Academic Policies

Attendance

Students must be registered (i.e., name appears on the official class roster) in order to attend classes. 

Students must attend all classes, to participate fully in class activities, and to fulfill, in a professional manner, the requirements of each course. Class attendance and in-class activities may be part of the grade assignment. If there is an emergency, you are expected to notify the instructor in advance of the scheduled class. 

Grading System: 

Incomplete Grade Procedure

Students given the approval to postpone course requirements must complete them on the date specified by the instructor. Once they agree on work still left to be done and a completion deadline, students and instructors are encouraged to fill out an online "Incomplete Grade Form" (see SOE forms in the navigation bar).  If the notation is still incomplete at the close of the following semester, it is converted to a failing grade (F). 

Grading Scale

93% - 100% = A
90% - 92% = A-
87% - 89% = B+
83% - 86% = B
80% - 82% = B-
77% - 79% = C+
73% - 76% = C
70% - 72% = C-

Grade Point Average

Students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in order to remain eligible to receive financial aid. In addition, a 3.0 GPA is required for conferral of degree.

Official Grades

A (+/-)    Distinguished, clearly superior work showing high quality of insight, depth of knowledge, and with no fundamental deficiencies.


B (+/-)    Demonstrates acceptable acquisition of basic subject and/or skill mastery.


C (+/-)    Demonstrates minimum mastery of graduate level knowledge, awareness, and skills.


F    Inadequate work, the absence of work, or plagiarized work.


I    "Incomplete" denotes that an examination or required assignment has been postponed for a serious reason after consultation with the instructor.  Students who have not contacted a faculty member regarding completion of course requirements are subject to a failing grade.  Students given approval to postpone course requirements must complete them on the date specified by the instructor. Once they agree on work still left to be done and a completion deadline, students and instructors are encouraged to fill out an online "Incomplete Grade Form" (see SOE forms in the navigation bar).  If the notation is still incomplete at the close of the following semester, it is converted to a failing grade (F). 


IP    Work for a course can be "In Progress" because of the nature of a particular course or course schedule.  "IPs" are not automatically converted to "Fs."  “IPs” are permitted only for fieldwork courses.


W    "Withdrawal" indicates that the student dropped a course after the University census date.


NR    Grade "Not Reported" by instructor.  To correct the transcript, the instructor must file a change of grade form.  "NR" carries no connotation of student performance and no grade point value is given.


RC    "Registration Canceled" is put on a transcript when the Student Accounts Office cancels registration due to non-payment of tuition and fees.

Students who, because of the demands of their professional workload, anticipate problems in meeting timelines set by a particular instructor should discuss the problem in a timely and professional manner with the instructor.  

Grading is now done online.  As soon as final grades are posted by instructors, students can view them via myUSF (see “Student Self Service”).

Students can check their unofficial transcript by visiting myUSF page.

Credit for Repeated Courses

In non-credential masters courses, the lowest passing grade is a C-.  For doctoral courses, the lowest passing grade is a B-.  For all credential courses, please be in touch with the program coordinators for the lowest passing grade (this is determined by the governing state agency).


Please note that: 

  1. A single course can only be repeated once.
  2. The grade for each course attempt will appear on the transcript.
  3. Up to a maximum of three courses can be repeated.
  4. Only the highest grade achieved will be credited towards degree requirements. 
  5. There is no reduction in tuition when registering to repeat a course and you may not audit the course.
  6. Repeated courses may not be taken by Independent Study.
  7. Courses must be repeated at the University of San Francisco. 

Change of Grade

When a written arrangement has been made with a course instructor, a student can request a change of grade.  The outstanding, revised and/or incomplete assignment should be turned in to the instructor and a grade may be changed upon the instructor’s review and assessment of the work.  An online "Change of Grade" form is available to faculty in the faculty section of the School of Education MyUSF site.

How to Apply for Commencement

Degree Posting Requirements

To be eligible for the conferment of a graduate degree, a student must attain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in all courses counted towards that degree.

Duplicate Diploma