Undergraduate Grading and Academic Credit Policies

Grading System 

Grades submitted by the instructors are issued at the end of each semester and are represented by letters. Class promotion, graduation, honors, Good Academic Standing, Academic Probation and Suspension are based on a student’s grade point average (GPA). The GPA is computed by multiplying the number of semester hours of credit by the appropriate quality point value, and then dividing the sum of these products by the total number of semester hours of credit attempted. Students may take a specific course on a pass/fail basis with permission of the School Dean. (See also Pass/Fail Policy.)

INC means Incomplete 
IP means In Progress (used for courses that extend beyond the academic semester) 
W means Withdraw 
X means non-credit item completed (i.e., lab) 
LVP means Lasell Village participation 
AU means Audit 
NG means no grade was submitted by the faculty member
P/F means In Pass/Fail courses, P means Pass, and F means Fail 

Registration 

After scheduling courses with their academic advisors, students register with the Registrar’s Office each semester. Students who are already enrolled pre-register in April for the following Fall semester and in November for the following Spring semester. A student is officially registered for classes only after all financial obligations to the University have been met.

Add/Drop 

First-year students wishing to change a course must obtain their advisor’s approval through Self-Service. All other students may make changes online in Self-Service or in-person in the Registrar’s Office. This must be done prior to the end of the Add/Drop Period, which ends after the first week of classes during the Fall and Spring Semester, 72 hours after the start of the Summer Online Semesters, and 48 hours after the start of the Winter Online Semesters. Deadline dates are posted on the University Calendar. Students may not enter a class after the Add/Drop Period.

Course Withdrawal 

After the Add/Drop period a student may be allowed to withdraw from one or more courses until the end of the withdrawal period deadline date published on the University Calendar. A grade designation of “W” (withdrawn) will appear on the transcript if the withdrawal is recorded prior to the course withdrawal period deadline date. After that time, a student not attending a class receives an “F.” In consultation with their academic advisor, the student should review policies regarding fulltime status, academic standing, financial aid, athletic eligibility and international student visa status prior to submitting a course withdrawal. Course withdrawal forms are available from and must be returned to the Office of the Registrar.

Failure to Earn a Minimum Grade

Students who are in good standing (have a grade point average higher than 2.0 with at least 12 earned credits) and who for the first time have failed to achieve the minimum grade for a required course will receive a letter cautioning them about their lack of academic progress. It is strongly recommended that students receiving these letters attend academic support sessions in the Academic Achievement Center and meet with their advisor frequently.

Course Repeat Policy 

Students are permitted to repeat any course, on a one time only basis.  Students who fail to achieve the minimum required grade for a repeated course must meet with the Dean of Academic Success or their school dean to discuss actions necessary for continuing at Lasell.  The Registrar will place a stop on the student's account, which will remain until after the conference with the dean occurs. 

When a course is successfully repeated, the higher of the two grades will be computed into the GPA, and the lower of the two grades will be removed from the average. No additional credits will be counted toward graduation; however, the lower grade will remain on the permanent academic record. For additional restrictions, students need to review individual major requirements.

Incomplete Grades 

On rare occasions, a grade of Incomplete (INC) may be granted. Ultimately, the decision to grant a grade of Incomplete is at the discretion of the instructor; however, both the student and the instructor must sign the contract for completion before a grade of INC can be issued. An Incomplete should be issued only for extraordinary reasons. It is not appropriate to issue an Incomplete simply because a student has not performed well or has not completed required coursework. A copy of the contract must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before the deadline for final grades. At this time, if no contract is submitted, the grade will be converted to an "F".  It is the responsibility of the student to initiate the request and to make all arrangements with the instructor for turning in late work.

• First Semester Incomplete grades must be made up by the first day of the spring semester with grade changes submitted 48 hours prior to the end of the Add/Drop period for the spring semester.

• Second semester Incomplete grades must be made up within four weeks following the end of examination week with grade changes submitted by the end of the fifth week following the end of examination week.

• Undergraduate Summer (I,II and Main) and Winter Session Incomplete grades  must be made up within four (4) weeks of the last day of classes, with grade changes submitted by the end of the fifth week following the last day of classes. 

By this deadline, the instructor will submit the student's updated final earned grade for the course to the Registrar. Otherwise, the grade will revert to the previously recorded grade on the INC Contract.

Grade Changes 

A final grade (excluding an Incomplete) may not be changed after submission of the grade by the instructor to the Registrar’s Office unless a clear and demonstrable mistake or miscalculation by the instructor is discovered. The submission of late or revised work by a student is not grounds for a legitimate change of grade, nor is the retaking of an examination. Changes to final grades cannot be made beyond one semester after the initial awarding of the grade. Changes to final grades require the approval of the Provost.

