Because students attend a college or university to extend their education, grades are usually given as an indication of the proficiency of their endeavors. The student’s semester grade in a course shall be based upon performance and/or participation in class, exercises and tests, laboratory work and final examination, as applicable to the course. The proportionate weight assigned to each of the factors shall be determined by the department administering the course.

The basis upon which the final grade will be determined shall be distributed in written form to the class during the first class meeting.

There are five passing grades at the undergraduate level, A, B, C, D and S, representing varying degrees of achievement; these letters carry grade points and significance as follows:

Grades

Grade	Definition
A	Excellent, 4 grade points per semester hour
B	Good, 3 grade points per semester hour
C	Satisfactory, 2 grade points per semester hour
D	Passing, 1 grade point per semester hour
F	Failing, no grade points, hours included in GPA calculation
I	Incomplete, no grade points, hours not included in GPA calculation
NG	No grade, grade removed from record, no grade points, hours not included in GPA calculation
Q	Course dropped with no penalty, no grade points, hours not included in GPA calculation
S	Satisfactory (C or above), no grade points, hours not included in GPA calculation
U	Unsatisfactory (D or F), no grade points, hours included in GPA calculation
X	No grade submitted, no grade points, hours not included in GPA calculation
W	Withdrew, no grade points, hours not included in GPA calculation (effective Spring 1996)
F*	Aggie Honor Code violation, no grade points, hours included in GPA calculation
U*	Aggie Honor Code violation, no grade points, hours included in GPA calculation

There are two failing grades, U and F, indicating work of unsatisfactory quality.

Repetition of a Course to Improve Grade

Any undergraduate student who wishes to repeat a course must do so before they complete a more advanced course in the same subject. What constitutes a more advanced course will be determined by the head of the department offering the course.

Credit for a course failed may be obtained only by registering for and repeating the course. The original grade will remain on the student’s permanent record, and both grades will be used in computing the GPA. An F or U previously earned is not removed once the course is passed. Credit for each repeated course may only be used once toward degree requirements.

A student repeating a course completed at Texas A&M in which a grade of B or better has been earned will not receive grade points for the repeated course, unless the catalog states the course may be repeated for credit.

I and X Grades

A temporary grade of I (incomplete) at the end of a semester or summer term indicates that the student has completed the course with the exception of a major quiz, final examination or other work. The instructor shall give this grade only when the deficiency is due to an authorized absence or other cause beyond the control of the student. When an instructor reports an incomplete grade to the Office of the Registrar, he or she will fill out an “Incomplete Grade Report,” which is filed with the head of the department in which the course is taught. Copies are sent to the student and to the student’s academic dean. This report includes:

1. a statement of the instructor’s reason for awarding the incomplete grade and
2. a statement concerning the remaining work to be completed.

The remaining work must be completed before the last day of scheduled classes of the next fall or spring semester in which the student enrolls in the University unless the student’s academic dean, with the consent of the instructor (in the absence of the instructor, the department head), grants an extension of time for good reason. If the incomplete work is not completed within this time or if the student registers for the same course again, the I will be changed to an F by the Office of the Registrar.

The X notation is assigned to a course by the Office of the Registrar at the end of a semester or summer term only when a grade is not submitted by the instructor. The Office of the Registrar will notify the dean of the college in which the course is taught that an X notation has been made. The dean of the college offering the course will request, through the department head, that the instructor submit a Grade Change Request online in Howdy, removing the X notation and assigning a grade. The instructor will have 30 days from the beginning of the succeeding semester or summer term to report a change of grade to the Office of the Registrar. If a Grade Change Request is not received during this time period, the Office of the Registrar will automatically remove the X notation and assign a grade of F.

