Grading Systems and Reports
At the close of a session or upon completion of a class, the instructor reports a final grade indicating the quality of the student’s work in the class. Grade reports are available to you after the close of each session via W&J Advisor, the College’s online registration system. Official copies of grade reports and transcripts are available to you through the College Registrar.

In addition to final term grades, midterm grades are reported to some students. All first-term, full-time freshmen receive midterm evaluations, as do any student on academic probation or those whose work at mid-term merits grades below C-. Midterm grades are available to you via W&J Advisor.

Grade-point values are assigned for each credit according to the grading system below.

The basis for determining the student’s overall scholastic standing is the grade point average (GPA). This average is determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of courses attempted. For example, if a student earns a C (2.00) in each of two full courses, and a B (3.00) in each of two half-courses, first multiply the course units by the point-value of the grade (grade of 2.00 * 1 course = 2.00 grade points and grade of 3.00 * ½ course = 1.5 grade points) and add the grade point values for each course together to find the total number of grade points (2+2+1.5+1.5 = 7). Then add the course units together to find the courses attempted (1+1+ ½ + ½=3). Finally, divide the grade points by the courses attempted to find the grade point average (7/3=2.33, or C+ average). The grade point average is figured only on hours attempted—courses in which you receive letter grade (A through F). Grades of Satisfactory or Audit represent courses earned but are not used in the calculation of the grade point average.

Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory Option
The satisfactory/unsatisfactory option is open to all students at the College. Between Midterm and ten class days (two weeks) after Midterm, or during the second full week of Intersession, students may convert a course (excluding ENG 111, ENG 112, and Freshman Forum) from a graded to a satisfactory-unsatisfactory (S/U) basis. Students exercising this option may not subsequently withdraw from that course.

A student taking a course graded S/U must do all the work normally assigned in the course. For example, he or she must take all tests and quizzes and must complete all papers. The student is also subject to the current College attendance requirements.

No more than two courses (excluding internships and physical education classes) may
be taken on an S/U basis during a student’s time at W&J.

Courses graded S/U will not count towards the fulfillment of a student’s major or minor requirements. Grading for S/U courses is governed by the following: A student earning a C or better will be considered to have earned a “satisfactory” grade. A student receiving an “unsatisfactory” grade will not receive credit for the course. Neither an S grade nor a U grade will affect the student’s grade point average.

Physical education and wellness courses are offered on an S/U basis, unless specifically approved otherwise by the Faculty.

Incomplete Grades and Grade Changes
Failure to complete all assigned work in a course shall result in an F grade, unless a student presents a signed medical or other excuse to justify an incomplete grade to the Office of Academic Affairs. The grade of Incomplete may be given by an instructor only upon the written confirmation of a valid excuse from the Office of Academic Affairs. Incomplete grades must be completed in the first four weeks of the succeeding session, not to include Intersession, in which a student is enrolled, or the grade of I will be automatically converted to an F. Grade corrections must be completed in the first four weeks of the subsequent 14-week session.

Academic Decision Appeal Procedure
Students have protection through orderly procedures against prejudice or capricious academic evaluation. These procedures are outlined in the Implementation Document for Students Rights and Freedoms, which is readily available through the student affairs offices in the Rossin Campus Center.

Dean's List and College Scholars
At the conclusion of each fall and spring session, the Academic Affairs Office compiles a list of full-time students whose grade point averages for the previous session were 3.50 or higher, based upon a minimum of three courses, exclusive of those taken with the Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory option. Courses taken under the Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory option must be completed satisfactorily. In addition, each year, students may be designated Alpha or Beta Scholars. Students designated as Alpha Scholars have a cumulative grade point average of 3.85 or higher. Students designated as Beta Scholars have a cumulative grade point average between 3.70 and 3.84.

