Grading Standards

Mohave College student grades are available online at Colleague Self-Service. Students are strongly encouraged to check their Mohave College online transcript every semester. Transcripts serve as an official record of all classes for which a grade is received. A transcript includes withdrawals but excludes drops. The Grade Point Average (GPA) is a measurement of a student’s academic achievement, calculated by dividing quality points (Q.Pts) by the GPA Hours (HGPA) listed on the student’s transcript. To maintain good academic standing, a student must have a cumulative career GPA of at least 2.0. Only course work that has been successfully completed will be used toward meeting requirements for a degree or certificate.

Any discrepancies that may be on the transcript must be brought to the attention of the Registrar’s Office within one calendar year of the completion of the course(s) in question. If a student believes their grade has been applied incorrectly, the student may pursue a Grade Related Grievance: Grade Appeal.

Grading Standards

All grades earned will remain on the official transcript. Letter grades earn grade points according to the “Grading Standard” schedule.

*Adequate progress in early course objectives; mastery of all course objectives has not yet been met.

Note: Zero-level courses are pass/fail (S/U) graded courses and are not intended for college transfer. They do not count toward degree or certificate requirements and are not part of the grade point average calculation. However, zero-level courses may be required prior to enrollment into a course needed for graduation. This would be determined by course placement procedures and degree/certificate requirements.

Health Professions and CTE Grading: Please see specific program requirements.

Recognition of Academic Achievement

Dean’s List:

Students who have met the following criteria will be assigned the Dean’s List designation for the semester/term under consideration:

• Previously earned at least 12 semester hours in courses numbered 100 or above
• Earned at least 12 semester hours in courses numbered 100 or above in the current semester/term
• Earned a semester grade point average of 3.5 or better

Students who have met the qualifications will have designations added to their record.

Students receiving a grade of “I” may be eligible for retroactive Dean’s List designation upon conversion of the “I” to a permanent grade.

Student Honors List:

Students who have met the following criteria will be assigned the Honors List designation for the semester/term under consideration:

• Previously earned at least 12 semester/term hours in courses numbered 100 or above
• Earned at least 6 semester/term hours in courses numbered 100 or above in the current semester/term
• Earned a semester/term grade point average of 3.5 or better

Students who have met the qualifications will have designations added to their record.

Students receiving a grade of “I” may be eligible for retroactive Honors List designation upon conversion of the “I” to a permanent grade.

Auditing

• A course may be repeated beyond the stated limits of the Repeat Policy as an Audit.
• No audits are allowed for medical programs or special courses unless the student is accepted into the program as a formal student.
• Students will only be allowed to enroll in a course as an audited course until the end of the add/drop period of each class section on a space-available basis and only after the class has met the minimum enrollment of for-credit students.
• The AU designation will be assigned at the time of enrollment and an AU grade will appear on the official Mohave College transcript.
• No credit will be given for audited courses; audit courses do not count as part of the term’s credit load or as credit toward graduation.

Note: The auditing fee per credit hour is determined by the student’s classification under the established tuition rates, in addition to the Student Activity Fee, and all course fees. Students will not receive financial aid or VA education benefits for audited courses.

Incomplete

• Incomplete is a temporary designation generally given only in an emergency situation, such as illness, which results in the student’s inability to complete objectives.
• A student must have successfully completed 75 percent of the course objectives, as determined by the instructor, for the “I” designation.
• The period to complete objectives shall not exceed seven weeks after the last official day of the course, or the course grade will be converted to an “F.”
  • Specialized programs which include clinicals and/or internships/externships may exceed the 7-week limit, up until the end of the following semester, with approval from the Dean of the student’s program
• A written agreement by the faculty member specifying the necessary objectives and period of time within which they need to be completed shall be sent to the student with a copy to the Dean of the student’s program.

​Withdrawal

• A course withdrawal is a student-initiated grade. A student who follows the withdrawal process will receive a “W” grade.
• Withdrawals are non-refundable. Students who withdraw from a course are financially responsible for the course and must repay any financial obligation (i.e., financial aid).
• No earned credits for the course will be awarded; however, attempted credits for the course will be recorded on the student’s transcript.
• Students may withdraw from a course during the withdrawal dates published in theAcademic Calendar.
• It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from each course in which the student wishes to be withdrawn. Ceasing to attend does not constitute a withdrawal.
• A student who stops attending a course and does not follow the withdrawal process will receive the grade earned for all assignments and exams given during the course. This grade could be a “U” or an “F”.
• The student makes the withdrawal request via Colleague Self-Service. Read the Withdrawal Process Instructions for step-by-step instructions.

Steps for the student to take prior to filling out the withdrawal form:

1. Check your student account to ensure a zero balance.
2. Contact an advisor to find out how you will be financially impacted.
3. E-mail or speak with the course instructor to inform them of your intent to withdraw.

