/Institutions/Rock-Valley-College/json/name/2026-2027-College-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/Rock-Valley-College/json/name/2026-2027-College-Catalog.json

Grading

Grade Points and Letter Grades

Grade points at Rock Valley College are assigned on the following scale.

Grade Point Scale

Grade level	Significance	Grade point
A	Superior	4.0
B	Good	3.0
C	Average	2.0
D	Poor	1.0
F	Failure	0
W	Withdrew/Not completed	NA
T	Credit by proficiency	NA
AU	Audit*	NA
P	Successful completion	NA
I	Incomplete**	0
G	Transfer grade of A–C	NA
H	Transfer grade of D	NA

NA = not applicable

Audit – Students may elect to audit a course (no credit, no grade points, not figured in grade point average). Audit status indicates that the student will attend the classes but will not receive credit. A student must declare audit status before the first day of classes.

Incomplete – Upon prior arrangement and agreement with the course instructor, and upon submission of the college’s incomplete grade agreement form by the instructor, an incomplete (I) indicator will be recorded on the student’s record.

An I will be issued at the discretion of the instructor when course requirements are not fulfilled by the end of the term and only when the instructor believes that the reason the student cannot complete the course in a timely fashion is sufficiently serious to warrant the issuance of the I indicator.

The incomplete grade agreement is a contract made between the student and the instructor and states specifically what the student must do to complete the course work. The course work must be completed within the specified time period, not to exceed 12 months from the end of the term in which the course was taken. Upon completion of the course work, the instructor will change the I indicator to the appropriate letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F). If the student does not complete the course work within this prescribed time period, a grade of F will be entered for the course.

Calculation of Grade Point Averages

A grade point average (GPA) is calculated at the conclusion of each semester. The GPA includes all A, B, C, D, and F grades completed to date, except courses in which the pass/fail system is used exclusively, courses in which the pass/fail option is selected, or courses numbered less than 100. If a course is repeated, only the best grade earned will be computed in the student’s GPA.

The GPA is calculated on a four-point scale (F = 0, D = 1, C = 2, B = 3, and A = 4). The number of grade points for each letter grade is multiplied by the number of credit hours earned for that course. The total grade points are divided by the total credit hours for which the student received an A, B, C, D, or F.

Appeal of a Capricious Final Grade

The following procedures are available only for review of alleged capricious grading and not for review of the judgment of an instructor in assessing the quality of a student’s work. Capricious grading is limited to one or more of the following:

a. The assignment of a final course grade to a particular student on some basis other than performance in the course.

b. The assignment of a final course grade to a particular student by a substantial departure from the instructor’s standards announced during the term that are not uniformly applied to others in the class.

The assessment of the quality of the student’s academic performance is solely and properly the professional responsibility of the Rock Valley College faculty. It is essential for the standards of the academic programs at the college and the integrity of the degrees conferred that these professional judgments are not subject to pressures or interference from any source.

Process for Capricious Final Grade Appeal

A student who wishes to appeal a final course grade believed to have been capriciously given must follow the steps below. Grades may be appealed no later than the beginning of the fourth week of the academic term or summer session that directly follows the term in which the grade was awarded.

1. The student must first meet with the faculty member to review the criteria applied in assigning the grade.
2. If the issue is not resolved, the student may appeal in writing to the faculty member’s dean. The dean will review the appeal with the faculty member and communicate the decision in writing to the student.
3. If the issue remains unresolved, the student may appeal in writing to the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA). The VPAA will communicate the decision in writing to the student.
4. If still unresolved, the student may file a petition with the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) requesting a hearing by the Grade Review Committee. All decisions of this committee are final.

Academic Forgiveness Criteria

Academic forgiveness is a one-time, permanent (non-reversible) elimination of up to 15 semester hours of D or F grades in courses numbered 100 or above earned at Rock Valley College. Academic forgiveness applies only to GPA calculation and does not remove grades from the transcript. The college does not guarantee that a receiving transfer institution will honor this policy.

President’s List and Dean’s List

To be eligible for the President’s List or Dean’s List, students must complete at least 12 credit hours of college-level coursework applicable to a certificate or degree during the semester.

Students earning a semester GPA of 3.25 or higher are named to the Dean’s List. Students earning a 4.0 semester GPA are named to the President’s List. Recognition is awarded during the fall and spring semesters only.