Grading Policies
Grading System
You can understand and monitor your personal grade point average (GPA) by spending a few minutes learning how it is calculated. If you are interested in reaching a particular GPA goal, you can predetermine your anticipated GPA based on the grades you expect to earn. At the conclusion of each semester, your GPA will be calculated according to the following grading system.
Illinois Central College has used the following letter grades, definitions, and grade point equivalent as its official grading system.
Grade | Definition | Per Credit Hour |
|---|---|---|
A | Superior | 4.00 |
B | Good | 3.00 |
C | Average | 2.00 |
D | Poor | 1.00 |
F | Failing | 0.00 |
FA* | Attendance Failing | 0.00 |
WF | Withdrawal Failing | 0.00 |
FX | Grade Excluded | No grade point |
I | Incomplete | No grade point |
S | Successful | No grade point |
U | Unsuccessful | No grade point |
W | Withdrawal | No grade point |
NG | No Grade | No grade point |
NR | Not reported by instructor | No grade point |
P** | Pass | No grade point |
NP** | No Pass | No grade point |
GRADE | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
WF | Awarded to student who, without instructor approval, voluntarily withdraws from a class after the last day to withdraw without penalty. This grade will factor into the student’s GPA as a grade of “F.” |
FX | The student has met the requirements for grade exclusion. The grades with FX do not factor into the ICC grade point average. For complete details see the section on the Grade Exclusion Policy. |
I | Indicates the student has not completed requirements for the course. No grade points or credit hours will be given in a course or which the “I” grade was given. The student must complete all requirements for each course in which an incomplete grade has been received 90 days after final grades have been posted for that class(es); otherwise, the grade will be changed by Enrollment Services to an “F.” When the student has completed the requirements for a course within the allotted time, the incomplete grade will be changed on the permanent record to the appropriate letter-grade. Incomplete grades are given, by arrangement with the instructor, only when fully justified by serious circumstances (e.g., illness, accident, death or illness in the immediate family). Incomplete grades are not given for such reasons as unjustified failure to complete the required work by the end of the semester or failure to appear for the final examination. |
S | Indicates the student has fulfilled the requirements for the course and is issued S grade. This grade is not considered part of total hours attempted for purposes of determining cumulative GPA. The course is recorded on a student's academic record. |
U | Indicates the student has not fulfilled the requirements for the course and is issued U grade. This grade is not considered part of total hours attempted for purposes of determining cumulative GPA. The course is recorded on a student's academic record. |
NG | Indicates a Community Education non-credit activity which does not receive a grade or earn grade points. |
NR | No grade reported by instructor. |
FA | The student has attended through the midterm of the class then ceases to attend for the duration of the term. The “FA” grade factors into the grade point average as a failing grade. To avoid the “FA” grade, students must officially withdraw. *Last semester effective Summer 2022. |
P | Indicates a student received a grade of A, B or C but opted to take a P grade. This grade is not computed in the cumulative GPA. This grading option was offered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. **Effective Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 only. |
NP | Indicates a student received a grade of D, F, W, WF or FA but opted to take a NP grade. This grade is not computed in the cumulative GPA. This grading option was offered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. **Effective Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 only. |
Grade Point Average (GPA)
An important average for all students is their grade point average (GPA) which serves as a measure of academic achievement.
The number of grade points earned in a given course is calculated by multiplying the number of points assigned to the specific letter grade received in the class by the number of credit hours the course carries. Thus, a grade of B (3.00 grade points) in a course worth four credit hours would earn the student 12 (3 x 4) grade points.
A student’s GPA for a given semester is computed by dividing the total number of credit hours attempted into the total number of grade points earned. The division is carried out three places to the right of the decimal point. An example is shown below:
Course | Credit Hours | Letter Grade | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 110 | 3 | B | 9 |
PSY 110 | 3 | C | 6 |
BIOL 111 | 4 | A | 16 |
PHYED 130 | 1 | B | 3 |
HIST 111 | 4 | B | 12 |
Total | 15 |
| 46 |
GPA = 46 divided by 15 = 3.066
Grade point averages are calculated at the conclusion of each semester. Courses with grades I, S, U, W, FX, NG, NR, P and NP are not considered part of the total hours attempted for purposes of determining a student’s GPA, but these grades are recorded on the student’s academic record. Remember, an "F" counts as hours attempted, but earns "0" points.