Steps for reinstatement into a student-initiated withdrawal:

• If a student would like to be reinstated into a class they have withdrawn from, the student must submit a Reinstatement Request Form which will be routed to the instructor for approval.
• If approved, the Registrar’s Office will remove the W grade and reinstate the student into the appropriate course(s).

NOTE: Determining Last Date of Enrollment

The last date of attendance may also be determined based on an academically related activity such as an exam, a tutorial, computer-assisted instruction, turning in a class assignment or attending a study group assigned by the instructor and/or participating in an online discussion about academic matters.

Attending a brief period of time or logging in for an online course does not constitute attendance.

If a student notifies Mohave College of intent to withdraw, either orally or in writing, does not withdraw at that time but subsequently withdraws, the first date of notification will be used in establishing the date of withdrawal.

If Mohave College determines that a student did not begin the withdrawal process due to illness, accident, grievous personal loss, or other such circumstances beyond the student’s control, the date that Mohave College determines is related to that circumstance will be used as the official date of withdrawal.

Additional information can be found at: https://www.mohave.edu/paying-for-college/financial-aid/

Administrative Withdrawal (WR Grade)

A student may be administratively withdrawn for four reasons:

Administrative Withdrawal for Non-Participation (WR1)

A withdrawal for non-participation is submitted via a WR1 academic alert by the course instructor. The WR1 grade request may be initiated after two consecutive weeks of non-participation, following the first week of the class. Each request is based upon concrete evidence (e.g., course gradebook). The student is notified of the non-participation request via their MCC email account and/or telephone by the instructor, program director, and/or an associate dean. If there is no response from the student to resolve the situation, the WR1 request may be signed by the designated program director or associate dean in order to be processed by the Registrar’s Office. A Last Date of Attendance (LDA) is provided with the WR1 request.

Administrative Withdrawal for Non-Payment (WR2)

The following is the process followed if a student misses a payment the student is contractually bound to make (payment plan or promissory note).

1. Student is notified via a regroup message by text and emails that the student may make the missed payment before midnight on the scheduled payment date.
2. If a student does not make the payment, the student will be administratively withdrawn from their Undergraduate level classes and receive a WR2 Grade.
3. Access to the Learning Management System is removed.
4. When the student satisfies the account in full within seven days of the scheduled due date, the WR2 grade is removed and the student is reinstated in classes by the Registrar’s Office.  When the student pays in full eight days or more after the scheduled due date, the student must check with each instructor for permission to be reinstated, as the student may have missed too much course information to be successful.  Instructors are asked to email the Registrar’s Office.
5. Access to the Learning Management System is restored.

Administrative Withdrawal for Disruptive Behavior (WR3)

A WR3 is an administrative withdrawal assigned when a student is dismissed from a course or program before the end of the term. This grade is used when a student is removed from a program for reasons such as:

• Not meeting program standards (for example: grades, attendance, professionalism, clinical/host-site expectations), or
• Violations of the Student Code of Conduct that are confirmed through the college’s conduct review process.

Because the student is no longer permitted to continue in the program, a WR3 may be applied to all affected program courses based on the student’s last date of attendance.

A WR3 does not reflect academic performance in the course itself. Instead, it documents that the student could not complete the course due to program dismissal.

Receiving a WR3 does not dismiss a student from Mohave College overall. Students may meet with Academic Advising to explore continuing their education in other programs or coursework.

The College may administratively withdraw students from classes at any point during the semester or term. In these cases, a grade of “W” may be assigned to indicate the student is no longer enrolled in the course.

Special Circumstances Drop

Approval for special circumstance refunds must be obtained from the Dean of Student and Community Engagement. In special circumstances, a student may request to be dropped from all courses after the official add/drop period for one of the following reasons and receive a refund (if applicable) of tuition and net fees (except fees for instruments, tools, or uniform costs):

NOTE: If the student requesting the special circumstances drop has paid for their current courses with financial aid, the student must pay back the financial aid that was received. The special circumstances process does not grant forgiveness for federal Title IV financial aid funds.