Q-Drop, Add and Drop

1. A student may enroll in a class during the first five class days of a fall or spring semester or during the first four class days of a summer term. A student requesting to add a course after these deadlines must have the approval of the student’s dean or designee and department.
2. A student may drop a course with no record during the first 12 class days of a fall or spring semester and during the first four class days of a summer term. Following this period, if approved by the dean of the college or their designee, a student may drop a course without penalty through the 60th class day of a fall or spring semester, the 15th class day of a summer term or the 35th class day of a 10-week summer semester. The symbol Q shall be given to indicate a drop without penalty.
   Under section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, “an institution of higher education may not permit a student to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education.”  Any course that a student drops is counted toward the six-course limit if “(1) the student was able to drop the course without receiving a grade or incurring an academic penalty; (2) the student’s transcript indicates or will indicate that the student was enrolled in the course; and (3) the student is not dropping the course in order to withdraw from the institution.” Some exemptions for good cause could allow a student to drop a course without having it counted toward this limit, but it is the responsibility of the student to establish that good cause.
   Undergraduate students at Texas A&M will normally be permitted four Q-drops during their undergraduate studies. However, in order to comply with this statute, a student who has dropped courses at other Texas public institutions may not be permitted four Q-drops if the student’s total number of dropped courses would exceed the State limit of six.
3. Any course taught on a shortened format or between regularly scheduled terms will have add/drop, Q-drop and withdrawal dates proportionally the same as if the course were offered in a regular term. These dates will be determined by the Office of the Registrar.
4. After the Q-drop period has elapsed, a course may be dropped and a grade of W recorded if the student's dean determines that unusual circumstances exist to warrant a late drop.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Undergraduate students may be permitted to take courses in their degree programs at Texas A&M on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis consistent with the requirements of the student’s college. The hours for which a student receives a grade of satisfactory shall not be included in the computation of the student’s semester or cumulative GPA; a grade of unsatisfactory shall be included in the computation of the student’s grade points per credit hour as an F. A grade of satisfactory (S) will be given only for grades of C and above; a grade of unsatisfactory (U) will be given for grades D and F. The hours earned on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis shall not be included in the designation of distinguished student or dean’s honor roll.

Students on probationary standing may be required to take electives on an S/U basis as determined by published college policies.

Students must register for courses on an S/U basis during the official registration periods and shall not be permitted to change the basis on which their grades will be recorded on their official transcripts, except for unusual circumstances and with the approval of the student’s academic dean.

Students registered for KINE 198 or KINE 199 who wish to change the grade type from a graded course to S/U or from S/U to a graded course, may do so in Howdy. All requests for KINE 198 and KINE 199 changes must be completed on or before the Q-drop deadline for the fall, spring or summer semester.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Only the grade earned in coursework for which the student was registered in this institution shall be used in determining his or her grade point average. Students anticipating graduating with honors should refer to that section of this catalog for information concerning the computation of grade point averages for that purpose.

A student’s grade point average for any period shall be computed by dividing the total number of semester hours for they received grades into the total number of grade points earned in that period. Semester credit hours to which grades of F or U are assigned shall be included; those involving grades of W, Q, S, X, I, and NG shall be excluded.

Classification

Classification for academic purposes shall be based solely on scholastic progress as shown by the official records in the Office of the Registrar. Sophomore, junior and senior classification will be granted students who have passed 30, 60 and 90 semester hours, respectively.

Grade Reports

Mid-semester Report

Near the middle of the fall and spring semesters, a preliminary report, showing the current progress of undergraduate students who have completed less than 30 semester credit hours of coursework at Texas A&M, and of a selected group of other students that the academic deans/departments are monitoring, will be made available. Preliminary grades are not recorded on the student’s permanent record. Grades are available in Howdy.

Final Grade Report

End of semester final grades are available in Howdy. No student grade may be posted in a manner that is personally identifiable unless the student has given written consent in advance.

Parent/Guardian Access to Grades

A parent or guardian may access midterm and final grades in Howdy after the student sets the parent access password. The Office of the Registrar cannot access the passwords created by students for parental access.

Semester Credit Hour

A lecture course which meets one hour per week for 15 weeks is worth 1 semester credit hour. Thus, a course worth 3 semester credit hours, meets three hours per week. Credit hours for laboratory courses are determined to be some fraction of the number of hours spent in class. 

For further information, visit Texas A&M University Rule — Definition of a Credit Hour — 11.03.99.M1, which complies with The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board definition of minimum course lengths as part of the Texas Administrative Code, “Minimum Length of Courses and Limitation on the Amount of Credit that a Student May Earn in a Given Time Period". For more information, please see the Texas Administrative Code online.

Transcripts

Students applying for admission to Texas A&M are required to submit transcripts of previous academic work and in some cases, results of standardized tests. The submission of altered documents or the failure to furnish complete and accurate information on admission forms will be grounds for disciplinary action.

Individuals who have attended the University may obtain an official transcript of their completed work, provided they have no financial obligations to the University. A fee, which, according to state law must be paid in advance, will be charged for each copy. During grading and degree posting, official transcripts may be produced for enrolled students only after all courses for that semester or term have final grades processed.  Students and former students may submit a Transcript Request Order form in person, by mail, by fax or by completing the transcript request form in the Howdy portal. Transcript requests will not be accepted over the phone. A faxed request must be paid using a credit card from a United States bank. A transcript request ordered through the Howdy portal must be paid either by electronic check (ACH) or by credit card from a United States bank. Requests made in person or by mail may only be paid with check, money order or a credit card.