Effective Fall Semester, 2000, USF faculty may use a plus/minus grading system to assign student grades. The use of the plus/minus grading system is at the discretion of the individual faculty member.

A student’s measure of academic achievement is recorded on the academic record based on the following grading system:

Plus/minus Grades

A+		4.00
A	Excellent performance	4.00
A-		3.67
B+		3.33
B	Good performance	3.00
B-		2.67
C+		2.33
C	Average performance	2.00
C-		1.67
D+		1.33
D	Poor performance	1.00
D-		0.67
F	Failure	0.00

Other Grades

E	Course repeated, not included in GPA
FF	Failure/academic dishonesty
I	Incomplete
IF	Incomplete grade changed to Failure
IU	Incomplete grade changed to Unsatisfactory
M	No grade submitted by instructor
MF	Missing grade changed to Failure
MU	Missing grade changed to Unsatisfactory
N	Audit
S	Satisfactory
U	Unsatisfactory
W	Withdrawal from course without penalty
WC	Withdrawal for extenuating circumstances
Z	Indicates continuing registration.

The University uses the quality points listed above. The grade-point average (GPA) is computed by dividing the total number of quality points by the total hours attempted at USF. The total quality points are figured by multiplying the number of credits assigned to each course by the quality point value of the grade given. Credit hours for courses with grades of I, IU, M, MU, N, S, U, W, Z, and grades that are preceded by a “E” are subtracted from the total hours attempted before the GPA is calculated.

No-option Courses. Certain courses have been designated as S/U courses. The “S” and “U” grades are used to indicate the student’s final grade. These S/U only courses are identified with (S/U only) after the course definition in this catalog. No grading system option is available to students or faculty in these courses.

Option Courses. Any undergraduate course may be taken on an S/U basis by a student under the following conditions and restrictions:

1. Required courses in the major may not be taken on an S/U basis.
2. Specifically designated required courses in the distribution requirements of the student’s college may not be taken on an S/U basis.
3. Courses to satisfy 6A-10.30 (Gordon Rule) may not be taken on an S/U basis.
4. Courses to satisfy USF’s B.A. foreign language requirement may not be taken on an S/U basis.
5. All elective courses for the major and all elective courses in the distribution requirements, and all other free elective courses may be taken on an S/U basis except where:
   1. The certifying college restricts the number of courses that may be taken on an S/U basis in any one or all of the above areas or restricts the total number of S/U courses that can be accepted for all of the above areas.
   2. The certifying college specifies that certain courses may not be taken on an S/U basis.
   3. The instructor of a course refuses to allow the course to be taken on an S/U basis.

Mechanism for Assigning S/U Grades. The method by which a student receives an “S” or “U” grade in an option course will consist of the following:

1. A written agreement signed by both instructor and student shall be filed with such offices as may be designated by the college. The college shall set the deadline (no later than the last day of classes for the term) for the student to decide if he/she wishes to take the course on an S/U basis.
2. The instructor shall assign final letter grades A, B, C, D, F, or I, but will transmit to the Registrar “S” or “U” consistent with the following:
   1. Letter grade, A, B, or C, shall be equivalent to a letter grade of “S.”
   2. Letter grades D or F shall be equivalent to a letter grade of “U.” “S” and “U” grades are not computed in the student’s GPA.

Grade Forgiveness Policy

USF’s forgiveness policy permits an undergraduate to repeat a course and have the repeated grade computed in his/her GPA in place of the original grade, providing the repeat grade is “D” or higher (exception - see Honors at Graduation). A course that is repeated and the repeat grade is “F” will have both grades calculated into the GPA. Normally, grade forgiveness may only be applied to a specific course that a student chooses to repeat. No course taken on the S/U grade basis may have the grade forgiveness applied. Under unusual circumstances, a different but similar course may be used if the substitute course has been previously approved by the college dean and is on file in the Office of the Registrar.

The grade forgiveness policy cannot apply to any course in which the grade of “FF” has been recorded.

Any undergraduate or non-degree seeking student who wishes to implement grade forgiveness must:

1. Complete a “Grade Forgiveness Request Form” (available in the Office of the Registrar) for each course to be repeated.
2. Adhere to the following conditions:
   1. A limitation of applying grade forgiveness to three USF courses with no more than one repeat per course.
   2. With prior approval of the college dean, a course different from a course on the approved list may be substituted in the following cases:
      1. The substitute course is a change in prefix, number, hours, or title, but not a substantive change in content from the original course.
      2. The substitute course replaces a course no longer offered by the institution.
   3. The repeated course must be taken under the standard grading system (A-F) and the latest grade must be D/D- or higher (grades of S/U are not permitted).
   4. All grades remain on the transcript. The original course grade will be annotated with “E” to indicate that the course has subsequently been repeated and the original grade is not computed in the GPA.
   5. Individual colleges may have further restrictions; therefore, the student should consult with his/her college.

This policy is applicable to undergraduate and non-degree-seeking students only, and applies to 1000-to-5000-level courses. Once students have been awarded a bachelor’s degree from USF, they may not repeat a course and be forgiven the original grade, taken prior to graduation.

Colleges may determine and implement standards of academic progress for undergraduate students (majors in the college) in addition to those established by USF. Students who do not meet the academic standards of progress set by their colleges will be placed on probation and may be disenrolled. The college dean is responsible for implementing standards of academic progress and for notifying students of their probationary or disenrollment status.

Colleges may restrict the course selections and the number of hours a student may take that do not apply toward completion of degree requirements. Students who exceed this limit may have part or all of their registration canceled.

Full-time undergraduate students who demonstrate superior academic achievement during one semester will be honored on a “Dean’s List.” To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must be in a “pool” (defined hereafter) and must complete 12 hours of graded (A-F) USF courses with no incomplete grades during the semester. The “pool” consists of all students who have registered for at least 12 hours of USF courses in a given semester. The Dean’s List shall consist of the fewer of: 1) the upper 10% of the enrollment of the college or 2) students in the college with a USF 3.5 GPA or above (ties at the 90th percentile will be included in the honors group).

The Academic Regulations Committee (ARC) meets regularly to review petitions submitted by undergraduate students to waive University academic regulations. Students must petition and secure approval of the committee to return to the University after having been academically dismissed or to waive academic deadlines.

Effective Fall, 1998, the University has implemented a statute of limitations on student petitions for retroactive adds, drops, withdrawals, and registration. A student will be limited to two calendar years (six academic semesters/terms) for such appeals whether the student is in attendance or not.

The committee normally meets once a week on Tuesday. To petition the committee, a student must secure the appropriate form from the Office of the Registrar and consult with the ARC representative from his/her college prior to submitting the petition form. Completed forms should be returned to the Office of the Registrar no later than the preceding Thursday, to be reviewed at the next week’s meeting. Students will receive notification of the committee’s action the following week.