the grade point average or GPA. RPCC calculates GPA in several ways based on (i) courses completed at RPCC in a semester, (ii) all courses completed at RPCC, (iii) courses transferred from another postsecondary institution, and (iv) all college-level courses. GPA is used to qualify a student’s academic standing and a student’s classification (freshman/sophomore).

Grading System and Computation of Grade Point Average (GPA)

The following table summarizes RPCC’s grading system.

Quality of Student Achievement	Letter Grade	Quality Points1
Superior	A	4
Excellent	B	3
Average	C	2
Poor	D	1
Unsatisfactory	F	0

¹ For a given course, the percentage indicates a student’s accuracy in answering questions, completing assignments, and scores on examinations.

An A in a one-credit hour course is worth four quality points, and an A in a three-credit hour course is worth 12 quality points. A student’s GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned in all classes by the total number of credit hours attempted. A “4.0” GPA means a student earned an “A” on assignments and exams in all courses included in the GPA calculation; a 3.0 GPA means a student earned a “B” on assignments and exams in all courses included in the GPA calculation; and a 2.0 GPA means a student earned a “C” on assignments and exams in all courses included in the GPA calculation. GPAs are typically rounded to two decimal places.

The following GPAs are determined using the method noted above and are recorded on students’ transcripts:

Semester/Current Term GPA: The Semester/Current Term GPA is calculated by dividing the total quality points earned in a specific semester by the total GPA hours earned in that same semester/current term. 

Institutional GPA: The Institutional GPA is calculated by dividing the quality points earned at RPCC by the total GPA hours completed at RPCC.

Transfer GPA: The Transfer GPA is calculated by dividing the quality points earned from all courses transferred to RPCC by the total GPA hours transferred to RPCC. 

Cumulative/Overall GPA: The Cumulative/Overall GPA is equal to the total number of quality points earned divided by the total hours attempted for all RPCC and transfer work.

Additional Letter/Achievement Designations

A student may receive one of the following letters for a course. These grades are not used in, and have no impact on GPA calculations.

Letter(s)	Meaning
A*, B*, C*, D*, F*	Grades Awarded for developmental courses.
AU	Audit. Audited courses are not included in calculating a student’s grade-point average or enrollment status (full-time, part-time) for insurance, financial aid, or other purposes.
I	Incomplete (see below)
NR	Not Reported (assigned by the Registrar in the event that the grade was not submitted by the instructor)
P	Pass
S, U	Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory achievement
W	Withdrawal from a course during the withdrawal period specified in the Academic Calendar.

Auditing Courses

A student who desires to enroll in a college credit course and who does not want to earn college credit may apply to audit the course. Students who wish to audit a course must meet all pre-requisite or co-requisite requirements for the course. The tuition and fees assessed for a course being audited are the same as those for courses taken for credit. The decision to audit a course should be made at the time of registration. Changes from audit to credit or credit to audit must be made by the official “Last Day to Register or Add Classes” as published in the Academic Calendar. A student auditing a course will not be eligible to obtain credit for the audited course through a credit examination or any other non-traditional source. However, a course previously audited may be taken for credit by enrolling in the course. Audited courses are not included in calculating the student’s grade-point average or enrollment status (full-time, part-time) for insurance, financial aid, or other purposes.

Incomplete Grades

A student may receive this letter designation when a student is not able to complete a course by the end of the semester if the following conditions are met:

1. The student must have completed 75 percent of all work for the class.
2. The work completed must be of passing quality (C or better).
3. The instructor must sign and submit an “I Contract Form.”

Completed “I” contracts must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office during the final grading period and must include the reason(s) the “I” is being requested and the deadline by which the work must be submitted. The work must be completed and the “I” removed (converted to a letter grade) no later than the “Last Day to Resolve I Grades from the Previous Semester” as indicated on the next semester’s Academic Calendar, even if the student does not intend to enroll. If the “I” is not removed by the published deadline, it will automatically convert to an “F” grade and will be calculated as such in the GPA. Exceptions to this deadline must be approved by the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. Academic status is determined at the time the “I” is removed or converted to an “F”.

Repeating Courses

When a course is repeated, the highest grade earned will be used to determine acceptability of the course for prerequisite and degree requirements at RPCC. Both grades will be flagged as repeated and maintained on the academic record, but only the highest grade will be used in the computation of the student’s semester GPA, RPCC/Institutional GPA, and Cumulative/Overall GPA. Students should also be cautioned that the colleges and universities to which they wish to transfer might not honor the repeat policy applied at RPCC.

Students trying to determine if they should repeat courses are encouraged to meet with their Advisor. They may also wish to consider the following: students are required to pay for all repeated courses. Repeating a course in which a grade of C was earned is seldom recommended. If a “D” is earned, the student is required to repeat the course only if the student’s degree program specifies that the course must be completed with a “C” or higher. Even if a “C” is not required, the student may wish to repeat the course if it is a prerequisite for another course that the student plans to take. If a student earns an “F” grade, the course must be repeated when it is required for the student’s degree program. 

Unofficial and Official Transcripts

Unofficial transcripts reflect a student’s academic history and can be viewed on the student’s Log on Louisiana (LoLA) account. Official transcripts are prepared by the Registrar’s Office upon request. To request an official transcript, please visit RPCC’s Transcript Request page.

Academic Status

Students’ academic status reflects their level of academic achievement. Academic Status may affect a student’s eligibility for scholarships, special insurance rates, loans, grants, work-study programs, and participation in student activities.

A student’s academic status is determined at the end of each fall, spring, and summer semester. Students have the responsibility to ascertain their academic status prior to the beginning of the next enrollment period. RPCC categories regarding academic status are as follows: 

• IN GOOD STANDING: Students must earn and maintain at least a 2.0 Adjusted Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) to be in good standing.
• NOT IN GOOD STANDING: Any student whose Adjusted Cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 is considered not in good standing and encouraged to meet with the student’s faculty adviser to come up with an intervention plan.

Any student whose academic status is not in good standing, who receives financial aid or wants to receive financial aid, should contact the Financial Aid Office to determine their continued eligibility for Financial Aid.

Student Classification for Academic Purposes

A student’s classification is determined upon registration and again at the end of each semester according to the number of credit hours earned. A student who has earned fewer than 30 credit hours is classified as a freshman. Upon earning at least 30 credit hours and 60 quality points (i.e., a “C” average), a student is classified as a sophomore.

Grade Changes

Faculty are responsible for evaluating student learning in an impartial and valid manner. Faculty should strive to record and submit grades accurately. However, if a faculty member determines that a final grade should be changed after submission, the faculty member should complete a Grade Change Form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office. Grade Change Forms are available on the Staff Intranet (accessible via the RPCC website).