Grading Information for All Schools

Grading and GPA: Most courses offer evaluation of student performance according to the grade and the quality point system listed in the “Grade and Transcript Key.” In some courses, students will receive a pass/fail grade instead of a letter grade. Grades submitted by faculty on LOIS are final grades. Faculty members should discuss in each course the criteria and evaluation system used for grading. No grade changes are accepted after graduation. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they understand the expectations of course requirements and grading procedures.

To compute a GPA, the student may use the key to the transcript to translate letter grades into quality points (for example, a three-credit course with a grade of “B” [3.0] is worth nine quality points), add all quality points earned, and divide the total by the number of credits attempted. The grades “P” (pass), “I” (incomplete), “W” (withdrawal), “AW” (administrative withdrawal), and “NA” (never attended) are not included, but “F” (failing) is always included in calculating the grade point average, except when the course is repeated.

CLAS Students: Two elective courses per academic year may be taken for a Pass/Fail rather than for a letter grade. The student must request authorization from the instructor to take the course on a Pass/Fail basis no later than the close of the drop/add period. The request may be granted or denied at the discretion of the course instructor. The Pass/Fail option can only be used with courses that are considered "free electives" (course credits not specially applied to a program of study or general education requirements) and the terms of the option for Pass/Fail grading cannot be retracted once they are submitted.

Graduate degree students at the Master’s, C.A.G.S., or Ph.D. levels must earn a grade of “B-” or better in all core or required courses for the course to count toward degree requirements. A student must re-take core or required courses for which a grade of “C+” or below was earned.

Graduate students may earn a maximum of three (3) credits of “C+” grades in elective courses to apply the courses toward degree requirements. A grade of “C” or below in elective courses is considered a failing grade and will not be applicable toward degree requirements. Elective courses may be repeated or another elective course may be added as a substitute. All grades will be recorded and appear on a transcript.

If a required course is failed, the course must be repeated or an equivalent course taken. No credit is accrued with a grade of "F". If a student repeats the same course, both grades will be recorded on the official transcript, but only the second grade will be used to compute the cumulative GPA.

Final Grades: Students may view their final grades via LOIS at the close of each semester. Grades are available in LOIS to students in real-time, after the faculty member has entered them electronically. FERPA does not permit the posting or displaying of student grades.

Grade Submission: Faculty members submit grades via the Lesley Online Information Service (LOIS) at lesley.edu/lois to the Office of the University Registrar. Grades are due within 15 days after the final end date of the semester or term. All grade submission deadlines can be found on the academic calendar at lesley.edu/students/academic-resources/academic-calendars.

Grade Changes: Once final grades are submitted to the Office of the University Registrar they can only be changed by submitting the change of grade form available to faculty on the Provost's web page. Questions regarding grade changes should be submitted to the Registrar via the Lynx Solution Center at solutioncenter.lesley.edu/s/.

Grades — Incomplete

Students who have successfully completed a majority of course requirements (as determined by instructor) but are unable to complete all requirements due to extenuating circumstances may request a temporary grade of “I” (incomplete). The course instructor will determine whether a student is eligible for an Incomplete. Incomplete grades are not guaranteed.

An incomplete grade request must be 1) initiated by the student before the end of the semester/term in which the course is taken or by a date set by the instructor in the course syllabus; 2) agreed to by the instructor; and 3) committed to by the student in writing by completing, signing, and filing a Contract for Completion of Incomplete Coursework (Incomplete Contract). Students should be prepared to provide documentation of their circumstances when submitting a request. Incomplete Contracts are available through the Office of the University Registrar (all students) or assistant director for academic advising (graduate students) and must be completed by the student and instructor. Completed contracts will be disseminated by the student to the relevant offices as indicated on the Incomplete Contract.

Remaining course requirements must be completed in accordance with the Incomplete Contract. Course instructors will set deadlines for the completion and submission of outstanding course requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all work is completed and submitted within the established deadlines.

In all cases, the incomplete grade must be changed no later than the grading deadline for the subsequent semester/term (e.g., fall 2019 incomplete grades must be changed by the posted grading deadline in the Academic Calendar for spring 2020 courses; fall term 1 incomplete grades must be changed by the posted grading deadline in the Academic Calendar for fall term 2 courses).  The changing of an “I” to an academic grade is relayed from the instructor to the Office of the University Registrar via a grade change form (see Grade Changes, above).

