Grading Policies

Grading System
Faculty members are responsible for providing a grade (based upon the officially approved grading symbols) for every student enrolled in their classes at the end of the term of enrollment.For complete guidelines refer to "Grading System" the Registration and Records website.

Auditing a Course
Students interested in auditing courses must receive prior approval from the instructor of the class. It is the responsibility of students to seek permission from the instructor and inform the Registration and Records Office they are auditing the class. The instructor is to indicate audit on the grade roster instead of assigning a grade. A Wisconsin resident will be charged 30 percent of the normal per credit academic fee and non-residents will be charged 50 percent of the normal, non-resident per credit academic fee.

Any special costs for course instruction other than normal tuition will be assessed to auditors.

A course which is audited may not be retaken for credit.

Degree-seeking students also taking audit courses will be assessed the normal per credit academic fee/non-resident academic fee.

Graduate courses which are taken for audit require the same procedures for registration and admission as the courses taken for credit. Audited courses are included in determining maximum credit load.

For complete guidelines refer to "Auditing Classes" the Registration and Records website.

Repeating a Course
Undergraduate Students You may repeat a course in which a grade of “D” or “F” is received. Repeating a course in which a grade of “C-” to “B+” range is received requires prior permission of your program director. You must inform the Registration and Records Office when you are repeating a course in which a “C-” or better was earned, by filing a course repeat card at the beginning of the term. This is the only notice the Registrar will receive.

Do not re-register for a course in which you received a grade of Incomplete or In Progress.

The grade given when a course is repeated is used when computing the grade point average. However, the original grade remains on your transcript.

Graduate Students Graduate students, with the consent of the program director, may be permitted to repeat a course, but the credit and grade originally earned will also be counted for credit in the cumulative graduate grade point average. Both grades and credits remain on the student transcript.

Credit by Examination
Students who wish to pursue the possibility of testing out of a course should first read the policy as stated below and then contact their adviser and/or program director.

General Policies:

1. A student seeking credit at UW-Stout by test-out procedure must be a legitimately enrolled (registered and fees paid) student at the university for the current term before initiating and attempting to test-out for credit. Credit will not be recorded for non-enrolled individuals.
   
2. Students seeking credits for courses may test-out of and receive credit in only those courses which are approved by the university. Credits awarded for trade, business, and industry experience by means of a trade examination will be determined by the examining committee on an individual basis.
   
3. Students seeking credit for courses will receive the credit normally awarded for the course upon successful completion of the test-out.
   
4. Test-out forms can be obtained from the dean of the college in which the course is offered.
   
5. A fee of $5 per credit, plus $5 for processing is charged and is payable in the Student Business Services Office prior to the test. For complete policy guidelines, refer to "Credit by Examination" on the registration and Records website.
   

Undergraduate Credit/No Credit Grading Option
The Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) credit option may be elected by students who wish to explore content outside their field of study without jeopardizing their grade point average. The appropriate standards for CR/NC will be determined by the instructor of the course. The student must file the approval form for the CR/NC option with the Registrar during the course add period. The program director must sign the approval form for the CR/NC option. Courses for which the CR/NC option is elected may be applied to an undergraduate degree at the option of the program director.

A course for which the student has elected the CR/NC option and in which the student received the mark “NC” may not be repeated with the CR/NC option. The marks of “CR” and “NC” are not used in calculating the grade point average. For the mark of “CR,” credit hours are recorded and apply to the undergraduate degree if approved by the program director. For the mark “NC,” no credit hours are calculated into the grade point average. A student may elect to receive a mark of “CR” or “NC” for a maximum of 10 percent of the courses in an undergraduate degree, but for no more than one course in any term.

The choice to receive a mark of “CR” or “NC” for a course, once approved, is irreversible.

Grade Change Policy
Questions regarding the validity of a grade must be received within one year of the ending date of the semester term in which the grade was recorded.