Pass/Fail Option

A student at sophomore status or above may take up to two courses (six credits) total while at Lasell in a degree program on a Pass/Fail basis.  Courses that are only offered on a pass/fail basis are excluded from this two course (six credit) limit.  The following courses may not be taken Pass/Fail:

1. Any courses required for completion of the student's major, concentration within a major, or minor.

2. Any courses within the student's major, minor, Core Curriculum, or Honors Program that have a specific letter grade requirement or otherwise excluded by the academic department.

3. All Foreign Language courses.

A pass grade does not receive quality points and is not counted in determining the grade point average. A failing grade is equivalent to zero quality points and does count in the grade point average. Pass/Fails may not be changed to letter grades after the course is completed.

A student wishing to take a course on a Pass/Fail basis must have the approval of their advisor. Forms are available in the Registrar's office and must be completed and returned to the Registrar by the posted deadline.

Auditing 

With the approval of the instructor, students may register to audit a course by completing a Course Audit Form by the end of the Add/Drop period. The form is available in the Registrar’s Office. Audited courses are recorded on the transcript but no grade or credit is given.

Directed Study (Independent Study) 

Students may enroll in directed studies on a limited basis. Students interested in this option should obtain the required form from the Registrar’s Office. The completed form must be submitted within the first three weeks of the semester. Approval is normally restricted to pursuits that are not offered in existing courses and requires the approval and signature of the appropriate Dean. 

Credit Hour Policy

Lasell's Connected Learning philosophy acknowledges that learning takes place both within and outside the classroom. This approach broadens the definition of credit hour to other academic activities that include but are not limited to laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, individual study, research, recitation, service-learning and other experiential, project-based learning opportunities. At Lasell University, a credit hour is based on an amount of time, level and value of work in which a student engages in activities leading to intended learning outcomes established and measured by Lasell University faculty as evidence of student achievement. The amount of time and work expected is consistent with the Carnegie Unit definition and is not less than "one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester."  

For traditional semester length courses where the majority of work is done within a classroom setting, students are expected to spend approximately two hours studying or preparing for class for each hour of instruction. This equates to six hours of study time for each three-credit course for a total of nine hours per week, per course. Over the course of a traditional semester at Lasell, students are expected to devote a minimum of 135 hours of work per course (this includes in class meetings).

In an online undergraduate class, the student is an active participant each week and evaluation of a student's understanding of course content is based on her/his daily involvement rather than a single event such as a mid-term or final project/exam. Online students are expected to be actively and creatively engaged in the entire learning process with the same minimum of 135 hours of work per course.  

Transfer Credit Policy 

Lasell students who wish to receive academic credit for coursework taken at another institution must request approval from the University before registering for the course. Students who are considering this must complete the Transfer Credit Approval form at Lasell’s Office of the Registrar and obtain all necessary approvals before enrolling in the course.

If approved by Lasell, academic credit can be granted for coursework taken at another institution; however, grades for courses taken at other institutions are not calculated into a student’s grade point average. Only grades of C or better are acceptable for transfer credit.

Students wishing to transfer credits in science courses that span two semesters must submit grades for both semesters.

Students are required to complete 25% of their credits at Lasell University, the final semester of which must be at Lasell.  No more than 90 credits are accepted for transfer to the University.

Classification of Students 

Designation of class year for students entering the University in their freshman year is determined at the end of the Spring semester. Upper-class standing is determined by the total number of successfully completed credits. The following credits in semester hours are required for ranking in the upper three classes of the University: 

Sophomore Class:      30 Credits 
Junior Class:              60 Credits 
Senior Class:              90 Credits

Designation of class year for students transferring into the University or for students transferring into a new major, is based upon the above classifications; time to graduation, however, is determined by the number of major and University requirements remaining at the time of transfer. 
Students who take an overload of credits must consult the University’s extra credit policy to determine if there will be additional costs. (See section on Course Overload and Excess Credit.)

Dean’s List 

Each semester students who achieve a specific GPA will be placed on the Dean’s List. Dean’s List requirements are:

• The student must be full-time carrying 12 or more graded credits for the semester

• The student must have a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher

• The student is not allowed a course below 2.0 in the semester

• The student is not allowed any incompletes for the semester. If incompletes are made up in accordance with University policy, students who then qualify for the Dean’s List will have the notation entered into their permanent academic record