Grades

How do students get their grades?

Grades are available as soon as the quarter ends, as long as they have been posted by the instructor.

Immediately following the end of the quarter, click on "My Schedule" on the menu to the left to view quarterly grades.

One week following the end of the quarter, click on "Transcript" to view your grades. Your Student ID Number (SID) and Personal Identification Number (PIN) are required to access the information. We DO NOT mail grades to students.

Remember

While grades on transcripts are final, grades on schedules are preliminary and could change.

Grading

Lake Washington Technical College uses a numeric grading system for most courses. Instructors may report grades from 4.0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments and the grade of 0.0. Grades in the range of 0.6 to 0.1 are not assigned. A grade of 0.7 earns credits. However, a minimum grade of 2.0 is required for a number of purposes including technical courses, general education requirements, progression in a sequence of classes, to satisfy a prerequisite, and graduation requirements. Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:

I-Incomplete

An incomplete grade may be given if the student is doing passing work, is unable to complete the requirements of the course during the quarter due to reasons beyond his/her control (accident, illness, death in family, etc.), and can successfully complete requirements of the course with no additional instruction. Because of this, the student does not re-register for the course in a later quarter to remove the Incomplete within the deadline period.

When an I (Incomplete) grade is given by an instructor, a contract is filed with Enrollment Services stating the work necessary to remove the Incomplete, a date for completion, and the grade earned if not completed. Incomplete coursework must be completed by the required date as established by the instructor (this date may be no later than the end of the subsequent quarter of enrollment). At the time of graduation, the Incomplete will be changed to a 0.0 or to the grade assigned on the contract.

N-Audit

NG means the course is "not graded" for any student taking the course. This applies, for example, to some non-credit courses. It would not appear on graded, credit courses. NG does not affect the GPA and does not earn credits. It does not indicate whether a student attended, just that the student enrolled.

R-Repeating A Course

The qualifier R on a transcript means a course has been repeated, and is excluded from credits and grade point average. A student may repeat any course taken at LWTC in which a grade of less than 2.0 or a U was earned. All grades will still appear on the transcript whether repeated or not. If the most recent grade is lower than the earlier grade, the student may request the registrar to count just the higher grade in the GPA.

S/U-Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

S/U grading is used for work experience, clinical, and skill development courses. The S indicates a satisfactory level of performance by the student. By assigning an S grade, the instructor certifies a performance level of at least a 2.0 or higher. Credit is earned but the S does not affect the GPA calculation. A U grade is assigned when the level of performance is below 2.0. A U grade does not earn credit and does not affect the GPA.

W-Withdrawal

A student may officially withdraw from any course through the eighth week of the quarter (or the equivalent for a short course or courses with irregular start or end dates) by completing a withdrawal form and submitting it to Enrollment Services. Official withdrawals occurring after the tenth instructional day of the quarter are posted with a W on the student's permanent transcript. Withdrawals do not count in the GPA calculations and cannot be assigned by faculty in the grading process.

Y-In Progress

A Y grade is given to students who are doing passing coursework but need additional instruction and time to complete course requirements. Students are required to re-register for the course and pay all tuition and any other charges. The Y remains on the transcript for the quarter assigned, while the final grade will be posted to the quarter in which the student re-enrolled in the course. The Y grade earns no credit and does not affect the GPA.

Z-Unofficial Withdrawal

Students who attend briefly, rarely, or not at all, and who fail to withdraw from a course with a W grade, may be assigned a grade of Z if appropriate in the judgment of an administrator. The Z grade does not earn credit and does not count in the GPA calculation.

* (Asterisk)

This symbol (asterisk) means the grade has not been assigned yet. The student should consult with his or her instructor. This grade does not affect the GPA and does not earn credits. Note however that a * grade could prevent a student from receiving honors, impede financial aid eligibility, block graduation, or result in a student being considered in academic difficulty. It is important that all enrolled courses be assigned valid grades.

