Harvard Extension School 51 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA (617) 495-4024
© 2012–13 President and Fellows of Harvard College
Grades are available via online services after classes end (see the calendar for dates).
Grades reflect the quality and quantity of a student’s work submitted throughout the term. Each instructor determines the individual grade components for their course and their percentage value in the calculation of their students’ final grades. Students should check the course syllabus for more information on their instructor’s grading policies. Undergraduate and graduate students who complete the requirements of a course may earn one of the following grades:
A and A− grades represent work whose superior quality indicates a full mastery of the subject and, in the case of A, work of extraordinary distinction. There is no grade of A+.
B+, B, and B− grades represent work of good to very good quality throughout the term; however, it does not merit special distinction.
C+, C, and C− grades designate an average command of the course material.
D+, D, and D− grades indicate work that shows a deficiency in knowledge of the material.
Students enrolled in courses for credit are expected to complete all coursework on time. Students who do not complete a course by the end of a term may receive one of the following noncompletion grades. Noncompletion grades may affect academic standing. Candidates and potential candidates for degree and diploma programs should check their individual program requirements.
*** is an interim grade notation assigned by the Registrar’s Office to students with cases pending before the Administrative Board.
DE (distance exam) is an interim grade assigned by the Registrar’s Office to distance students whose final grades are not available when grades are posted online. The grade is changed when the instructor submits the final grade.
EXT (extension of time) is an interim grade that may be requested by credit students who, due to extenuating circumstances that occur toward the end of the term, need additional time to submit a final assignment or a small amount of written work (one or two assignments—not a classroom final exam—after the course has ended). Instructors may approve or deny a request for an extension of time in accordance with their grading policies. Students who owe a major portion of the coursework should withdraw from the course rather than request an extension of time to complete the work after the end of the term.
Students must submit the completed copy of the extension-of-time form to 51 Brattle Street by the start of the final exam period. The latest deadline instructors may set for students to submit outstanding work is:
Students who receive an extension of time should be aware that they do not retain access to the Harvard Libraries electronic resources after the term ends. However, students enrolled in distance courses will continue to have access to video lectures until the extension-of-time deadline or their grade is changed, whichever occurs first.
MU (make-up final exam) is an interim grade assigned to students whose appeals for a make-up final exam are approved. This notation is changed to a letter grade when the student takes the make-up exam. Students who do not take the make-up exam as scheduled are assigned an E for that exam. Access to video lectures is extended to the make-up exam date in each term for students whose appeals for make-up final exams are approved.
RQ (required to withdraw) is a permanent final grade assigned to credit and noncredit students who are required by the Administrative Board to withdraw from one or more courses. An RQ grade is equivalent to a failing grade and does not result in any tuition refund.
WA (administrative withdrawal) is assigned to students who are administratively withdrawn in accordance with Extension School policies. WA may be a permanent notation.
WD (withdrawal) is a permanent final grade assigned to credit students who officially withdraw by the final withdrawal deadline. Withdrawn students may continue to attend classes or participate online in most courses; however, they may no longer submit work or take exams. The Extension School reserves the right to prohibit a withdrawn student from continuing to attend classes or participate online. WD grades may not be changed to letter grades and do not result in any tuition refund. An E grade may be assigned to students who do not complete course requirements and do not officially withdraw by the withdrawal deadline. Admitted program candidates and prospective applicants should contact their program offices to discuss the implications of withdrawing from a course on their academic record and GPA.
WN (noncredit withdrawal) is a permanent notation assigned to noncredit students who withdraw by the final withdrawal deadline. WN notations do not result in any tuition refund.
All grades, with the exception of DE, EXT, MU, or asterisk (***), and in some cases WA, are considered final when they are submitted to Academic Services. Students should ask their instructors for explanations of their grades if they believe errors were made. However, a student may not submit extra work, resubmit work to improve a final grade, or have their work evaluated by a third party.
Requests for grade changes are initiated by the instructor. Letter grades can be changed only if there is clear evidence of a computational or clerical error that is documented in writing by the instructor. Grades cannot be changed after April 1 for fall and January session courses and August 1 for spring courses.
Though students are entitled to an explanation of their grades, they should be careful not to harass instructors. Repeatedly calling an instructor about a grade or a few points on an exam or telling an instructor that a certain grade is needed could be considered harassment.
Grades are not assigned to students enrolled in noncredit Institute for English Language courses. The following notations are assigned.
AR (met all requirements) is assigned to students with active classroom participation, completion of all assignments, and perfect attendance for the term.
MR (met most requirements) is assigned to students with satisfactory classroom participation, completion of most assignments, and good attendance for the term.
A grade point average (GPA) is calculated only for degree program applicants and candidates. The following numerical values are assigned to letter and nonletter grades: A=4.0, A–=3.67, B+=3.33, B=3.0, B–=2.67, C+=2.33, C=2.0, C–=1.67, D+=1.33, D=1.0, D–=0.67, E=0, WD=0, RQ=0, EXD=0.
Potential and admitted degree and diploma candidates should check their program requirements to learn more about how letter and nonletter and noncompletion grades will affect their academic standing, including the limited number of WD grades that can be earned before counting as zeros in the cumulative GPA.
Admitted degree candidates can learn their GPAs by reviewing academic progress reports available through online services. These reports are updated at the end of each semester.
Potential candidates should be aware that minimum GPAs are required for admission to all program and if their GPA is below the minimum, it may not be in their best interest to continue to register for courses in an attempt to raise their GPAs. Students can learn predegree GPAs by logging into online services and choosing Degree Program Admissions, Pre-Admission GPA request.
© 2012–13 President and Fellows of Harvard College