Grading

The Faculty of Arts and Science Grading Policy approved by Faculty Board on October 14, 2011 imposes two requirements:

1. The grading process must be clear and transparent to students, so that students know exactly how their averages are being calculated, and

2. Even though each department establishes its own policy—all letter grade assignment marks, all numerical assignment marks, or some combination of the two—instructors must calculate final course averages from those assignment marks using a single approved common method.

Grading Policies and Forms

Grades Memo (Dates & Deadlines)

The Grades Memo is used to communicate important information about the submission of final grades, including dates and deadlines. It is circulated at the beginning of each term to all departmental Undergraduate Chairs and Assistants and is posted on this page.

Deadlines for submitting grades are based on 10 calendar days from the date of the final exam, the due date of the final assignment, or the end of classes.

Electronic Grade Submission & Approval Process

Letter-Based Grading System

Departments in the Faculty of Arts and Science are using the letter-based grading system. 

Please consult the Faculty of Arts and Science Grading Policy and your Undergraduate Chair for any department-specific protocols that have been developed to support the letter-based grading scheme.

Note that if you submit percentage grades to PeopleSoft, they will be converted to letter grades automatically based on the Senate-approved conversion scale. 

Submitting Grades through PeopleSoft

Instructors will submit final grades through the Faculty Centre in PeopleSoft. Instructors have two options when submitting grades: (1) they may enter them individually, student by student, or (2) they may upload a spreadsheet containing all the grades directly to PeopleSoft.

Approving Grades through PeopleSoft 

Department Heads will also use PeopleSoft to review the grades submitted by instructors in their Department and to approve them electronically.

Once the Head has approved a grade roster, an automatic batch process will run overnight to post the grades to the student record and they will be immediately displayed to students in SOLUS. Therefore, we request that you approve grades in a timely manner so that students’ grades are available as early as possible.

For grade entry and approval instructions, see PeopleSoft Grade Entry.

Official Grade Changes

Once final grades have been approved, any changes must be submitted:

  • Through the change of grade module in SOLUS

Please note the following:

  • All grade changes should be submitted as letter grades. If you have assessed students using percentage conversion, please also indicate the associated letter grade.
  • The term code is an abbreviated version of the year and term in which the course is offered. For example, the term code for Fall 2020 courses is 2209, to indicate the millennium (2), the last two digits of the year (20) and first month of the term (9 for September). For reference, please see the following examples:
    • Fall 2022 term code – 2229
    • Winter 2023 term code – 2231
    • Summer 2023 term code – 2235
    • Fall 2023 term code – 2239
    • Winter 2024 term code – 2241
    • Summer 2024 term code - 2245
  • There will be no grade change process for mid-year grades(Fall term NG grades cannot be changed for dual term A/B courses)
  • For grade changes affecting graduating students, please clearly indicate "Degree List" on the top of any Change of Grade forms so that they can be processed without delay.
  • If the student’s grade is being lowered, the student must be notified by the Department. Please indicate that this has been done.

OnQ/Brightspace

For instructions about how to upload grades from OnQ to PeopleSoft, see PeopleSoft Grade Entry.

Instructors who require specific assistance shoud contact the IT Support Centre.

Non-Evaluative Grades

A final grade must be submitted for every student who appears on the grade roster; there can be no “blank” grades.

Do not submit a grade of DR (dropped) because you think a student has dropped the course. If the student is on the grade roster, the course has not been dropped and a grade must be submitted.

If a final grade cannot be determined by the grade submission deadline, instructors may use one of the following:

Incomplete (IN)

  • Indicates that the student has not completed all the work in the course (this may include the final exam) and if the incomplete work is not submitted, the student will fail the course.
  • If the student has not completed all the work in the course but will pass the course even if the incomplete work is not submitted, the instructor should submit an evaluative final grade based on the work completed to date (rather than entering an IN grade for this situation). Again, if the instructor agrees to accept the outstanding work, the student has until the end of the subsequent term to complete this work and receive a change of grade.
  • Instructors are highly encouraged to have the student sign the Permission for an Incomplete Grade Form (link is external) to ensure expectations and deadlines are clearly communicated. This form can be sent to the Student Services office for record-keeping.
  • IN grades automatically revert to “F” at the end of the subsequent term, unless the student completes the outstanding work and the instructor submits a grade change through the electronic system in SOLUS.
  • Extensions beyond one term are allowed only upon successful appeal to the Associate Dean (Academic).

Grade Deferred (GD)

  • Indicates that the student has completed all the work in the course but a final grade is not available.
  • This temporary designation is usually used in one of two circumstances: (1) an administrative/grading delay (for example, if a student’s final exam has not yet arrived from a distance Exam Centre), or (2) an outstanding Academic Integrity investigation or appeal. If it is used for some other purpose, the instructor should contact the Student Services office to provide an explanation.

Aegrotat Estimated Standing (AG) & Credit Standing (CR)

  • Assigned only by the Associate Dean (Academic) upon successful appeal by the student.
  • If a student is appealing for AG or CR standing, the instructor should still submit a final grade based on the work submitted to date  – even if the grade is a low passing grade or a failure. The final grade will be updated by the Student Services Office following a successful appeal.

For more information, see Academic Regulation 10.3 Non-Evaluative Grades.

Personal Interest Credit

In order to encourage students to explore subject matter outside their program of study and to promote interdisciplinary study, all upper-year Arts and Science students will be permitted to designate up to 6.0 units of degree-credit courses for pass/fail grading, thereby minimizing any risk to the students’ GPA.  Such courses designated for pass/fail grading will be referred to as Personal Interest Credits (PIC’s).

Instructors will not be informed by the University or PeopleSoft of a student’s designation of a course for pass/fail grading.  The responsibilities of both the student and the instructor in the course will remain the same as when letter grades are assigned.

Upon completion, the instructor will enter the letter grade that the student earned in the class.  If the student has selected the class as a PIC, a letter grade of D- or greater will be converted to a final grade of P (pass); otherwise a grade of F (fail) will be assigned. 

The student’s transcript will show only the P or F grade and not the letter grade.

For more information about the Personal Interest Credit, see Personal Interest Credit and/or Academic Regulation 10.2.2 – Pass/Fail Grades in Courses Designated by the Student (Personal Interest Credit).

Transcript Notes

Transcript notes are not to be entered by instructors, Heads, or Administrative Assistants during the grade submission process. Any notes that are entered display on the student’s official transcript, and would require Senate approval. Therefore, please do not use this field.

Relevant Web Links

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact us at asc.studentservices@queensu.ca.