Procedure Information

PDF Version

Number: 3.50.1

Name: Academic Standards Procedure

Effective Date:

July 20, 2023

Next Review Date: AY2030–2031

Regulatory Authority:

Part 1. Definitions.

College Level

All courses numbered 1000 or above.

Below College Level

All courses numbered below 1000.

Part 2. Grading System.

Subpart A. Assignment of Grades

Individual faculty members are responsible for evaluating the achievement of students officially enrolled in their classes. Faculty shall submit final grades electronically using eServices within the grading window periods listed below:

  1. For full-term length courses or for short-term/adjusted length courses that conclude with the end of the term, the grading window shall close four and one half (4.5) calendar days after the last day of final exams. Faculty shall have until 12 noon on the fifth day to submit final grades. For example, when final exams end on a Friday, grades shall be due by 12:00 pm (noon) on the following Wednesday. If the final (fifth) day of the grading window falls on a scheduled holiday, the grading window shall be extended until 8:00am the day after the holiday.
  2. For short-term/adjusted-length courses that conclude prior to the end of the term, the grading window shall be up to seven (7) days after the last day of class. Faculty shall have up until 11:59 pm on the seventh day to submit final grades for short-term/adjusted-length courses.

Subpart B. Final Determination with an Extended or Permanent Absence of a Faculty Member

In the event of an extended or permanent absence of a faculty member (such as resignation, death, or other extended absence) that occurs at the end of the semester, the final grade determination will be made by department/discipline faculty members according to the original faculty member’s syllabus. The academic dean will coordinate the process in consultation with the department coordinator.

Subpart C. Grades for Credit Courses

Credit courses will be assigned grades according to the following system:

A          Superior Achievement—4 Grade Points: represents achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.

B          Above Average Achievement—3 Grade Points: represents achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.

C         Average Achievement—2 Grade Points: represents achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.

D         Below Average Achievement—1 Grade Point: represents achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to fully meet the course requirements.

F          Inadequate Achievement—0 Grade Points: may be assigned to courses numbered 1000 level or above. Represents failure and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an incomplete (I).

NC       No Credit—Not figured in Grade Point Average. May only be assigned to courses below college level and Prior Learning courses.

P          Passing—A Passing grade is defined as C or higher. Not figured in Grade Point Average. May only be assigned to courses approved through the Academic Affairs and Standards Council process.

All courses that receive a grade of A through F are used to determine the student’s grade point average.

Subpart D. Grading Schemas

All courses will be designated with one of the following grading schemas:

  1. A – F
  2. P/F (Pass/Fail)
  3. P/NC (Pass/No Credit)
  4. A-D/NC

Grading schemas are approved by the Academic Affairs and Standards Council (AASC). The default for college-level credit courses is A–F. Selected college-level credit courses may be graded P/F. Selected developmental courses may be graded P/NC. P/F or P/NC shall be the only grading system for all students receiving grades in all sections of the approved course

Subpart E. Additional Grading Notation

In addition to grades, the following notations may be used:

AU       Auditor—must be declared at time of registration.

FN       Failure for Non-Attendance—This symbol is used for last date of attendance purposes for college-level courses. Attendance is defined in NHCC Class Attendance and Participation Policy 3.55 and Procedure 3.55.1. The FN symbol does affect GPA and student’s completion rate for purposes of calculating Student Academic Progress (SAP).

NN      Non-attendance for developmental courses—This symbol is used for last date of attendance purposes for below college level courses. Attendance is defined in NHCC Class Attendance and Participation Policy 3.55 and Procedure 3.55.1. The NN symbol does not affect GPA but does affect the student’s completion rate for purposes of calculating Student Academic Progress (SAP).

H         Honors—Accompanies a grade to signify that the course was completed as an Honors Option course. Reported as HA or HB.

I           Incomplete—An incomplete (I) is a temporary grade and automatically becomes an F (or NC) at the end of the next semester (not including summer session) indicating that course work is not completed. The incomplete (I) does affect the student’s completion rate for the purposes of calculating SAP.

W         Withdrawn from a course—The withdraw (W) is normally student initiated. Under unusual circumstances the College may record a W for a student. The W does affect the student’s completion rate for the purposes of calculating SAP.

Subpart F. Final Date for Official Course Withdrawal

Students may officially terminate their enrollment in a course up to the date on which eighty percent (80%) of the instructional days for the course have elapsed. Final Withdrawal dates are published as part of course information in eServices.

Subpart G. Repeating Grades

A student may repeat a course for purposes of achieving a higher grade or to review material. While all grades remain on the transcript, only the highest grade will be used to compute GPA.

Subpart H. Incompletes

Incompletes can be initiated by the faculty member or requested by the student.

