Grades, Satisfactory Academic Progress

Grade System

National Exams (carry 0 points, not computed in GPA)

A student with a grade of less than ‘C’ in any subject should not expect to continue advanced work in that field unless there is other evidence indicating possible success.

* Veteran benefit recipients are not eligible for a ‘W’ or ‘AU’ grade unless they officially withdraw from a class using a Course Change Form. This form must be signed by the instructor indicating the last day of attendance. (This procedure complies with the guidelines recommended by the federal Veterans’ Administration.)

Audit (‘AU’) Grades

A student may choose to enroll in a course for an Audit grade which allows a student to fully participate in all aspects of the course, without graded assignments, without affecting the student’s grade-point average.

The Audit grade does not count for credit and does not count as successful completion of the course for prerequisite purposes nor for any degree or certificate program requirements. Students may not switch from a letter grade (including ‘P’) to an Audit grade for a course once they have registered for a letter grade. Students registering for an Audit grade may not file for a change of grade to a letter grade at the end of the course.

When a student registers for an Audit, Records and Registration assigns the final grade as ‘AU.’ Courses taken for an Audit grade do not appear on official transcripts. Students are cautioned that courses taken for an Audit grade will not be accepted for transfer at other postsecondary institutions. Students taking courses for Audit grades pay regular tuition and fees for audited courses.

The Audit grade option is not available for one-day workshops, dual or concurrent enrollment or College and Career Preparation (CCP) courses and all courses offered through Community Services (typically courses with a 099x designation).

To register for an Audit grade for a course, a student must take the following steps:

1. Beginning with the first day of the semester or summer session, a student must obtain a course Registration Form and an Audit Request Form from an academic adviser who can determine whether there is available space in the course. The student signs the Audit Request Form indicating that the student understands the limitations of auditing a course.
2. The student then checks with the instructor to see if the instructor will allow the student into the course as an auditing student. If so, the instructor signs the Registration Form and the Audit Request Form.
3. The student then takes the forms to the campus/center office to complete the registration process. The student receives a copy of the completed Audit Request Form. A copy of the Audit Request Form is attached to the Registration Form and sent to the Records and Registration Office.

Pass (‘P’) Grades

In certain classes it is possible to obtain a ‘P’ or Passing grade. The following information should help the student decide when considering the ‘P’ option:

• A ‘P’ grade is NOT available in any course designated as general education courses.
• All ‘P’ grades taken in the core requirement area of a degree must be approved by the appropriate dean.
• A ‘P’ grade MAY not be accepted for transfer credit to a postsecondary institution, and NPC only accepts ‘P’ grades in special circumstances as approved by the college.

• No ‘P’ credits are allowed for the following degrees: AA, AAEC, AAEE, ABUS, AS, or BAS-ECE (*Pending HLC Approval).

• For AGS or AAS degrees, the maximum number of ‘P’ credits allowed by NPC is 12.
• Because ‘P’ grades will satisfy course prerequisites as a “‘C’ or better,” the minimum requirements for a ‘P’ grade are those regularly required for a ‘C’ grade in any class in which the ‘P’ grade option is allowed.
• A ‘P’ grade cannot be later changed to a letter grade, nor can a letter grade be later changed to a ‘P’ grade.

Process

If a student wishes the ‘P’ grade option in a class where the option is available, the student must make a written request to the instructor to take the course on the “pass/fail” basis prior to the second class meeting of the semester. If the instructor agrees to the request, s/he shall sign and date the request and forward to the Records and Registration Office. All ‘P’ grades taken in core requirement area of a degree must be approved by the appropriate dean. The request may not later be rescinded.

Grades of ‘P’ earned in Spring 2020 only will be allowed to count toward a degree or certificate requirement as an exception to the general rules and will be accepted in transfer by Arizona universities. However, a grade of ‘P’ will not satisfy a course or program prerequisite where the requirement is a grade of ‘B’ or higher. The college reserves the right to change the terms and program applicability of courses with ‘P’ grades.

Incomplete (‘I’) Grades

An incomplete grade may be given to support student success when an extenuating circumstance exists (but not to delay a final grade when a student is performing poorly). To award an incomplete grade of “I,” the student must be passing the course with at least a “C,” or otherwise be demonstrating satisfactory performance (as determined by the instructor), at the time of the grade request. A student receiving an incomplete grade has the responsibility of completing all work as outlined in an Incomplete Grade Agreement for removal of the incomplete grade.

Once all work is completed and graded, the instructor will submit a Change of Grade form with a copy of the Incomplete Grade Agreement. The division’s dean and the Records and Registration-Admissions office keep a copy of the completed form. If an incomplete is not removed within one semester (Fall or Spring) from the end of the semester in which it was awarded, it is automatically converted to a grade of ‘F.’

