• Definition of Grades
• Interpretation of Grade Statistics
• Interim Progress Reports
• Incomplete Grades
• Grade Point Average Requirement
• C Grade Requirement
• Grade Forgiveness
• Grade Reports
• Grade Appeals

Credit Attempted: Total number of credits attempted.
Credits Completed: Total number of credits completed for successful completion of academic or studio coursework.
GPA Credits: Total number of graded credits used in calculating the grade point average (only CCA units included).
Grade Points: Value is derived by multiplying GPA credits by grade earned.
GPA: Value is derived by dividing graded points by GPA credits.

Interim Progress Reports (IPRs) are a tool for facilitating timely, proactive communications in support of students who may be in danger of failing courses. The reporting period runs from Week 4 through the end of Week 9.

Students are notified via CCA email and prompted to contact their instructor about a performance or engagement concern. Grade notes are included in the email notification when available. If not addressed, the concern(s) may impact their ability to pass the course. IPRs are available in Workday through the Academics Dashboard by selecting View My Interim Grades or searching “View My Interim Grades" directly. IPRs do not appear on official transcripts.

If a student receives an IPR, they should immediately contact their instructor to discuss the concern(s) and opportunities, expectations, and timeline for getting back on track. Students are encouraged to utilize institutional resources and referrals to support their success.

Note: The lack of receipt of an IPR does not indicate that a student's performance in a given course is satisfactory. Students should always consult with their instructors regarding their progress in courses.

Students who are unable to complete the work for a course due to a family emergency, personal illness or other extenuating circumstances may request an incomplete grade/extension of time.

At least two-thirds of the semester's course work must be completed and the student must be passing the course to be eligible for an incomplete grades. Incompletes are not granted to students on academic probation.

If a graduating senior receives an incomplete for a course taken in that student's last term at CCA, that student's degree will not be posted until the final passing grade has been received by the Registrar from the instructor.

Students who have received an incomplete must complete the outstanding course work and have a grade turned in within 5 weeks of the end of the term; instructors may set earlier deadlines at their discretion. If the student completes the work by the deadline, the instructor will assign a final grade for the course.

Otherwise, the instructor or the Student Records Office will assign a grade of F for the course. The student's schedule will be adjusted if they do not receive a passing grade for the class and it is a prerequisite for another course they are enrolled in. Notification of any schedule changes will be sent to the student's CCA email account.

Students on financial aid who do not complete all of their course work in a given semester may be required to complete that course work the following semester in order to maintain their financial aid eligibility. Completion of this work is in addition to any other enrollment and eligibility requirements.

Undergraduates must have a cumulative CCA grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above to be eligible to graduate. Degrees are posted on the student's transcript once all grades have been received and the Student Records Office has conducted a final graduation check.

Students who do not pass this final check will be notified by mail of any outstanding requirements.

The following courses must be completed with a grade of C or better to be counted toward undergraduate degree requirements:

• All first-year Core studios/substitutions
• All courses required by the major program
• Specific Humanities and Sciences requirements (listed below)
  • Writing 1 and 2
  • Introduction to the Arts: Antiquity to Early Modern
  • Introduction to the Modern Arts
  • Foundations in Critical Studies

A student who receives a grade of C- or lower in a major requirement or first-year Core studio may be able to count the course as an elective. Students in this situation should consult with their advisor for details. In order to receive credit toward the major requirement or first-year Core studio, the student must repeat the course with a grade of C or better. Whether the course is repeated for a higher grade, the original grade remains on the student's transcript and will factor into that student’s term and cumulative GPAs.

If a student has requested and been approved for Grade Forgiveness, the new grade and most recent previous grade remain on the student's transcript and will factor into the student’s term GPA, but only the higher grade will be reflected in the cumulative GPA. Grades that have been forgiven cannot fulfill degree requirements, and so a grade of C- or lower in a major requirement or first-year Core studio that would normally count as an elective cannot do so if it has been forgiven and replaced in the cumulative GPA.

