Grades

This page defines the grading system used at Boise State University. In addition, this page contains information on probation and dismissal, as well as instructions for calculating your grade point average (GPA). Finally, the page defines the university’s policy on attendance and the policies governing final examinations.

Boise State University’s Grading System

Boise State University uses a 4.0 grading scale. The table below lists the letter grades that instructors use to document their evaluation of your work and to document your academic status in the class. In addition, it defines the meaning of each letter grade and specifies the number of quality points that correspond to each grade. Quality points are used to determine your grade-point average (GPA). The procedure for calculating your GPA is described below.

Letter Grades
Letter Grade	Meaning	Quality Points per Credit Hour	Used to Calculate GPA?
A+	Distinguished Work	4	Yes
A	Distinguished Work	4	Yes
A-	Distinguished Work	3.7	Yes
B+	Superior Work	3.3	Yes
B	Superior Work	3.0	Yes
B-	Superior Work	2.7	Yes
C+	Average Work	2.3	Yes
C	Average Work	2.0	Yes
C-	Average Work	1.7	Yes
D+	Below-average Work	1.3	Yes
D	Below-average Work	1	Yes
D-	Below-average Work	.7	Yes
F	Failure	0	Yes
P	Pass: satisfactory work equivalent to C or higher; credits earned	0	No
I	Incomplete	0	No
W	Student withdrew from the course	0	No
AUD	Course was taken under audit status	0	No
UAU	Unsatisfactory Audit: did not meet requirements set by instructor	0	No
CW	Student completely withdrew from all classes that semester	0	No

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How to Calculate Your Grade-Point Average (GPA)

For each student, Boise State University calculates and documents three types of grade-point average (GPA):

cumulative GPA

semester (term) GPA

Boise State University GPA

Each of the three types of GPA is calculated with the same formula: total quality points you have earned divided by the total number of GPA units you have attempted, as shown below.

Total Quality Points Earned / GPA Units Attempted = GPA

In calculating your cumulative GPA, Boise State University uses courses you have taken at the university in your current “career” and all courses you have transferred from other post-secondary institutions—but only if you received a final letter grade (A+ through F) in those transferred courses. During any semester you can be enrolled in one of two possible careers—undergraduate or graduate.

In calculating semester GPA, the formula uses only the quality points earned and GPA units attempted that semester. For Boise State University GPA, the formula uses only quality points earned and GPA units attempted at Boise State University in your current career.

All GPA calculations exclude credits for:

pass/fail courses in which you received a final grade of P (Note: a grade of F will impact your GPA)

courses that you registered for but later dropped from your schedule, even though the course may appear on your transcript with a final grade of W or CW

courses you took under audit status (AUD or UAU)

courses in which you have received the grade of I, for incomplete, (until the I is changed to a letter grade)

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Incompletes

Instructors can enter a grade of I—for incomplete—if both of the following conditions are present:

Your work has been satisfactory up to the last three weeks of the semester.

Extenuating circumstances make it impossible for you to complete the course before the end of the semester.

In order to receive an incomplete, you and your instructor must agree to a contract stipulating the work you must do and the time in which it must be completed for you to receive a grade in the class. The terms of this contract are viewable on my.BoiseState under Your Student Center To Do List. The contract time varies as set by the instructor but may not exceed one year. If no grade other than incomplete has been assigned one year after the original incomplete, the grade of F will automatically be assigned. The grade of F may not be changed without approval of the University Appeals Committee. You may not remove the incomplete from your transcript by re-enrolling in the class during another semester. A grade of incomplete is excluded from GPA calculations until you receive a final grade in the course.

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Dean’s List

The Dean’s List is a roster of undergraduate students who have received very high grades during a particular fall or spring semester of full-time enrollment. To be included in the Dean’s List, you must meet the following criteria:

You must complete 12 or more college-level credit hours in a given semester, excluding classes graded Pass/Fail.

For that semester, you must attain a semester grade-point average (GPA) of 3.50 or higher.

For that semester, you may not receive a grade of Incomplete.

You will receive an Honors designation on the Dean’s List if you attain a GPA of 3.50 to 3.74; High Honors for a GPA of 3.75 to 3.99; and Highest Honors for a GPA of 4.00. This designation will appear on your transcript.

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Repeating a Course

If you wish to improve your grade in a course to meet core or degree requirements, you may register to repeat a course. You may register only three times for any Boise State University course. Courses dropped within the first ten days of the semester are excluded from the three registrations maximum. Also excluded from this policy are courses that can be taken multiple times for additional credit, such as kinesiology (fitness) activity courses, private music lessons, and art studio classes. Prior Learning credits cannot be used to repeat a class already completed. If you do repeat a course, you may count toward your degree only the number of credits you would have received if you had taken the course only once. When you repeat a course, both grades appear on your transcript.