• Serious illness of student or student’s spouse, parent, child, legal guardian or sibling as long as the request is made prior to the end of the semester in which the illness occurs. The student must produce a verifiable doctor’s statement certifying that their illness or the illness of the relative prevents the student from attending classes.
• Death of student, student’s spouse, parent, child, legal guardian, or sibling if the request is made prior to the end of the semester in which the death occurs. The student or the student’s representative must provide a death certificate or newspaper obituary notice as well as proof of relationship (birth certificate, marriage license).
• Military service/deployment if the student who belongs to the armed forces or National Guard is called to active duty and assigned to a duty station distant from the campus. A copy of the military orders must be provided.
• Jury duty that requires five days or more of consecutive service. A copy of the court order must be provided.
• In the case of an extreme circumstance not covered above (example: loss of home), the student’s advisor will forward the request to the Vice President of Student and Community Engagement.  The student must provide documentation that clearly verifies the special circumstance to be considered.  Extreme circumstances do not include situations such as loss of a pet, short-term illnesses like a sinus infection, working a lot of overtime, etc.  While we understand these situations can be very difficult, they do not meet the criteria to qualify for a Special Circumstance Drop.

Note: When courses are dropped through this process, all financial aid received must be repaid by the student. The student needs to meet with an advisor to request special circumstance refund.

Military Leave of Absence

A student who is a member of the U.S. armed forces and called to active duty may be granted a Military Leave of Absence for the period of active duty by submitting the Military Leave of Absence application. The application must include a copy of the student’s military orders that indicate the date on which the student must report for active duty. Students with a Military Leave of Absence will have that period of active duty noted on their transcript. A student that completes the Military Leave of Absence application should refer to the appropriate forms to be withdrawn or otherwise granted clemency for their course(s) (e.g. Special Circumstances Drop, Incomplete Grade Contract). 

Returning After Military Leave of Absence

When veteran students whose higher education pursuits are interrupted by mobilization or activation re­enroll within one year at Mohave College, every possible effort will be made to place them back into their academic studies track. The college will work to place them as close as possible to the same place that the student previously occupied. This will allow students to continue their academic studies with as little interruption as possible.

• Veteran students re-enrolling, under circumstances as described above, will need to provide documentation of release of active duty. At that time, every reasonable attempt should be made to give preferential enrollment into high demand courses necessary for them to continue their studies with minimal disruption to progress. This is particularly necessary for students who are enrolled in programs that require sequenced courses of study. Programs that limit acceptance through an application process shall require program directors and/or faculty to strive to accommodate the needs of students returning from mobilization or activation within the established timeframe.
• Time spent on mobilized or active duty will not be counted against determining ongoing enrollment for the institutions catalog year under which the student may meet curricular or degree requirements as was declared at the time of deployment. A person who re-enlists or otherwise voluntarily extends active duty, must follow policy and declare a program of study using the current catalog at time of re-enrollment.
• If certain courses required in a student’s curriculum are no longer offered at the time of re­enrollment, the institution shall make reasonable accommodations with substitute courses, independent study, or other appropriate options.
• In instances of substantial curriculum change during the period of mobilization or activation, the student’s academic dean or program director may work with the student and prescribe a special curriculum, not necessarily following any given catalog, which will assure proper preparation of the student for completion of the respective program.
• If a student’s curriculum no longer exists at the time of re-enrollment, the institution shall reasonably assist the student in changing to a new curriculum or transferring to an institution where the desired curriculum is available.
• Mohave College accommodates brief absences of 30 days or less, such as annual two-week reserve training, provided that successful progress in the course is being made prior to the absence, and the faculty member is able to provide flexibility regarding coursework completion dates. For longer absences due to compulsory service, the student may choose a special circumstance drop for military service or deployment.

Grade Related Grievance: Grade Appeal

Mohave Community College has an appeal process with regard to the assignment of a final grade for a class.

Appeals of final grades should only be made in cases where a student’s final grade is inconsistent with course expectations as documented in the syllabus.  A grade appeal can only be submitted within ninety (90) days of the last day of the semester.

To appeal a final grade the following process needs to be followed:

1. In an effort to resolve the issue, the student MUST meet with the Mohave College faculty. In the event that this fails to produce a resolution, the student may proceed to step 2.
2. To submit a grade appeal, begin by clicking here. The appeal should explain how the student’s final grade is inconsistent with documented course expectations for review by the associate dean/program director supervising the faculty. At this time, the student should provide all documentation that supports their position. After submitting the Grade Appeal Form, the student may receive a request from the associate dean/program director for additional information and/or further clarification.  The student will receive notification of the resolution of their appeal no later than 10 business days from either submission of a grade appeal form or the request for additional information, whichever is later. Students may experience a possible delay to grade appeal resolution outside the traditional academic calendar. (Most departments work only during the fall and spring semesters).  If the student wishes to dispute the resolution by the associate dean/program director, the student may proceed to step 3.
3. Student must submit a written petition to the Dean of the student’s program explaining why the associate dean/program director’s review of the grade appeal and resolution was incorrect in determining that the student’s final grade is not inconsistent with documented course expectations.  The associate dean/program director will forward the Grade Appeal Form, any student documentation, and the notice of resolution provided to the student to the Dean of the student’s program. The decision of the Dean is final.