Academic Grade Forgiveness Policy

In order to compensate for the effects of circumstances in a student's past that may have negatively affected his or her GPA, LWTC offers a grade forgiveness policy. This procedure can be accomplished through an appeal filed with the registrar. The following criteria must be met to be eligible for such an appeal:

1. Grades must be three or more years old.
2. Only quarters including credits graded below a 2.0 may be forgiven.
3. Grade forgiveness can include one or several quarters from a census point back, as requested by the student.
4. The student must demonstrate a 2.0 GPA in all decimal graded courses taken after the last date of the period for which a student is requesting forgiveness.

All courses in a given quarter are removed from the GPA but remain on the student's transcript. This appeal can be requested by turning in a letter of appeal to the registrar in Enrollment Services. A determination will be made whether grade forgiveness is appropriate on a case-by-case basis.

Note: Grade forgiveness can only be granted once. Grades previously forgiven will not be reinstated. Also if a student is transferring to another college, that college may not recognize the grade forgiveness previously granted at Lake Washington Technical College.

Grade Appeal Process

Students are responsible for maintaining standards of academic progress and following course procedures established by their instructors. The purpose of the grade appeal is to protect students from prejudiced, arbitrary or capricious academic evaluation.

A grade appeal only applies to the final course grade. The assignment of a grade is the right and responsibility of the instructor. Students have the right to appeal a grade deemed arbitrary or capricious. In a grade appeal, the appropriate instructional division dean will meet only with the student and instructor. No other advocate may be present. The student is responsible for knowing and initiating the grade appeal process. The student must file grade appeals within the first three weeks of the academic quarter following the quarter in which the grade was received.

The student must first meet with the instructor who assigned the grade. The instructor will explain the rationale for awarding the grade. The student is responsible for demonstrating grade error or that arbitrary or capricious assignment of the final course grade occurred. If the result of the student's meeting with the instructor does not produce a satisfactory resolution of the student appeal, the student may appeal to the appropriate division dean. The dean will meet with the student, review the course materials and grade assigned, and render a decision to deny, approve, or modify the appeal within ten working days. The decision of the dean is final.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The grade point average indicates the general achievement of the student. The quarterly GPA includes only classes for that specific quarter; the cumulative GPA includes all classes which comprise the student's academic history at LWTC. GPA is calculated by dividing the grade points by the number of credits of the courses for which the student was awarded a decimal grade. Grade points are calculated by multiplying the number of credits by the numeric value of the grade for each course. The calculation does not include courses for which the student was awarded Z, Y, N, W, I, S, U, or other non-decimal grades.

Example:

5 credits x 3.7 = 18.5 grade points.
5 credits x 4.0 = 20 grade points.
Total grade points: 18.5 + 20 = 38.5.
Total credits taken for a decimal grade: 5 + 5 = 10.
GPA: 38.5 grade points divided by 10 credits = 3.85.

The GPA is calculated for each quarter and also for all quarters combined, which is referred to as a Cumulative GPA. Contact Enrollment Services if you have questions about your GPA.

Grade Changes

Grades may be changed by instructors only in cases of clerical errors or subsequent completion of coursework. It is the student's responsibility to initiate a grade change with the instructor. A grade change form must be completed, signed by the instructor, and submitted to Enrollment Services before a grade change becomes official. Students have 60 days from the end of the quarter to request a grade change (deadlines for Incomplete grades differ).

Grade Reports

After the end of each quarter, grades can be accessed through the college's online services. Grades are not mailed out. Official transcripts are available through Enrollment Services and unofficial transcripts are available on the Web. It is important that students check grades at the end of each quarter and address questions promptly. See Grade Changes above.

Honors

Honor Roll

• President's List requires a 4.0 quarterly grade-point average with a minimum of 12 college-level credits earned cumulatively and 12 credits earned for the quarter.
• Dean's list requires a 3.7 quarterly grade-point average with a minimum of 12 college-level credits earned cumulatively and 12 credits earned for the quarter.
• Both lists require a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in all coursework.

Honors are awarded at graduation for students who achieve the following cumulative grade point averages:

• Cum Laude = 3.5 - 3.69
• Magna Cum Laude = 3.7 - 3.99
• Summa Cum Laude = 4.00

Each candidate for graduation is assessed at the time graduation is finally approved. Please contact Enrollment Services for further information.