Academic Sanctions
Full-time students whose academic performance fails to meet acceptable standards will be issued a warning or placed on probation by the Academic Status Committee or, with the approval of the faculty, will be dismissed from the College. When students are placed on academic probation, they must arrange an interview with a representative of the Office of Academic Affairs. The purpose of this interview will be to review their academic performances and establish a program for improvement. Students placed on academic probation are expected to remove their deficiencies at the earliest possible time. This can be accomplished only by means of improved grades. The staff will assist in designing individualized programs to improve the academic performance of students placed on academic probation. These programs may include time management, study skills, restricted activities, and personal conferences with academic advisors, deans, and members of the faculty. In addition, students on probation may not participate in co-curricular College activities, such as student government, intercollegiate athletics, and other clubs and organizations, while on probation without written permission from the Office of Academic Affairs to do so. Students may be removed from probation only by the Committee on Academic Status after the completion of a regular session or a summer session of full-time study at this College, as defined in the description of Full-Time Status.

Rarely is a student permitted to remain on probation for more than one year. The Committee on Academic Status reviews the record of every probationary student at the close of each session. Students who have improved their work to the satisfaction of the committee standards are removed from probation. Others, whose work shows no improvement, may be dismissed from the College. A student who is academically dismissed for a second time is ineligible to return to the College.

Readmission after Academic Dismissal
Students who are dismissed from the College must remain away from school for at least one full fall or spring term. After that period, students may petition the Academic Status Committee for permission to reapply. During their time away, dismissed students should engage in a course of activity, which may include attendance at another institution, intended to address the causes of their lack of academic success and to demonstrate their readiness to return to W&J. More information about readmission after academic dismissal may be obtained from the Office of Academic Affairs.

A student who is academically dismissed for a second time is ineligible to return to the College.

Overload policy
For full-time students, your fall and spring tuition cover nine course registrations, or the equivalent, during the academic year. If you register for more than 36 credits (the equivalent of 9 courses) in one academic year, you will be charged an overload fee of $650 per credit in excess of the 36. Please note that this calculation is based on what you register for in a year, rather than what you complete. Your registration for each term is tabulated at the end of the add/drop period. Finally, this policy does not apply to physical education and wellness courses, applied music studies, or the theatre practicum course, THR 151.

Fifth course
Any freshman or sophomore making the Dean’s List in a 14-week session is permitted to take a fifth course in the subsequent 14-week session, with the written approval of the student’s major advisor and the registrar.Any junior or senior earning a G.P.A. of 2.5 or better in a 14-week session is permitted to take a fifth course in the subsequent 14-week session, with the written approval of the student’s major advisor and the registrar.A senior in his or her final term who does not qualify under this regulation but is otherwise in good academic standing will be permitted to take a fifth course.A fifth course that results in more than nine course registrations for a single academic year will carry an additional tuition charge, in accordance with the overload policy described above.

Repeat of a course
Any course (except Freshman Forum) successfully completed at W&J may be repeated once. The original course (and grade) and the repeat of the course (and grade) will appear on the student’s transcript. Only the second grade is counted towards graduation requirements and the grade point average. Students may take any number of Special Topics courses with the same course number as long as the topics of the courses are different.

Tutorials
A tutorial course is intended to provide individual students the opportunity to pursue a specific course of academic work under the close direction of an instructor who has agreed to supervise the work. The typical tutorial course is one that is listed in this catalog, but which the student pursues outside of the traditional classroom setting. Therefore, the instructor for the tutorial guides the course of the tutorial. Such courses may be offered under their standard course nomenclature, or under a 291/292 number (freshmen and sophomores) or 391/392 (juniors and seniors).

Internships
The Faculty has established internships so that students might better acquaint themselves with environmental, pre-vocational, political, social, educational, or technical circumstances of our society. The central component of the internship is an off-campus, participatory experience, under the guidance and supervision of a qualified practitioner in the field. The experience must involve academic content. Time spent in the field may be reduced by the amount of time necessary to complete academic requirements or materials for evaluation. Also, the faculty advisor of the internship or the chair of the department offering the internship may require additional academic requirements for the student to complete, where it seems appropriate. Internships are offered primarily during Intersession and they are graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.

A student may take no more than two internships for credit. Both may be taken in the same department. A student must have an overall grade-point average of 2.50 or higher (4.00 scale) to take an internship, and a student on academic probation may not take an internship.

Many students elect to pursue internships over the summer term. If the student wishes to pursue course credit for such an experience, it is considered to be a summer course and is subject to the summer session course fee.

Independent study
Independent study projects allow a student to do individual work, under the guidance of a qualified director, on a topic of special interest to the student. The student is responsible for the overall scope and direction of the project, but receives course credit only with the approval of the independent study director.