Withdrawal (‘W’) Grades

A student or an instructor can initiate a grade of ‘W.’ Withdrawal from classes during the first two weeks of the semester (for semester length classes) will not be reflected on the student’s transcript. The grade of ‘W’ will appear on the student’s transcript for each class withdrawn from after the end of the second week of the semester. Students withdrawing from 8-week sessions have one week to withdraw without receiving a ‘W’ on their transcripts. All other nonsemester-length classes (usually identified as short-term classes) will show a ‘W’ regardless of when the withdrawal occurs after the class begins.

The course instructor may initiate an administrative withdrawal for a student after the 45th day of the semester and up to the final day of the semester by submitting a course change form or assigning a ‘W,’ which will be reflected on the student’s transcript at the end of the semester, with the exception of veteran benefits recipients. Once an instructor assigns a ‘W’ grade, the student will be withdrawn from the course by the Records and Registration office within one week of the assigned grade.

Whether initiated by the student or instructor, the last date of attendance (LDA) must be included with the withdrawal request

Withdrawal from Class(es)

Any student wishing to withdraw from class(es) on or after the first day of class must contact an academic adviser in order to complete the process.

SPECIAL NOTE: Students who completely unofficially withdraw and/or officially withdraw from NPC will have their federal financial aid recalculated by using the Federal Return of Title IV calculation prescribed by federal law. Financial Aid, Scholarships .

Grading Procedure

The instructor is responsible for assigning grades. Grades are based on academic performance, class participation and attendance. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. An instructor may lower a grade based on academic dishonesty or other forms of student misconduct. Academic dishonesty or other forms of student misconduct may also be referred to the Vice President for Learning and Student Services for further action. (See Student Conduct Code, Procedure 2625, on AZ SARA Out-of-State Distance Education Student Complaints ) Grade changes can be made only by the instructor with approval of the Dean and/or the Vice President for Learning and Student Services. Changes must be submitted within one semester from the end of the semester in which the grade was awarded. After that time, the student must follow the Appeal of Grade process. Students who disagree with a grade may file a grade appeal as outlined in the Appeal of Grade section (See Student Appeal of Grade ).

Raising Grades

A student may repeat a course to raise a grade. The higher grade will be credited and counted in computing the student’s gradepoint average. The lower grade will not be used, but will still appear on any transcript.

SPECIAL NOTE: Students receiving financial aid are limited to the number of times a class may be repeated for benefit purposes. See Financial Aid, Scholarships , note 1. Transfer credits cannot be used to raise a grade. See Admission Requirements  under Regionally Accredited Institutions.

Repeating Courses

You can repeat a course as many times as you wish.* Each instance will show up on your transcript along with the grade you received, but only the highest grade will be counted toward your grade-point average and toward fulfilling credit requirements for a degree or certificate.

SPECIAL NOTE: Students receiving financial aid are limited to the number of times a class may be repeated for benefit purposes. See Financial Aid, Scholarships , note 1.

*EXCEPTION: Some music performance, art studio or Health and Physical Education courses can only be repeated up to four times for degree or certificate credit. See an academic adviser for specific courses.

Reporting of Grades

Instructors post final grades after each semester. Students can view their grades and obtain unofficial transcripts by logging in to MyNPC. Transcripts and grades will not be released until all financial obligations to the college have been met.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

All students are required to maintain certain standards of academic performance called Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). A student must make satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of his or her degree or certificate program.

The measure of satisfactory academic progress is the maintenance of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above.

Failure to Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements

1. After the first semester in which the student earns a cumulative grade point average that falls below 2.0, the student is placed on Academic Warning.
2. After the second semester in which the student earns a cumulative grade point average that falls below 2.0, the student is placed on Academic Probation.

Academic Warning

Any student who fails to meet a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above will receive an Academic Warning. The Academic Warning serves as a caution to the student that he or she did not maintain satisfactory academic progress during their last semester of attendance at NPC.

Students will be removed from Academic Warning status after completing the next semester in which they are enrolled in good academic standing: the cumulative GPA must be 2.0 or above.

Academic Probation

Any student on Academic Warning who fails to meet a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above in any subsequent semester will be placed on Academic Probation. Academic Probation status is a point at which the student, working with an academic advisor, should reconsider academic strategies that are not working.

Students will be removed from Academic Probation status only after completing a subsequent semester in good academic standing: the cumulative GPA must be 2.0 or above.

Removal from Probation - The Academic Plan

An academic plan is a formal process by which a student, in consultation with an academic advisor, maps out a strategy for success in subsequent college classes. The student, working with an academic advisor, must decide on a strategy to bring the cumulative grade point average above 2.0 in future semesters. That strategy must be documented on the Academic Plan Agreement form. The student will remain on Academic Probation status until they have completed a subsequent semester in good academic standing: the cumulative GPA must be 2.0 or above.

Students on Academic Probation will not be allowed to enroll in classes without an approved Academic Plan in place. The Academic Plan must be reviewed, re-written, and signed for each semester in which a student remains on Academic Probation.

Students will be removed from Academic Probation status after completing a subsequent semester in good academic standing: the cumulative GPA must be 2.0 or above.

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