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GRADES

61.

 

(a)

 

A grade should be an instructor's estimate of a student's work with reference to the standards of a particular course, not with reference to the assumed intellectual capacity of the student.

 

(b)

 

The regular letter grades represent the following:

 

A
B
C
D
E

 

denotes the grade
denotes the grade
denotes the grade
denotes the grade
denotes the grade

 

90 - 100,
80 - 89,
70 - 79,
60 - 69,
below 60,

 

Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Failure

 

(c)

 

Plus and minus signs are used when appropriate to signify, respectively, markedly high and low position within the grade, except that no grade higher than A shall be given. A point value shall be assigned to each grade in a course as follows:

A

=

4.0

C-

=

1.7

A-

=

3.7

D+

=

1.3

B+

=

3.3

D

=

1.0

B

=

3.0

D-

=

0.7

B-

=

2.7

E

=

0.0

C+

=

2.3

C

=

2.0

Smith College S/U are not calculated.

For purposes of evaluating a student's academic standing, an average will be calculated by (1) multiplying the point value of the grade in the course by the number of credits for the course, (2) summing the products obtained for all courses, and (3) dividing the total by the sum of the number of credits obtained for all courses taken for regular letter grades.

 

(d)

 

A course may be taken for a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grade, providing:

  1. the instructor approves the option; and
  2. the student declares the grading option by the end of the ninth week of classes.

Satisfactory is equivalent to a C- or better grade.

Within the 128 credits required for the degree, a maximum of 16 credits (Smith or other Five College) may be taken for the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading option. All members of the faculty are required to submit letter grades for all students, except in cases of courses approved by the Committee on Academic priorities with mandatory Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading. The registrar will convert letter grades to S/U when applicable.

 

(e)

 

If a department requires, as part of its major, that a student undertake a special course, seminar, or independent project for Distinction/Pass/Fail, this fact will not reduce a student's option of taking up to 16 credits on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis as provided in Section (d).

 

(f)

 

The Dean's List is made up of students whose total records for the previous academic year average 3.333 or above, and who complete at least 24 credits for full-time students or 16 credits for part-time students.

 

62.

 

(a)

 

If a student is absent without an excuse from the Registrar's Office from a test announced at least a week in advance, the grade shall be E.

 

(b)

 

It is proper for an instructor to give an E to students who leave the classroom after finding out that an unannounced written test is about to be given or who remain in the room during the period but do not hand in a paper. If, however, the instructor follows a policy of giving no make-up tests, a grade of E should not be given for an unannounced test missed by a student.

63.

 

A separate grade shall be given for each semester of all year-long undergraduate courses (except year-long special studies and honors courses), with credit granted only upon successful compleltion of the full year. The grade of a year-long course dropped at the end of the first semester shall not be counted in determining a student's academic average in subsequent semesters.

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