Grades and Credits

Delta State University uses a standardized grading and credit system and provides students with access to their individual grades.

Grading System:  The grading system for academic courses that are included in the GPA calculation at Delta State University is on a five-letter basis and makes use of the following letters: A, excellent; B, good; C, satisfactory; D, poor; F, failure. The following designations are not included in the GPA calculation: W (Withdrawal), I (Incomplete), IP (In Progress), CR (Credit), NC (No Credit), NS (No Show), AU (Audit).

Quality Point: Value assigned to letter grade per credit hour.

Grade Point Average (GPA): The total amount of quality points earned divided by the total number of credit hours attempted. (Range of 0.00 to 4.00)

Grades and Reports

Midterm grade reports are required for all students in all courses. Midterm grades are reported and are accessible for viewing on DSU Online Services.

Final grades are reported and are accessible for viewing on DSU Online Services. Prompt reporting of final grades is absolutely essential to proper recording and processing of records and to permit preparation for the upcoming registration.

If an error is made in reporting a final grade, the instructor should report to the Registrar and execute a Change-of-Grade Form.

SYSTEM OF GRADING

The grading system for academic courses at Delta State University is based on grades of A, B, C, D, and F. To these marks, the following quality point values are assigned: A,4; B,3; C,2; D,1; F,0. These values are termed quality points per semester hour of credit. Grading policies specific to an individual course are found in the course syllabus. The letter I indicates that coursework is incomplete due to providential causes. Poor performance or unexplained absences are not a justification for the assignment of an I. Faculty shall notify the chair prior to awarding a grade of I. A grade of I must be removed by the day grades are due for the next fall or spring term, regardless of enrollment, or the I will automatically become an F. This requirement does not apply to theses, dissertations, and other research or practicum courses, which can award the grade of IP. A grade of NS will be assigned to courses for which a student registers but fails to attend any face-to-face class meetings or fails to actively participate in an online course.

Various departments at Delta State University offer non-credit activities (e.g. workshops, camps, CEU’s) for the benefit of community members; non-credit activities are not eligible for academic credit.

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION

A maximum of 30 semester hours of undergraduate credit may be earned from the following sources: The Advanced Placement Test (APT), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate Program (IB), Cambridge International Exam (CIE), military learning (includes military transcripts and DSST – formerly DANTES Subject Standardized Tests), and correspondence courses.

Please see the current catalog for additional information.

For credit on the following, contact the offices listed below:

AP-Advanced Placement Test, Registrar’s Office

CLEP-College Level Examination Program, Office of Counseling and Testing.

IB-International Baccalaureate Program, Registrar’s Office

CIE-Cambridge International Exam, Registrar’s Office

Military Learning, Registrar’s Office

Responsible Office and/or Policy Owner: Office of Academic Affairs

• The American Council on Education Recommended Credit Granting Score for CLEP
• Academic Council Meeting Minutes: 1/7/98, 9/26/01, 2/27/02, 7/9/02, 10/29/02, 12/3/02, 6/4/02, 1/20/04, 07/24/2012, 10/10/2013
• Academic Records Retention Policy
• Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-38

Active

• Academic Council Approval: 01/07/98, 09/26/01, 02/27/02, 10/29/02, 12/03/02, 06/04/02, 01/20/04, 07/24/12, 10/10/13, 5/13/15, 02/26/2019; 09/12/2019
• Cabinet Approval: 06/08/15, 03/27/2019; 09/23/2019