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Grading Policies

Audit (AUD) Grade Policy

Students may audit (attend without credit) courses in which they have an interest to increase their knowledge and proficiency. A student may audit a course only with official approval of the department chairperson, and based on seat availability through the Add/Drop period. A student seeking to take the course for credit will supersede an audit request, regardless of order of registration. “Unofficial” auditing is not permitted. Students must request to audit a course at the time of registration or prior to the start of the Withdrawal Period as indicated on the Academic Calendar for the session of the course, by completing an Audit Request Form, available in the Registrar’s Office. Students must register for an audit class in the same manner prescribed for regular classes, and must meet course prerequisites.

Students must also pay the required tuition & fees as if registering for credit in the course. Audited courses cannot be used to qualify for full-time or part-time status, financial aid or veteran’s benefits. Once registration is completed as an auditor, no credit for that course can be granted retroactively, and the decision cannot be reversed. The grade of “AUD”, which carries no credit, cannot be changed to any other grade. The tuition refund policy for audited courses is the same as for credit courses, except in cases of an audit student being de-enrolled to make room for a credit student; in that case, there will be 100% refund, regardless of timing. Official transcripts will record the grades of “AUD” for courses enrolled on an audit basis. Auditors are required to observe attendance regulations of the College and must participate in class to the extent deemed reasonable, desirable and necessary by the instructor.

F Grade Policy

A grade of “F” is a failure grade given to a student who completed the course and failed. A student who completed a course unsuccessfully should be granted the grade of “F” with the culminating academic experience of the course, i.e. final exam, final paper, etc. The grade can also be assigned if the student has completed a majority of the course and documentation of failing course work is available.

At LaGuardia and other CUNY schools, any student who earns an academic grade of F, or an administrative failing grade (FIN), and subsequently retakes the course and receives a grade of C or better, will no longer have that F or FIN grade computed into the Grade Point Average subject to the following provisions:

  1. This policy was effective as of Fall 1990;

  2. The failing grade must have been earned after Sept. 1, 1984;

  3. The maximum number of failing credits that can be deleted from the GPA shall be limited to a total of 16 throughout CUNY;

  4. The F or FIN grade will remain on the transcript, but will not be calculated in the GPA;

  5. For the student who earns a grade of C or better in a course taken at LaGuardia, the original failing grade must have also been earned at LaGuardia; and

  6. Partial deletions in the calculation of the cumulative GPA are prohibited.

Final Grade Submission Deadlines 

Effective Fall 2017 

  • Beginning Fall 2017, City University of New York (CUNY) will implement a university-wide Final Grade Submission Deadline policy. Given the variety of student-centered application, enrollment and graduation transactions that needs to be completed in a timely fashion, all CUNY institutions will require undergraduate final grades to be submitted no later than three business days (72 hours) after the last day of the final exam period for the term (or equivalent for sessions). Individual colleges may impose more stringent deadlines if they so choose. This date will be published in the Academic Calendar. 

  • Submitting grades on time prevents delays students may experience related to Enrollment processes, Transcript requests, Scholarships/Honors awards, Degree verifications by employers, Conferral of degrees, Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Calculation, Academic Standing Calculation, and mailing of diplomas. 

  • Given that the wide range of Graduate/Professional programs offered at the University have significantly less standardization in their instructional delivery models and practices, this policy allows campuses offering Graduate/Professional programs to use the 72 hours deadline or establish alternative grade submission deadlines for courses offered in these programs. This Policy shall supersede and override all grading deadline policies currently in effect at CUNY colleges and schools. 

Incomplete (INC) Grade Policy

Eligibility. The Incomplete grade IN is intended for situations which arise that are beyond the student’s control. It is reserved for a student in good academic standing (maintaining a passing GPA) and for whom there is reasonable expectation of satisfactory course completion — defined as both satisfactory attendance in the class and having not completed at most two major assignments or examinations by the end of the course.

Restrictions. An IN is not to be initiated by an instructor without the student’s consent and is not permitted to replace a failing grade in a course. The IN is agreed to by the student and instructor.

A student’s strict adherence to attendance and academic policies as outlined above is required, without exception.

Documentation. The student must provide a documented reason beyond her/his control, satisfactory to the instructor, substantiating the request for an IN. Additionally, the student must fill out an Incomplete Grade Request Form with the course’s instructor.

Completion. The request form includes a deadline by which any missed assignment(s) must be completed in order for the instructor to consider changing the grade. A student receiving an IN is required to submit all completed work before the end of the semester following the one in which the IN is given. The student is required to assume responsibility for submitting work by the agreed-upon deadline in order to be eligible for a change of grade. The student may not re-register for the same course while the IN is in effect. In addition, any course in which the student has received an IN cannot be used as a pre-requisite.