Undergraduate students are permitted three graded attempts at any course, other than specific, repeatable classes (e.g., Sculpture Workshop, Ceramics Workshop, Advanced Ceramics Workshop, Animation Workshop, Illustration Tools, Advanced Architecture Studio) that are intended to be taken multiple times to fulfill degree requirements or courses with variable section topics of which students may take more than one. “Graded attempts” includes instances that result in grades of A+ through F, Pass, No Credit, or Fail; courses from which a student has withdrawn with a W recorded on the transcript are not considered “graded attempts” for the purpose of this policy.

For repeatable and variable topics courses, multiple registrations for a specific course number may be needed; students should consult Student Records for assistance with registration. Workday does not distinguish between attempts that result in a W and those that result in a grade; students who have difficulty registering for a second or third attempt because of prior Ws can contact Student Records for assistance with registration.

Undergraduate students who receive less than a C for a third time in a repeated major requirement are required to meet with their program chair to request permission to retake the course and discuss their continuation in the degree program. Such students are also advised to make an appointment with their academic advisor to determine next steps at the College.

Undergraduate students who receive less than a C for a third time in any other repeated requirement for which a C is needed (first-year Core studio, specific Humanities & Science requirements listed above) will need the permission of the Academic Review Committee to retake the course. Requests may be submitted to the registrar at studentrecords@cca.edu.

Undergraduate students will automatically have the highest grade earned in a repeated course factored into their cumulative GPA, provided the previous grade was below a C AND provided the initial attempt is not currently counting towards a degree requirement. Only the highest grade earned in the same course (same course subject and number) will count towards the GPA, though both grades will still appear on the transcript.

Students repeating a course that is counting for a degree requirement will be notified of the option to utilize grade forgiveness; however, if the student opts to utilize grade forgiveness the original course will no longer count towards any degree requirement.

This policy applies only to courses repeated in Fall 2020 or later. It does not apply retroactively to courses completed with a C or higher before Fall 2020.

Grade forgiveness is not available for:

• Courses where a C or higher was earned.
• Courses graded as NC (No Credit).
• Courses where the original grade resulted from Academic Dishonesty.
• Non-degree or graduate students.

Once a degree is completed, grade forgiveness cannot be applied, and tuition/fees for repeated courses remain the same. For details on federal aid eligibility and course attempts, see Eligibility Requirements.

Students having a grade replaced under this policy will be notified of the grade change and will have the option to not have the original grade removed from their GPA.

For questions, contact Student Records.

Grades are visible to students through Workday once grades have been processed at the end of each semester. Grade reports include the student's term and cumulative grade point averages.

More information can be found by visiting Transcripts.

Any student who wishes to appeal a grade should discuss the matter with the instructor as soon as possible after receiving the grade. If the matter remains unresolved following this discussion, the student should consult with the chair of the program in which the course in question resides.

Only two conditions exist under which the college will consider changing a final grade as submitted by an instructor:

The grade resulted from a recording error.
Specific evidence exists that the instructor evaluated the student's work in a manner inconsistent with:
a. the grading policies stipulated in the course syllabus
b. that used to evaluate the work of other students in the course or specific evidence of personal bias against the individual student

A student who wishes to contest a grade for either of these reasons must contact the instructor of the course in writing by the end of the fourth week of the following semester. The student should request clarification of the grade and address one of these two conditions; in the case of the second condition, the student must also include evidence supporting the claim.

If the instructor is not available, the student should contact the appropriate program chair.

If attempts to resolve the issue with the instructor are unsuccessful, the student may appeal to the program chair and the dean within two weeks of receiving the instructor's decision.

The student must detail the nature of the discussions with the instructor and present a case justifying a grade change. After consultation with the instructor, the program chair and the dean will weigh the evidence and make a final decision within two weeks of receiving the petition.

For further assistance with the process of grade appeals, undergraduate students should consult the Advising Office. Graduate students should contact their assigned advisor for assistance.