Courses repeated prior to Fall 1995 use a grade replacement policy. Only the most recent grade was used in calculating the cumulative GPA.

Courses repeated Fall 1995 through Summer 2001 used a grade averaging policy. Courses repeated will be averaged, using both grades in the calculation of the GPA.

Beginning Fall 2001 and on, courses repeated will use a grade replacement policy. Only the most recent grade will be used in calculation of the cumulative GPA.

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Grade Exclusion

You may petition to exclude from GPA calculation any grades earned at Boise State University or at another institution in one or two semesters in which your GPA is less than 2.0. You must meet all of the following criteria:

You must not have been a student at any institution of higher education for at least five years, or at least eight years must have elapsed since you received the grades you wish to have excluded.

After being readmitted and before applying for grade exclusion, you must complete 12 consecutive credits at Boise State University with a GPA of 2.50 or higher, or 24 consecutive credits with a GPA of 2.25 or higher.

You have not previously been granted grade exclusion at Boise State University.

If you request grade exclusion, you must have all grades excluded in the semester or semesters chosen; you may not choose individual grades. If you wish to exclude grades from two semesters, you must petition for both semesters at the same time (on the same form). All grades, past and present, will remain on your transcript, but the excluded grades will not count toward graduation or be calculated in your GPA. However, all grades, including those that have been excluded, will be used to calculate graduation honors. You may receive grade exclusion only once. If you possess a post-secondary degree or certificate, you may not have any grades earned prior to receiving that degree or certificate excluded from your GPA. Grade exclusion may affect your financial aid; contact the Financial Aid Office for details.

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Academic Standing/Probation and Dismissal

To remain in good academic standing, you must maintain a minimum grade-point average (GPA) for the number of credits you have earned. The table below shows the minimum Boise State GPA you must have in relation to the total cumulative credits earned (includes both transfer and Boise State credits) for determining probation or dismissal status.

Minimum Boise State University GPA Necessary to Remain in Good Academic Standing
Cumulative Credits Earned (Transfer and Boise State)	Minimum Boise State Cumulative GPA BSU GPA only–Transfer GPA not included
0 to 6	1.00
7 to 32	1.60
33 to 64	1.80
65 or more	2.00

If you fail to maintain the minimum Boise State University GPA shown in the table, you are placed on probation. At the end of your next semester at Boise State University, the university reviews your record and takes one of the following actions:

Removes you from probation (if your cumulative Boise State University GPA is at or above the minimum specified)

Continues your probation (if your cumulative Boise State University GPA is below the minimum specified, but your semester GPA is 2.0 or higher)

Dismisses you from the university (if your cumulative Boise State University GPA is below the minimum specified and your semester GPA is below 2.0)

NOTE: If you transfer credits to Boise State University and are admitted on probation, you must attain at least a 2.0 GPA in your first semester. If you fail to do so, you will be dismissed from the university. For more information on transferring credits and admission status, see Admissions, and Obtaining a Degree at Boise State University.

If you leave the university while on probation, you will remain on probation when you return—even if you have attended another institution in the meantime. While on probation, you may be ineligible to receive financial aid and you may be ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities sponsored by the university. For more information on these restrictions, see Financial Aid and the Boise State University Student Handbook.

If you are dismissed from the university, you are barred from enrolling for one semester (fall or spring) after the first dismissal and for one academic year after any subsequent dismissal. If you wish to appeal this waiting period, you must file an appeal with the University Academic Appeals Committee. The Academic Academic Appeals Form is available from the Registrar’s Office.

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Attendance Policy

You are responsible for attending courses for which you are enrolled. You are also responsible for making up any work you may have missed by failing to attend class, even if the absence was approved by the university, necessitated by illness, or necessitated by a personal emergency. In this sense, then, there are no “excused” absences. Please note, as well, that you may be automatically withdrawn from a course if you fail to attend one of the first two meetings of a class that meets more than once each week, or if you fail to attend the first meeting of a class that meets once each week, see Registration Policies and Procedures, in “Faculty-Initiated Withdrawals.”

Students should not expect that an instructor will withdraw them for nonattendance. The primary responsibility for course withdrawal rests with the student.

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Last Week of Classes

No test or examination is to be given during the last seven calendar days preceding the first day of the officially scheduled final exam period for the fall or spring semester (See the Academic Calendar for final exam period dates) with the following exceptions:

In lab or performance classes where it is necessary

No take home test or exam is to be due prior to the beginning of the officially scheduled examination period, although a take home final test or examination may be distributed during this time period

Homework, papers, problem sets, and projects may be due during this time frame

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Final Examinations

Each semester, a schedule for final examinations is published online in the Boise State University Registration Guide. This schedule defines the dates and times during which all final examinations must be scheduled. All in-class final exams must be given during the officially scheduled final examination periods. An exception to the schedule is allowed only on an individual basis with the exception to be arranged between the instructor and the student.

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