Grade Change. Provided all conditions for completion of coursework are met by the student within the deadlines outlined above and upon formal evaluation of remaining assignment(s), the course instructor must submit an official Change of Grade Form by the end of the semester following the one in which the IN was given. Failure to submit a Change of Grade Form for any reason will result in automatic conversion of the IN to a FIN, or failing grade, for the course.

Course Exemptions. Academic departments may designate courses in which an IN may not be given. For allied health clinical affiliation courses or COOP internship courses an IN may be given by an instructor when a supervisor’s evaluation has not been received in sufficient time for grading, or when a student has been given permission by the instructor to complete the clinical affiliation or internship course beyond the end of the academic term in which the student is registered. Developmental skills courses may have different IN policies. Check with the department for specific guidelines.

R Grade Policy

The Repeat (R) grade is awarded only in Basic Skills courses. In general, the student has satisfactorily completed all assignments and has demonstrated satisfactory progress toward the goal of the course but has not reached the level required to pass the course. To earn a grade of R, students who do not pass the course must:

  1. Comply with the College’s attendance policy. Students who have stopped attending at any time before the final exam week, and did not officially withdraw will receive a grade of WU;

  2. Complete all assigned work; and

  3. Make substantial progress in appropriate skills improvement.

After Spring 1990, students who register for a course in which they have previously received two or more R grades are not eligible to receive an additional R. Students who do not pass the course in their third or subsequent attempt must be given a grade of F. However, the instructor can submit an appeal on behalf of the student to the department chair.

No Credit Policy

Effective as of Fall I 2021

Students must meet the following requirements/guidelines:

  1. Students must continue attending the class, complete all assignments, and take the final examination. Only an earned failing grade (F) can convert to NC grade, with no credit awarded. No other grades are eligible under this policy.

  2. The option to take a course as NC grade will be offered to all students for a maximum of 4 credits, or 1 class. Non-credit bearing remedial classes will not be included in the NC grade option.

  3. Matriculated students with an NC grade already in their transcripts will not be able to use this option.

  4. The NC credits are counted towards enrollment but not counted towards students’ academic progress.

  5. An NC grade from College Now or Early College Initiative programs prior to matriculation at the college does not count towards the NC cap as outlined in 4.

  6. Faculty will submit their grades by following the LAGCC standard grade assignment chart. NC grade will be assigned administratively by the Registrar. Students must opt-in within fourteen days after the grade submission deadline for each session. Deadlines are published in the Academic Calendar. No special action will be needed by faculty.


Please note that the "NC" grade will not impact student’s financial aid and will not be calculated in the students’ Grade Point Average at LAGCC. However, when the student transfers to another institution, the "NC" grade may be treated as an "F" grade.

All clinical phase courses in Nursing, LPN, OTA, PTA, Rad Tech, and Vet Tech (course prefixes: SCL, SCO, SCR, SCT, SCV, SCX) are excluded.

Note: SCV101 is not in the clinical phase and thus not excluded.

Note: Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their Academic and Financial Aid Advisors before choosing the No Credit option.

Students must fill out the "NC Grade Request form" and email the form to NC Grade at NCgrade@lagcc.cuny.edu.

Repeat Course Policy

Effective date of policy: Fall 2022

This policy will apply to all students, and include courses taken prior to Fall 2022.

PREAMBLE

Advising Statement

Students who complete a course with a low or failing grade may wish to repeat the course in a subsequent semester. In addition to understanding the policies concerning course repeats (see below), and speaking with an academic advisor, it is also helpful for a student to consider the following:

If you wish to increase your GPA, consider whether this is the best way to achieve that goal. Many students will find that when they repeat a course, there is only a small impact on their overall GPA. Another way to increase your GPA is to take additional courses and do well in them. Lastly, if you are repeating a course to increase your GPA for Health Science candidacy applications, please be aware that the grade/GPA for both the initial and repeated course will be averaged for candidacy application review, even though this will not reflect on the transcript.

A student may wish or need to strengthen their knowledge in a particular course in order to prepare for future classes. This can be a good reason for repeating a course. You should consult with a professor or your program director to determine whether this might be appropriate in your case.

A course will not necessarily be easier the second time around. If you choose to repeat a course, make sure you maximize your chance for success by utilizing available resources and practicing good study habits.

Each course repetition is included in your credits attempted and the grade will be recorded in your transcript. Failed repetitions negatively affect your satisfactory academic progress score for financial aid; multiple failed repetitions may result in academic probation or dismissal.  

