Grading System

Final course grades are obtained online at my.purchase.edu. Matriculated students at Purchase College are graded as follows:

A+, A, A- (Superior)

B+, B, B- (Good)

C+, C, C- (Satisfactory)

D (Minimum Passing Grade)
A grade of D is acceptable in core curriculum/general education courses. In a major or prerequisite course, a grade of D is acceptable at the discretion of the individual boards of study in the liberal arts and sciences.

F (Failure)
This grade counts toward program pursuit for financial aid purposes.

SP (Satisfactory Progress) and UP (Unsatisfactory Progress)
Reserved for grading of senior projects.

Note: Acceptable grades for senior projects are SP (satisfactory progress), UP (unsatisfactory progress), or a passing grade of A through D. Grades of F are only acceptable in cases of plagiarism.

CR (Credit)
For matriculated students who register for maintenance of matriculation or a SUNY study abroad program. The CR grade is not calculated in the GPA.

P and NC (Pass/No Credit Option)

1. Matriculated students may elect one course (except those specified in #4 of this section) each semester to be graded on a pass/no credit (P/NC) basis. Summer session is considered a semester for this purpose. The P (Pass) or NC (No Credit) grade is not calculated in the GPA, but counts toward program pursuit for financial aid purposes.
2. If a board of study requires that a course within the major be taken on a P/NC basis, then a student may elect a second course for P/NC in that same semester.
3. A maximum of 32 credits of P/NC work counts toward the 120 credits required for graduation.
4. The following courses cannot be taken on a P/NC basis: all core curriculum/general education courses; senior theses/projects; repeated courses; courses in one’s major (refer to #5 for exception).
5. Boards of study may designate a few courses to be taken by all students on a P/NC basis. Courses so designated must be approved by the Educational Policies Committee. A board of study, at its discretion, may use pass/no credit grades for junior or senior seminars.
6. No more than two liberal arts courses may be taken on a P/NC basis by students in the BFA and MusB programs (a total of 8 credits out of the minimum 30 credits required for graduation) during their four years at Purchase.
7. Students must elect this option by the end of the third week of classes; please refer to the academic calendar for the deadline.

I (Incomplete)
This grade indicates that a student and a faculty member have entered into an agreement that grants an extension of time to complete the requirements of the course. For additional information, refer to Grade of Incomplete: Procedure for Receiving.

1. The work must be completed within four weeks of the end of the semester.
2. Incompletes that are not resolved by the deadline date or given a further extension, approved by the dean, will be converted to a failure (F) grade. Grade changes after the four-week period are discouraged as a matter of fairness to students who complete their work on time.
3. The credit value assigned at the time of registration is the credit value at the time the grade is submitted. Partial credit, whether for special or regular courses, is not given.
4. An I grade counts toward program pursuit for financial aid purposes.

AU (Audit)
The audit (AU) grade is available to nonmatriculated continuing education students only. These students may audit credit courses with permission of the instructor, who determines the requirements for participation by the auditor. Auditors pay full tuition and fees. Detailed information is available at www.purchase.edu/departments/AcademicPrograms/ce/GeneralInformation/GradesandTranscripts.aspx.

Matriculated students may informally audit courses with permission of the instructor, but may not receive AU grades. Registration for the course is not permitted, and the course does not appear on the student’s academic record. Matriculated students who choose to audit a course may not register for the course later in the semester.

W (Withdrawal)
Chosen by the student, this grade is available up to the end of the ninth week of classes and signifies an official withdrawal without prejudice. It is not calculated in the GPA or used to calculate accumulated full-time equivalent status, but may affect program pursuit for financial aid purposes and eligibility for campus housing. The signature of the student’s advisor is required on the Course Withdrawal form, which is available at www.purchase.edu/registrar (under “Forms”). Freshmen must also consult with and obtain the signature of their associate/assistant dean on the withdrawal form. The signatures, which do not necessarily indicate approval, are required to provide information to the advisor and the college.

R (Repeat)
Matriculated students admitted in Fall 1985 or after and nonmatriculated students registered in Fall 1993 or after may repeat any previously attempted Purchase College course to earn a higher grade at Purchase College. Only the higher grade will be computed in the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA), except when the previous grade was a permanent failing grade resulting from an academic integrity sanction. Please note that students cannot repeat courses that are no longer offered at Purchase College.

1. A student who wishes to repeat a course must complete and submit a Repeat Course form to the Office of the Registrar during the add/drop period of the semester in which the course will be repeated. This form is available at www.purchase.edu/registrar (under “Forms”).
2. A repeated course in which the student receives a grade of P, NC, W, or AU does not warrant an R grade.
3. Grades of W, AU, P, or NC will not be removed from the transcript, even if the course has been repeated.
4. If the credit value of the course has changed, the repeated course is worth the new credit value.
5. A student may not receive a grade of R for a course that is repeated by either an independent study or a tutorial.
6. The Freshman Seminar may not be repeated.
7. A course may not be repeated a third time unless special permission is granted by the chair or director of the student’s school or conservatory. Certain approved, repeatable courses in the arts are an exception to this rule.
8. Once the student has successfully complied with all the repeat course regulations, a notation of “(R)” will be inserted next to the original grade.

WF (Withdrawal/Failure)
Assigned by the faculty member, this grade signifies nonattendance by a student and failure to petition for a W grade. Faculty members may use the following as a general guideline:

1. If a student attended through the ninth week, he or she would not receive a WF, but rather an F or an NC, as is appropriate.
2. If a student did not attend through the ninth week, he or she would receive a WF instead of an F.

The WF grade is calculated as an F toward the GPA and does not count toward program pursuit for financial aid purposes.

Any updates to the grading system during 2013–2015 will be available at www.purchase.edu/departments/Registrar/grades.aspx.

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