During the January Intersession Term, the Independent Study option is open to all students. During the Fall or Spring term, juniors and seniors are permitted and encouraged to pursue some course of independent study. Sophomores may petition the Academic Status Committee for permission to pursue independent studies.

Application forms are available from the Office of Academic Affairs. The project must be approved by the student’s advisor, the academic department supervising the project, and the Office of Academic Affairs. The deadline for application is the end of the add/drop period for each term.

International education and Study abroad
Students are encouraged to learn the languages, cultures, and customs of other nations and to deepen their understanding of world affairs. To introduce students to diverse cultures and a wider world, the College encourages its students to study abroad. At the same time, the College brings international students to campus, especially through student exchange programs.

The College has established formal academic relationships with International University in Moscow, Russia; the University of Cologne, Germany; the College of Higher Studies in Administration (CESA) in Bogotá, Colombia; and with the University of Guanajuato in Mexico. These institutions offer qualified and interested W&J students an opportunity to spend a semester or a year in Russia, Germany, Colombia, or Mexico pursuing a full array of courses. Likewise, students from these sister-colleges regularly attend W&J. Many other study abroad opportunities are also available. Recent W&J students have studied in Australia, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Courses taken abroad may contribute towards the fulfillment of general education, major or other program requirements at W&J.

Students who wish to pursue study abroad for a full semester or academic year should plan their coursework carefully. Preferably during the freshman year but no later than February 1 of the sophomore year, students should consult with their academic advisor, the chair of the major department, the Registrar’s Office, and the relevant sponsor of the study abroad program for information and directions.

Many students elect to use Intersession as an opportunity to study abroad. Such experiences offer an affordable and comfortable way to begin to pursue study abroad. Recent instructor-guided Intersession courses abroad visited Germany, London, East Africa, Japan, Borneo, Australia, and Mexico.

Obtaining course credit for courses and programs completed at other colleges
A currently enrolled W&J student, with approval of his or her major advisor and the Registrar’s Office, may take courses at another college or university. Courses in which the student earns grade of C– or better may be transferred to W&J, subject to existing regulations covering
such courses. The student initiates the procedure by obtaining a course description from the
other institution and presenting this to the relevant department chair at W&J. The Office of the
Registrar will provide further instructions and the appropriate course transfer form.

If you are an incoming transfer student, the Office of the Registrar, in conjunction with the Office of Academic Affairs and department chairs, will provide the final determination the course credit awarded from the courses you have completed prior to coming to W&J.

In any given summer, a W&J student may transfer to W&J up to two courses taken in another summer school program. These courses must be approved in advance according to the procedure described in the first paragraph in this section.

Graduation With Honors in an Academic Major
Students who wish to pursue academic work beyond the classroom are encouraged to complete an honors project. Students may pursue honors in any course of study at the College that offers a major. Students need not be pursuing a major in that course of study to do an honors project. Students wishing to pursue honors in a course of study that does not offer a major must petition the Committee on Academic Status for approval to pursue honors in that course of study.
Students should have an overall G.P.A. of 3.2 or above, and a G.P.A. of 3.4 or above in the course of study in which honors are to be pursued. Students may work for honors in either the junior or senior years, and in the sophomore year in extraordinary cases. Students will write an honors proposal that will describe the scholarly work proposed and provide an explanation of why the project is worthy of honors. The Committee on Academic Status will review the honors proposal and provide feedback to the student. Once the honors project is complete, the student’s work is evaluated by faculty members in the major, as well as faculty from outside the major. Successful completion of these requirements will lead to the awarding of honors in an academic major.
Complete procedures for graduation with honors in an academic major may be obtained from the Office of Academic Affairs.

Graduation With Distinction
The rank of a student at graduation will be determined wholly by the work done while at Washington & Jefferson College. In order to be eligible for the ranks of summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude, a student must have completed at least four 14-week terms of four-day classes each plus two Intersessions. Eligible students whose G.P.A. for their full course is not less than 3.85 will be graduated summa cum laude; those whose G.P.A. is less than 3.85 but not less than 3.70 will be graduated magna cum laude; those whose G.P.A. is less than 3.70 but not less than 3.50 will be graduated cum laude.