• Introduction to WPI
• Section 1: The WPI Plan
• Section 2: Department and Program Descriptions
• Section 3: Course Descriptions
• Section 4: Academic Policies and Procedures
  • Grades
  • Grade Appeal and Grade Change Policy
  • Transfer Credit
  • Graduation With Honors
  • Commencement
  • Designation of Major Area of Study
  • Double Major
  • Designation of Class Year
  • Academic Honesty Policy
  • Guidelines for the Determination of Satisfactory Academic Progress, Academic Warning, Academic Probation and Academic Suspension
  • Administrative Obligations and Holds
  • Directory Information and Release Information
  • Course Registration Information
  • Project and Independent Study Registration
  • Registration Policy for Degree Requirements
  • Special Students
  • Project Registration Topic Codes
• Section 5: Resources and Special Programs
• Section 6: Career Development & Graduate School
• Section 7: Admission, Expenses, Financial Aid & Housing
• Section 8: Trustees, Administration & Faculty
• Supplement
• Search

Grades

Distribution of Grades

Academic grades may be released legally to the parents of dependent students. In accordance with affirming legal opinion, effective August 1, 1986, WPI assumes that all undergraduates have dependent status unless they inform the Projects and Registrar's Office in writing that they are independent. Petition forms are available in the Projects and Registrar's Office. Such a declaration may be filed by a student at any time. After receipt of such notice, the Registrar will not release grades to parents unless legal evidence of dependency is presented to the contrary.

(The listing of a student as a dependent on the parent's IRS 1040 Form is the accepted legal evidence of dependency under the Privacy Act or Buckley Amendment. Information on file with the Financial Aid Office will remain confidential within that office and will not be used in any manner relative to this issue).

Grade System Selection

The PLAN grading system applies only to admitted, degree- seeking undergraduate students. All other students such as Consortium (CO), nondegree-seeking Special Students (SX), and Graduate students will receive traditional A, B, C, D, F, Withdrawal and Pass/Fail grades.

The AD, AC grading system applies to all degree candidates who matriculated prior to May 1, 1986, and who have not exercised the one-time option to change to the A, B, C system.

Plan (Current system)

Projects: The following term grades are possible: A, B, C, SP (Satisfactory Progress), NAC (Not Acceptable) and NR (No record).

Courses: The following grades are possible: A, B, C, NR, and I (Incomplete). An instructor may also assign an "I" in an Independent Study course. AT (attended) is used to denote participation in seminars or college-sponsored programs.

Traditional (System before mid-1970's)

Courses: The following grades are possible: A, B, C, D, F, Withdrawal, and I (Incomplete).

Grades for Completion of Degree Requirements

The overall evaluation of degree requirements (for the MQP, the IQP and the Sufficiency) will be graded in the student's respective grade system. The transcript will contain an abstract describing the content of the completed project.

No Record (NR)

The NR (No Record) grade is assigned by a faculty member for course or project work for which credit has not been earned. This grade applies to PLAN students (admitted, degree-seeking) only. The NR grade does not appear on the students' transcripts or grade reports, nor is it used in the calculation of satisfactory academic progress.

Incomplete(I)

An I grade, when assigned, will be changed to NR after one term unless extended in writing by the instructor to the Registrar's Office. The I grade is not assigned for Qualifying Projects or the Sufficiency.

Satisfactory Progress (SP)

In project work (IQP, MQP only) extending beyond one term for which a grade is not yet assigned, an interim grade of SP (Satisfactory Progress) may be used on grade sheets. In such cases, the SP evaluation will count as units earned toward meeting the 15-unit rule, the distribution requirements, and the minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress. SP grades remain on the transcript until changed to the final grade as submitted on the Completion of Degree Requirement Form or through the grade change form procedure.

Other Grades

A ? or Q signifies a grade that has not been submitted.

Project Grading

The Faculty of WPI have endorsed the following grading guidelines for project activity:

1. Each term a student is registered for a project, the student receives a grade reflecting judgment of accomplishments for that term.
2. Upon completion of the project, students will receive an overall project grade. It is important to note that this grade reflects not only the final products of the project (e.g., results, reports, etc.), but also the process by which they were attained. No amount of last-minute effort should turn a mediocre project effort into an A.
3. The available grades and their interpretations are as follows:
   • A: a grade denoting a consistently excellent effort, and attaining the stated project goals.
   • B: a grade denoting a consistently good effort, and attaining the stated project goals.
   • C: a grade denoting an acceptable effort, and partially attaining the stated project goals.
   • SP: a grade denoting an effort sufficient for the granting of the credit for which the student is registered. This grade provides students with no feedback, and its use is discouraged except for circumstances in which the faculty member is unable to judge the quality of the work (yet can still determine that the granting of credit is appropriate).
   • NAC: a grade denoting an effort unacceptable for the credit for which the student is registered. Note that this grade is entered into the student's transcript.
   • NR: a grade denoting an effort insufficient for the credit for which the student is registered. This grade is appropriate when the project has not proceeded due to circumstances beyond the control of the student, or for project extensions which do not represent the full amount of credit for which the student is registered.
4. The results of a project should be such that an outside reviewer would reasonably deem the project as being worthy of the credit and grade given, based on evidence such as the project report.
5. In light of the above grading criteria, it is strongly suggested that a formal project proposal or contract be developed early in the project activity, so that all participants in the activity have a clear understanding of the project goals, and advisor and student expectations.

Cumulative Point Average

WPI does not maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average for undergraduate students. A student who needs a cumulative point average for external use may apply to the Registrar and receive a numerical equivalent. This information is usually provided only for students applying to graduate or professional schools when the application process requires a translation. Cumulative point averages will not be printed on student's transcripts nor shall class rankings be developed from them.

When requested by the student, the numerical equivalent of the cumulative point average will be based on a point assignment of A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0 while DIST and AC grades will be 4.0 and 2.75 respectively.

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Last modified: February 21, 2008 11:08:22