Grades

Grades are the method of assessing student progress. Students are issued grades at mid-semester and a final grade at the end of the semester.

Grade Reports

Student grade reports are available at mid-semester and at the end of the semester. Only the semester grades are entered on the student’s permanent records (transcript). Semester grade reports are available through the student portal myESU. Specific information about access to the student portal is mailed to each student upon his or her initial enrollment at East Stroudsburg University.

It is the responsibility of each student to check grade reports at mid-semester and at the end of the semester. Students are expected to check grade reports as they are available to be aware of academic performance in each course, to register for courses for the next semester, and to address issues related to course grades immediately. Grade reports are an important tool for assessing academic progress.

Quality Point System

In addition to meeting course and credit requirements for graduation, students must maintain a specified academic level throughout a given curriculum as measured by quality points. The minimum number of quality points required for graduation is twice the number of credits attempted. Pass/fail courses are not used in the computation of the quality point average. Work completed at other colleges and accepted as transfer credit is not considered in computing the quality point average. The required quality point average for graduation is 2.00 or higher. Some degree programs require a higher cumulative quality point average.

Each credit grade is calculated as follows:

A 4.0 quality points
A- 3.667 quality points
B+ 3.333 quality points
B 3.0 quality points
B- 2.667 quality points
C+ 2.333 quality points
C 2.0 quality points
C- 1.667 quality points
D 1.0 quality points
E 0 quality points

Calculating Grade Point Average

Calculating of grade point average is done using the steps below.

  1. Grade symbols are translated into quality points per credit as listed above.
  2. The university recognizes that a good grade in a three-semester-hour course requires more work than in a two-semester-hour course. Owing to this, the university follows a system which recognizes both the quality and quantity of a student’s work. Under this system, the number of quality points for each letter grade (e.g. four points for an A) is multiplied by the number of semester hours of credit for the course. For example, an A in a three-semester-hour course earns a total of 12 quality points. To find out a student's quality point average, divide the total number of quality points by the total number of semester hours scheduled. This average considers both the quality and quantity of work. 
  3. Quality points are awarded only for work completed at East Stroudsburg University. Work completed at other colleges and accepted as transfer credit is not considered in computing the quality point average.

Incompletes

The maximum time for completing course requirements to remove incomplete grades is one year from the end of the session in which the “I” grade was assigned. After that time, the “I” grade will automatically be converted by the Registrar to an “E,” “F,” or “U,” based on the grade mode for the course. The student can then only earn credits for the course by registering for it again in another semester.

If a student applies for graduation in a session before the one-year period has expired, the course requirements must be completed by the end of that session, or the “I” grade will be converted by the Registrar to an “E,” “F,” or “U” based on the grade mode for the course.

Students who cannot complete the required coursework during the specified time period should notify the faculty member as soon as possible. A faculty member who chooses to deviate from this policy will require the student to sign a contract specifying conditions necessary for course completion, which may include a time period for completion of less than one year or other conditions. The faculty member will also notify the Registrar of any changes to the completion date.

Repeat Grades

Undergraduate students will be limited to a maximum total of six repeats during their enrollment at East Stroudsburg University. This is an individual course count (not credit). Students cannot repeat more than six courses.

A single course can only be taken a maximum of three times. That is, the course should appear no more than three times on a transcript. The most recent grade, regardless of whether it is higher or lower, will be the grade used for the GPA calculation. All other grades earned for repeated courses will be marked as such on the student’s academic transcript.

Developmental Education Courses

The Course Repeat Policy limit will not apply to Developmental Education courses such as MATH 090 and ENGL 101. However, the most recent grade will be the grade used for assessing academic progress for both the semester and overall calculations. Credits earned will count toward Class Standing (Classification Level). Credits and grades will appear on transcript but credits will not count toward the minimum number of credits required for graduation.