An “I” grade that is not resolved within the time frames indicated above will automatically become a grade of “F” (Failing). If the course is a requirement and a passing grade was not earned, the student must repeat the course at the current tuition rate to earn a passing grade. The policy regarding incomplete grades remains in effect regardless of the student’s withdrawal or leave of absence status. No grade changes are accepted after graduation. Students who receive two or more successive incomplete grades will be subject to an academic review to determine eligibility for continued enrollment.

In those exceptional cases in which a student wishes to request an extension of the incomplete course contract beyond the original time frame, the student must submit a written request to the faculty member and the program/division director. The extension request must be submitted before the due date on the original incomplete course contract. Extensions are not guaranteed and extension requests submitted after the original deadline will not be reviewed. Further extensions will not be considered. 

Repeating Courses

A student may repeat any course once unless the student has earned a B- or greater in this course. A student will accrue no credit for courses in which the student receives a grade of "F" and astudent will receive credit for a course only once. If a student repeats a course, both grades will be recorded on the student’s permanent academic transcript, but only the most recent (not necessarily the highest) grade will be used to compute the student’s GPA.

Note: Yellow Ribbon, GI Bill®, or other students receiving veteran's benefits are not necessarily eligible to repeat courses that were previously passed. These students should check with the University's VA Certifying Official, Thomas Graves (tgraves@lesley.edu or 617.349.8781), before electing to repeat a course.

To compute his/her GPA, the student should use the table above to translate his/her letter grades into credit points, add all his/her credit points, and divide the total by the number of credits completed. In computing grade point averages, Pass (P) is not included, but a Fail (F) is always included except when the course has been repeated.

* “I” followed by a grade signifies a prior incomplete which has subsequently been graded   This is only used for undergraduate courses in Fall 1996-Spring 2013. Grade point scale above applies.

* If a student repeats a course in which a grade other than "F" was received, both grades remain on the official transcript, but only the second grade will be used to compute the cumulative GPA.

Fail (F):  If a required course is failed, the course must be repeated or an equivalent course taken. No credit is accrued with a grade of "F." If a student repeats the same course, both grades will be recorded on the official transcript, but only the second grade will be used to compute the cumulative GPA.

Pass (P):  This grade applies only to courses that are offered on a Pass/Fail basis and to courses in which the student elects the Pass/Fail option. Minimum passing grades vary among the schools. To earn a grade of "Pass" at the graduate level one must receive a B- or better. At the undergraduate level one must earn a C- or better for courses taken as Pass/Fail.

Incomplete (I):  Students who have successfully completed a majority of course requirements (as determined by instructor) but are unable to complete all requirements due to extenuating circumstances may request a temporary grade of “I” (incomplete). The course instructor will determine whether a student is eligible for an Incomplete. Incomplete grades are not guaranteed.

Withdrawal (W):  On-campus students who withdraw from a course after the second class meeting will receive a “W” grade on their transcripts. Off-campus and online students who withdraw from a course after its first week will receive a "W" grade on their transcripts. Students may not withdraw from a standard on-campus course during the last five class meetings. Off-campus and online students may not withdraw from a course during the last three weeks of the term.

Administrative Withdrawal (AW): This is an administrative grade assigned to students who have attended no more than the first two classes, but who have not officially dropped or withdrawn from the course. Students who stop attending after the second class, but who fail to withdraw by the published University withdrawal deadline must be assigned a letter grade. If student conduct in class rises to a level where it interferes with the ability of the faculty member to teach, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to administratively withdraw, with prior written notice, any student who interferes with the teaching/learning process. The grade "AW" is recorded on the transcript, but the student's grade point average is not affected.

Never Attended (NA): “NA” is an administrative grade assigned to students who are officially registered for the course and whose name appears on the grade roster, but who have never attended class. The grade “NA” is recorded on the transcript, but the student’s grade point average is not affected.

Final Grades: Students may view their final grades via the Lesley Online Information Service (LOIS) at the close of each semester.  Grades are available in LOIS to students in real-time, after the faculty member has entered them electronically. FERPA does not permit the posting or displaying of student grades.

Auditing Classes

Students who wish to audit classes (no grade/no credit) may do so with the following stipulations:

• Students may change their status from credit to audit by the end of the drop/add period;
• Students who wish to change from audit to credit must do so by the end of the drop/add period and must pay the balance of the tuition cost at that time;
• Classes taken as audits may not be applied toward degree or certificate requirements.

Requesting Transcripts

Students may request that an official transcript of their academic record be sent to the recipient(s) of their choice via the National Student Clearinghouse studentclearinghouse.org or view an official transcript online through their LOIS account.