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Academic Policies

Grading Policy

Grading Policy

Standard Grading Options

  • High Pass (HP): Passing with Excellence

  • Pass (P): Passing with Quality 

  • Low Pass (LP): Passing

  • No Credit (NC): Work did not meet the criteria for credit.

Other Grading Options

  • Incomplete (I):  

    A temporary Incomplete grade may be given to a student who has maintained satisfactory attendance and completed passing work throughout most of a course, but as a result of extenuating circumstances is unable to complete the course requirements by the end of the semester.   

    Incomplete grades are not assigned for Summer, Interim, Practicum, or Winter Session courses.

    Incomplete grades are assigned through submission of an Incomplete Contract to the Registrar’s Office.  The Incomplete Contract is an explicit agreement between student and faculty of the work remaining to be completed, and the date by which the work must be submitted for final review.  The contract must also be approved by the school or program responsible for the course.

    Incomplete grades assigned for fall semester courses must be resolved no later than the end of the following spring semester.  Incomplete grades assigned for spring courses must be resolved no later than the end of the following fall semester.  Earlier deadlines for completion may be set at the discretion of the faculty and must be specified on the Incomplete Contract.  Incomplete grades not replaced by final LP, P, or HP grades by the stated deadline will revert to NC (No Credit) grades on the transcript.

  • No Grade Recorded (NG):

    Placeholder grade entered by the Registrar's Office at the close of the grading period which indicates that no grade has yet been assigned by the faculty of record. "NG" grades not changed to a final evaluation by the end of the following semester will convert to "NC" on the transcript. 

  • Withdrawn (W): Grade assigned by the Registrar to indicate withdrawal from a course after the end of the add/drop period. Students may withdraw from a course without academic penalty through the 10th week of the semester. The course remains on the student’s record with a “W” grade. "W" grades have no impact on semester or cumulative grading calculations, and do not count toward a student's residency or full-time status. 

Auditing

Auditing a class is an arrangement made between the student and the instructor. No official record will be kept and no credit will be given.

GPA Equivalencies

On the official academic transcript, CalArts calculates student progress by indicated attempted units and the completed units, but does not use a Grade Point Average (GPA) as part of its marking system. However, when a GPA is required for external purposes, the following formula may be used: HP=4.00, P=3.00, LP=2.00, NC=0.00.

Grading Procedures

All grades are to be submitted by the faculty of record online through Self Service. Online grading opens on Monday of the final week of the semester and remains open for two weeks, until 5pm on the second Monday following the last day of the semester. The grading deadline will be published on the academic calendar for reference by faculty and students.

Grades not entered through the secure online system must be submitted through individual grade change forms that are signed by the faculty of record. This may be done through a digital form, available on HubHelper. The same process is followed to change a grade that was entered incorrectly online, or to replace temporary "I" or "NG" grades with a final evaluation.