You should consider any transfer implications of repeating courses.  Your transfer institution might have different rules than LaGuardia for computing your GPA. For example, they may include all earned grades, not only the highest grade or only successful attempts.

International students have specific enrollment requirements and should talk to an International Student Services (ISS) advisor before repeating any passed courses.

Financial Aid Statement

Repeated passed courses are not eligible for state financial aid, and do not receive additional credit: a course passed with a D for 3 credits that gets retaken with a grade of B, will still only have a total of 3 credits.  As a result, if you repeat a passed course, that course will not be counted towards the semester’s financial aid eligibility.  Students receiving any kind of state or federal aid must generally be enrolled full-time, carrying at least 12 eligible credits. Additionally, attempted credits affect Satisfactory Academic Progress as part of financial aid eligibility, so multiple failed repetitions can adversely affect future aid eligibility.  

Students receiving Veterans benefits have specific enrollment and course eligibility requirements to maintain eligibility for those programs, and should speak with the Campus Certification Officer and their Academic Advisor before repeating any passed courses.  

Repeat Course Policy
1. Beginning in the Fall 2022 semester, students will be limited to one repeat per course for courses in which a passing grade was earned. Dropping a course or withdrawing from a course (W/WU/WN grade) is not counted as a repeat in this policy. Students who have used this policy prior to Fall 2022 can start with a clean slate.

2. All grade attempts which result in a grade other than W/WU/WN will be counted toward the total limit for repeatable credits.

3. Students may repeat no more than 3 courses. Additionally, if a student withdraws from all courses during a semester, those courses are not included in this limit. Students who are reentering the college under the Academic Forgiveness policy can request an individual review.  Students will be limited to one repeat per course for courses in which a passing grade was earned.  Any exemptions must be review and approved by an Academic Affairs Dean in consultation with the academic department.

4. Credit can be earned only once, however all attempts will remain on the transcript as part of the student’s official record.  The grade point average will include the highest grade earned. If the initial attempt at a course results in a grade of F, CUNY’s F grade policy below will apply.

F Grade Policy (Existing CUNY policy)

A grade of “F” is a failure grade given to a student who completed the course and failed. A student who completed a course unsuccessfully should be granted the grade of “F” with the culminating academic experience of the course, i.e., final exam, final paper, etc. The grade can also be assigned if the student has completed a majority of the course and documentation of failing course work is available.

At LaGuardia and other CUNY schools, any student who earns an academic grade of F, or an administrative failing grade (WU OR FIN), and subsequently retakes the course and receives a grade of C or better, will no longer have that F, WU, or FIN grade computed into the Grade Point Average subject to the following provisions:

1. This policy was effective as of Fall 1990

2. The failing grade must have been earned after Sept. 1, 1984

3. The maximum number of failing credits that can be deleted from the GPA shall be limited to a total of 16 throughout CUNY

4. The F, WU, or FIN grade will remain on the transcript, but will not be calculated in the GPA

5. For the student who earns a grade of C or better in a course taken at LaGuardia, the original failing grade must have also been earned at LaGuardia

6. Partial deletions in the calculation of the cumulative GPA are prohibited.

Special Course Requirements

Repeating Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) Courses

Students who opted for C/NC grades under the special COVID-19 grading policies may repeat a course for a letter grade subject to the above stipulations. NC courses will be treated as F courses, and CR courses as passed courses for the repeat course policy. However, when a student repeats a CR grade, only the letter grade earned in the repeat will be included in the calculation of the GPA.

Incomplete Courses

Students who have submitted signed incomplete contracts requiring them to complete missing coursework may not register again for credit as a “repeated” course while the IN grade remains in force.

Students who want to repeat a course for a grade should complete the online Repeat Course Form.

Most courses will be eligible under the repeat course policy. For courses in Health Science candidacy programs students are strongly advised to speak with the program directors BEFORE retaking any course

F-Repeat policy implementation for courses taken on ePermit 

When CUNY Permit students withdraw completely from classes at both the host and home colleges if the PERM message course on the term record remains with no grade assigned the r2t4 process does not consistently recognize these students as completely withdrawn. CUNY Board of Trustees resolved that the grades earned for ePermit coursework shall appear on the student's academic transcript at the home college and be included in the calculation of the student's semester and overall grade point averages. This policy applies to all earned grades as well as to administrative designations. (BTM,2004,02-23,004,_A) Therefore all grades A – Z must be recorded on the home college transcript. Furthermore, when a student has withdrawn from a host college course, either officially, unofficially, or administratively, the home college must record the W series grades assigned by the host college on the PERM message course in addition to the specific course equivalent recorded in other credits. W series grades include WD, WN, W, WU, WA.