Incompletes are assigned at the discretion of the faculty member of record when a student cannot complete course work on schedule. Before assigning a grade of Incomplete (I), the faculty member of record must:

  1. Enter into a formal agreement with the student by completing the Incomplete Form which includes the following information:
  1. Student name, StarID, and contact information;
  2. Course identification including department, class, and section number, credits, course title, semester, and year;
  3. A detailed list of course work to be completed with due dates for completion;
  4. Signature of the faculty member of record;
  5. Signature of the student.
  1. Forward a copy of the formal agreement to Records and Registration to upload to the student’s record.

Once the formal agreement is completed, the supervising dean, the student, and the faculty will receive official notification.

Faculty member of record is responsible to update the student’s grade upon successful completion of course work.

Any Incomplete (I) that is not cleared by the date indicated on the formal agreement sent to Records and Registration will be changed to an F (or NC) at the end of the academic term indicated by the date of completion.

Part 3. Academic Honors.

Subpart A. Honors Program Eligibility

Students are eligible to participate in the Honors program by fulfilling one of the eligibility requirements.

  1. Completion of 9 credits at or above 1000 level courses with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher.
  2. High School classes: Honors/Advanced Placement/High Performance/International Baccalaureate/College in the Schools with minimum 3.5 GPA.
  3. Minimum ACT Score of 25 or SAT Score of 1200 or Equivalent Test.
  4. High School GPA of 3.8 w/out honors type courses.
  5. Minimum Score of 4 on 3 or more AP tests.

Subpart B. Honors Program Requirements

  1. Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
  2. Complete all Honors Program requirements as defined on the Honors Pledge Form.

Subpart C. Honors Designations

Students admitted to the Honors Program may earn the following honors designation based on honors work completed: High Honors.

Subpart C. Other Academic Recognitions

  1. NHCC Scholar—This designation indicates the student maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and graduated with an associate degree or advanced certificate without joining the Honors Program.
  2. Dean’s List—Students in good standing, completing twelve (12) college level credits or more and earning a grade point average of at least 3.5 for that semester will be included on the Dean’s List for that semester and will receive a letter indicating that honor.

Part 4. Final Exams

Synchronous and proctored final tests, evaluations, and projects are to be given as published in the Academic Calendar: Schedule of Final Exams. Requests for exceptions must be approved by the appropriate academic dean.

Part 5. Credits.

Subpart A. Student Definitions Related to Credits

  1. Fall and Spring semesters
    1. Students enrolled in at least twelve (12) credits during the fall and spring semesters are considered full-time students.
    2. Students enrolled in less than twelve (12) credits during the fall and spring semesters are considered part-time students.
  2. Summer session
    1. Students enrolled in at least twelve (12) credits during the summer session are considered full-time students.
    2. Students enrolled in less than twelve (12) credits during the summer session are considered part time.
  3. Degree-seeking students who have completed less than thirty (30) credits are classified as First Year Students.
  4. Degree-seeking students who have completed between thirty (30) and sixty (60) credits are classified as Sophomores.

Subpart B. Credit Limits

  1. Current degree-seeking students may enroll in a maximum of twenty (20) credits in each of the fall and spring semesters and a maximum of twelve (12) credits during the summer session.
  2. PSEO, non-degree seeking students and visiting students may enroll in a maximum of sixteen (16) credits during each of the fall and spring semesters.
  3. Non-degree seeking students and visiting students may enroll in a maximum of twelve (12) credits during the summer session.
  4. PSEO students are not eligible to enroll during summer session.

Subpart C. Credit Limit Appeals

Students who wish to appeal the maximum credit limit per semester must make an appointment with an advisor. If the advisor believes the student is capable of successfully completing credits above the maximum allowed, the advisor will give the student the “Waiver to Exceed Maximum Credits Allowed” form. This form must be completed by the student and signed by the student's advisor. PSEO students are not eligible to appeal the maximum credit limit.

Part 6. Campus Review

Review Action Date(s)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Review: 4/17/2023 – 5/12/2023
Campus Community Review Period: 3/2/2023 – 3/24/2023
AFSCME Review: 4/17/2023 – 5/12/2023
MAPE Review: 4/17/2023 – 5/12/2023
MMA Review: 4/17/2023 – 5/12/2023
Shared Governance Council Review: 4/21/20231
Student Senate Review: 4/20/2023
President Rolando Garcia Approval: 7/11/2023
Campus Community Dissemination: 7/20/2023

History

  1. Adopted June 1992
  2. Revised November 28, 2005
  3. Revised September 24, 2007
  4. Revised May 14, 2009
  5. Revised October 11, 2010
  6. Revised November 23, 2011
  7. Formerly Policy III.02.06, adopted November 2011
  8. Revised August 27, 2012
  9. Revised December 21, 2015
  10. Revised Spring 2021, updated language, revised Incompletes and defined a Passing Grade as A-C. Approved 26 May 2021 by President Rolando Garcia.
  11. 11. Revised Spring 2023, updated Honors Designations as requested by the Honors Committee

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