Grading System
Grading and quality point averages will be based on completed courses using the following graduated four-point scale:
| A | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.33 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 |
| C+ | 2.33 |
| C | 2.00 |
| C- | 1.67 |
| D | 1.00 |
| F | 0.00 |
| CC | 0.00 |
| CON | 0.00 |
| CR | 0.00 |
| NC | 0.00 |
Grades
Grades are posted each semester to the student's Student Planning account. Letter grades range from A through D (passing), plus F, Incomplete (INC), and Condition (CON). Courses dropped after the official withdrawal date receive a W.
Instructors have four weeks after the grade submission deadline to report grade changes. Later changes require a written request to the Dean of the College.
Grades of A through D earn course credit. Grades of F or NC earn no credit; the course must be repeated and passed to receive credit. Grades of INC and CON do not earn credit but may be converted to passing grades by procedures described below.
The grade of Incomplete (INC) is given at the instructor's discretion when course requirements have not yet been met. The student must complete the outstanding work on the timeline prescribed by the instructor, not to exceed 4:00 PM on the first Monday of classes after mid-semester of the following Fall or Spring semester. The instructor may then assign any final grade deemed appropriate based on the quality of the work. INC grades are not counted in GPA except in Dean's List calculations, where they are weighted as grades of C.
The grade of Condition (CON) denotes a less-than-passing grade. It may be remediated by any method the instructor prescribes. The maximum grade following remediation is a D. The CON grade counts in the student's GPA as a grade of F until it is replaced by a D.
Both INC and CON grades convert to grades of F if they are not updated by 4:00 PM on the first Monday of classes after mid-semester of the following Fall or Spring semester. The grade of F will be not be modified unless approved by petition through the Curriculum Appeals Committee, or by the Dean of the College.
Comprehensive Exam Grades
A student's overall performance on comprehensive examinations receives one of three grades: DIS (Distinction); HP (High Pass); P (Pass). A student with multiple majors will take the comprehensive exam in each major, and receive one of these three grades for each exam. Comprehensive examination grades do not affect a student's GPA, but are used in the determination of final honors at graduation.
Withdrawals
Withdrawn courses are recorded with either the grade of W or the grade of WD. Neither of these grades have impact on a student's GPA. The grade of W denotes a student-initiated course drop after the deadline to drop courses as listed on the Academic Calendar. The grade of WD denotes official withdrawal from the College via the Dean of Students Office, and is applied to all unfinished courses that semester.
Credit/No Credit Option
A student may take any eligible course on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis. CR/NC credits earned in courses taught at Wabash do not count toward the 34 credits required for graduation. (Exception: Course Share credits earned through CIC partner institutions are graded CR/NC, and CR grades do count toward the 34-credit requirement.)
CR is awarded for a final letter grade of C- or higher; NC is awarded for any grade below C-. Both are recorded on the transcript accordingly. Citations may recognize exceptional work.
Non-Course Share courses required for distribution requirements or the minimum requirements of a major or minor may not be taken CR/NC. CR/NC courses taken during the Fall or Spring semester do not count toward enrollment status; however, Course Share courses taken during the Summer Semester — which are also graded CR/NC — do count toward enrollment status.
CR/NC status changes must be completed within the first four weeks of a full-semester course or the first two weeks of a half-semester course. After these deadlines, students may not petition to change the grading basis of a CR/NC course.
Conversion to Credit Option
Students with fewer than 15 earned credits toward a Wabash degree may convert up to two courses total — no more than one per semester — to Conversion to Credit (CC) grading. Students with fewer than 8 credits may use this option in any course except FRT-101 Freshman Tutorial, FRC-101 Enduring Questions, and ENG-101 Composition. Students with 8–14 earned credits may use this option only in courses numbered 200 or higher.
A student exercising this option receives CC for any course in which a D or higher would normally be earned, and NC for any course in which an F would be earned. CC grades earn graduation credit and may be used in courses that meet distribution requirements. Neither CC nor NC carries a point value in the GPA.
A student may file to exercise the CC option for a full-credit course beginning in the 7th week of the Fall or Spring semester and until the course withdrawal deadline. For a half-credit course, the window opens at the start of the 4th week. Summer semester deadlines may vary. All deadlines are identified on the Academic Calendar. To exercise this option, the student must submit a request form — with his academic advisor's approval — to the Registrar's Office by the stated deadline.
A grade of CC does not fulfill prerequisite requirements or meet requirements for a major or minor. Departments or program committees may, at their discretion, accept CC as fulfillment of co-requisite or collateral requirements for a major or minor. CC grades are not sufficient to earn back credit for a prior dual credit course — or in any other instance where back credit requires earning a specific grade in a Wabash course. A student may apply only one CC grade toward any single distribution requirement area.
The decision to use the CC/NC grading option is final and irreversible, and requires the student's advisor signature on a CC/NC request form filed with the Registrar's Office prior to the deadline. .
Repeated Courses and Transcription of Grades
Any Wabash course may be repeated at any time, with the exception of FRT-101, under the following conditions:
- The course must be repeated at Wabash.
- Course credits count toward graduation only once.
- If a student withdraws from the College, all currently registered courses receive a transcript entry of WD. This entry remains on the record even if the student returns and repeats the course. WD carries no GPA value.
- The grade and credit of a repeated course are counted in the GPA of the semester in which it is repeated. The previous grade — unless it is a WD — is replaced by "Repeat" when the Registrar records the second final grade. All WD grades will remain permanently on the student’s record.
FRC-101 (Enduring Questions) may be repeated only if the student received an F in the previous attempt.
If a repeated course is dropped with a W, the original grade is restored to the academic record. However, if the original grade was itself a W, both the original W and any subsequent grade will be recorded.
Once a student has graduated, his academic record is closed. Wabash does not admit students holding a bachelor's degree to earn an additional bachelor's degree. Any coursework taken after graduation will appear as a separate transcript entry and will not affect the undergraduate record or GPA.
Grade Changes
It is Wabash’s policy that when students have program or course concerns, they should first communicate directly with the appropriate department. Grade assignment is the responsibility and prerogative of the instructing faculty member. Students with questions about course evaluation are expected to consult with the instructor directly. If further consultation is needed, the student may bring the matter to the chair of the academic department or program, and then to the chair of the appropriate academic division.
Final course grades may be changed only when a faculty member determines that a calculation or entry error has been made. Faculty may submit corrections to the Registrar's Office within four weeks of the grade submission deadline; corrections submitted after four weeks require approval from the Dean of the College.