Grades
Grading Scales
With the exception of the Pines School of Graduate Studies, the default grading system at HUC is Pass/Fail. Students may elect to be graded under either the letter grade scale or on a Pass/Fail basis for courses that allow both grading types. Students will indicate their choice of grading systems at the beginning of their academic program and may change from one grading system to the other annually, prior to the first day of classes of the Summer or Fall semester.
- The change must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar in writing or via the student’s HUC email account.
- The request must be submitted before the first day of classes for the Fall semester.
- Requests cannot be honored to retroactively change a student’s grading scale and grades for prior semesters.
All sections of a course must have the same grading system.
Faculty Expectations
Faculty are expected to submit grades into the Student Information System (SIS) for all students within two weeks after the end of final examinations. The instructor shall specify in the course syllabus those aspects of the course that will be monitored for grading, such as examinations, papers, class participation and attendance. The instructor shall also specify in the syllabus the relative weight given each aspect to be monitored for grading.
Grades and Grade Point Average
Cumulative grade point averages will be on transcripts for all students with any letter grades. Official transcripts will carry a legend that explains HUC's grading systems and explains that the Pass is valued at a “B-” or higher, and that a Low Pass is valued as a “C+" or lower.
The course will be designated to be grades on:
- A letter grade basis only
- Pass/fail only
- Both
Students have the right to respond to the grade received by meeting first with the faculty member and secondly with the student’s Program Director. If the student fails two courses at any time within two consecutive semesters, they will meet with the Student-Tenure Committee.
Grading Tables
The letter grade scale will be as follows with quality points assigned for the calculation of a grade-point average:
| A+ |
4.333 |
| A |
4.000 |
| A- |
3.667 |
| B+ |
3.333 |
| B |
3.000 |
| B- |
2.667 |
| C+ |
2.333 |
| C |
2.000 |
| C- |
1.667 |
| F |
0.000 |
The Pass/Fail scale will be as follows, with no quality points assigned:
| P |
Credit |
| LP |
Credit |
| F |
0.000 |
Additional grades in both tables, with no quality points assigned:
| AU |
Audit |
N/A |
| CR |
Credit by Exam |
N/A |
| I |
Incomplete |
N/A |
| NG |
No grade reported |
N/A |
| TC |
Transfer Credit |
N/A |
| W |
Withdraw after Add/Drop |
N/A |
Suggested Grading Scale
The grading scale used to arrive at the final grade in a course, whether letter graded or Pass/Fail, is determined by the individual faculty member. Below is a suggested scale for those faculty members who calculate a grade for a student based on the points achieved for exams, papers, and other assignments. This chart is provided for guidance and is not required for faculty use in grading.
| Letter for P/F Grade |
Percent Grade |
| A+/P |
97-100 |
| A/P |
93-96 |
| A-/P |
90-92 |
| B+/P |
87-89 |
| B/P |
83-86 |
| B-/P |
80-82 |
| C+/LP |
77-79 |
| C/LP |
73-76 |
| C-/LP |
70-72 |
| F |
69 and below |
Change of Grade
Faculty must submit a Change of Grade form to the Office of the Registrar to document a grade change. When the grade change has been processed, the student’s Program Director will be notified by the Registrar’s Office.
Incomplete Grade
If for the reason of illness or other comparable extenuating circumstances a student cannot complete the course on time, the student must submit an Incomplete Grade Request form to the instructor for approval. The form is available on the Registrar’s Office website. The form is due to the Registrar's Office no later than the date that final grades for the term are due, as outlined in the Academic Calendar, so students should begin the process well in advance of the deadline. If a student is not able to contact the instructor, the student may petition the Program Director for an Incomplete. No Incompletes are granted for Intensive courses.
For most HUC programs, the final grade or subsequent extension must be submitted no later than the following dates. All Incomplete grades for students in their final year must submit the required work by March 31. For students in the Pines School, Fall and Spring Incomplete grades must be changed or formally extended by the first day of Fall classes. A faculty member may impose more stringent deadlines than the deadlines stated below, as specified on the Incomplete request form.
- Fall Semester Incomplete grades must be changed or formally extended by the last day of Spring classes.
- Spring Semester Incomplete grades must be changed or formally extended by the first day of Fall classes.
- Summer Term Incomplete grades must be changed or formally extended by the last day of Fall classes.
An “I” will be entered for the course on the student’s transcript. If the student fails to finish the Incomplete during the time allotted by the faculty member, or the Registrar's Office has not received a grade from the Faculty by the appropriate date noted above, the Registrar's Office will record an "F" (Failure) on the student’s transcript.
To be considered as a candidate for graduation or ordination, a student's Incomplete grades must be changed with the Registrar's Office at least three weeks before the date of graduation/ordination.
In rare cases where due to illness or other extenuating circumstances a student receives an Incomplete grade in the final year, the coursework must be resolved and submitted to the faculty member by March 15. The faculty member must submit the grade change form by March 31. If not resolved by March 31, the student will not graduate or be ordained.
Incurring three or more Incompletes in one semester or term may jeopardize the student’s financial support.