A SEMESTER GPA represents the average of grades for one semester, and a CUMULATIVE GPA reflects the average of grades for all courses taken at Illinois Central College. If courses taken at Illinois Central College are retaken at this institution according to specified retake procedures, both grades appear on the transcript but only the higher grade will be included in the GPA computation.* Questions regarding GPA should be referred to Enrollment Services at the East Peoria Campus, L211, studentrecords@icc.edu.
*Please note that calculation of the GPA may include all grades earned for financial assistance eligibility and/or admission to other colleges and universities. Contact the Financial Assistance Office or the school to which you plan to transfer for their GPA policy.
THIS POLICY DOES NOT PRECLUDE ADMISSION/READMISSION REQUIREMENTS IN OTHER COLLEGE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS.
Grades – Online Access
Students have online access to their grades as soon as the grades are approved and posted by the instructor.
Sign in to eServices using your MyICC login and password. Select GRADES from the drop-down menu in the Academic section of your eServices home page. Select the TERM of the grade report you wish to print and the select “Continue”. Click the hyperlink, “Printer Friendly Page” at the bottom of the page and then use your browser print function to print a copy of your grade report.
Grades will not be mailed to students’ homes. Students without online access can contact the Enrollment Services Office to request grades be mailed to their student address held on file by the College.
Other Considerations
Class Attendance
Regular attendance at all class meetings and laboratory sessions or active participation in online classes is expected of all students. Faculty members may establish attendance policies and/or makeup procedures for their classes. Faculty will ordinarily permit students to make up work missed due to College-sponsored activities, if prior notification of absence is given.
Some programs have established rigid attendance policies. For example, most health careers programs have exacting attendance policies, especially for clinical assignments. These are explained in materials distributed to program enrollees. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of attendance and participation policies and makeup procedures.
Excessive absence and lack of participation are among the most common causes of failing grades. As a College guideline, absences in excess of five (5) percent of total number of scheduled class meetings are considered excessive. For example, three absences in a class which meets twice per week would be considered excessive since these absences represent more than five (5) percent of the class meetings.
In case of prolonged absences because of illness, accident, hospitalization, or family problems, students should notify the Dean of Students so proper notification can be made to instructors. In addition, it is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructor about possible makeup work.
Audit of Courses
Many courses at ICC may be audited. A student that audits a course is a non-participating listener in a course and is not required to take tests or complete assignments. The student receives no grade or notation on a transcript relative to the audited course. Registration for audit classes will be accepted beginning the week the class is scheduled to begin, provided space is available in the class. Tuition for auditing a class will be the in-district rate. Further information about which courses may be audited and procedures for registering may be obtained from departmental offices. A student may not change class registration status from “audit” to “credit” or from “credit” to “audit.”
Retaking Classes
Students may retake a class attempted at this institution for which they received a grade. Retaking of program-specific courses may require department approval prior to the student continuing in program of study. If a student retakes a class, all grades will remain on the transcript, but only the highest grade will be calculated in the Illinois Central College cumulative grade point average. Students receiving financial assistance should refer to the Retaking Coursework section on the FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE page to determine how retakes will affect their eligibility. Questions regarding retaking classes should be directed to Enrollment Services, East Peoria Campus, L211.
Note: Students planning to transfer to another college are cautioned that many colleges include all grades earned to compute the transfer cumulative grade point average.
Repeatable Classes
Classes that are approved as repeatable for credit are marked as such in the “Course Descriptions” area of the Catalog. These classes are each listed individually on the official transcript with all credit hours counting towards graduation and being calculated into the Illinois Central College cumulative grade point average.