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Saint Xavier University Chicago Campus Residence Halls

Grading Policy


Grade Reports

Students may access term grades as part of the academic record on Self-Service. Students who are not making satisfactory progress are informed periodically by the instructors.

Formal grade reports are available at the end of each grading period and are mailed to the student's home upon request. Please contact the Office of Records and Registration if you wish to have a formal grade report sent to your home.

The Grading System

The amount of work accomplished by a student is expressed in credit hours. In general, one credit hour represents one hour of class or two to four hours of laboratory work a week for a semester. Variations from this general plan of equivalence are typical in such instructional modes as seminars, independent study and credit-by-examination. The quality of work is indicated by grade points earned per credit hour:

Grade Description Grade Points
A Excellent 4
B Good 3
C Acceptable 2
D Poor 1
F Failure ***Requires last date of attendance 0
I Incomplete 0
P Pass (D or better) 0
R Repeat 0
W Withdrawal 0
X Student did not attend 0
CI Course In Progress 0

Pass/Fail Grading

Students who have established and maintained a 2.0 grade-point average after completion of 15 hours at Saint Xavier University may take their elective credit hours on pass/fail grading. It is understood that instructors will allow a student to take any course that is an elective in the student's individual program on a pass/fail basis.

Pass/fail grading may not be taken in:

  • any course fulfilling General Education requirements
  • any course in the major field
  • any course specified as required in a major program, even if that course is in a program other than the major

The P grade does not carry any grade points; therefore it does not affect the cumulative grade-point average.

The F grade does affect the cumulative grade-point average.

The responsibility for finding out whether a course is required in an individual student's program rests with the student, not with the instructor of the course. Students should review their program evaluation on Self-Service to ensure that courses apply to their program.

A student wishing to elect courses on a pass/fail basis should acquire a form from the Office of Records and Registration (A-203), secure the signature of the instructor and submit it to the Office of Records and Registration no later than Monday of mid-term week of the section.

A student who chooses pass/fail grading may not revert to regular grading after pass/fail has been elected. Courses taken as pass/fail may not be used to count toward graduation honors.

Incomplete Grades

A student may request an incomplete grade from an instructor if there is a legitimate reason acceptable to the instructor and the student is making satisfactory progress at the time. The student and instructor agree on requirements and time limit for completion of the course. The agreed upon date is then entered by the Office of Records and Registration.

Requirements must be completed no later than the 10th week of the following semester (fall or spring). Failure to meet the stated requirements will result in an automatic grade of F. If a student carries more than one incomplete grade into the following semester, his/her course load should be reduced. Evaluation of academic standing is made from the grade reports at the end of each grading period and will not be deferred until work is completed on courses in which there was an incomplete.