Grades

Here is more information about grades

Academic Clemency

Academic Clemency is a provision allowing a one-time, irrevocable calculation of grade point average and credit hours toward graduation to be based only upon work done after a prolonged separation from college. This provision is provided for undergraduate students who have gained maturity through extended experience outside higher education institutions, and are currently enrolled at Arkansas State University and have demonstrated acceptable academic performance following their return.

Eligibility

Requirements to be satisfied by a student prior to requesting academic clemency toward an undergraduate degree are as follows:

  1. separation* from all academic institutions for at least three years, and then
    *Transcripts showing attempted enrollment ending in withdrawals are not considered to be separation.

  2. completion of a minimum of twelve degree hours of credit courses from a regionally accredited  institution of higher education with a 2.0 or better G.P.A, and

  3. formal application submitted to the Office of the Registrar wherein the student shall specify the semester(s) for which academic clemency is requested, and

  4. fee payment to the A-State Treasurer's Office

How Do I Apply?

Students wanting to apply for academic clemency must meet with a representative in the Office the Registrar in order to determine eligibility. If eligible, the student will be given a formal application to complete and will pay a fee of $30 at the Cashier's Window.

Granted Academic Clemency

Upon approval by the Office of the Registrar, the student will be granted academic clemency. The student’s permanent record will remain a record of all work; however, the student will forfeit the use—for degree purposes at Arkansas State University—of any college or university credit earned for the semesters granted clemency regardless of where the credit was earned.   A-State will honor the Academic Clemency granted by another institution, but will recognize ONLY the clemency from that particular institution. This process will be recorded in the student’s permanent record; and will be noted on the transcript. The date of the clemency will coincide with the date of re-entry following the prolonged separation.

GPA Calculator

The GPA Calculator is to assist in predicting possible GPA outcome of a current term. The calculator does not compute GPA calculations for grades that will be "recomputed" by the Office of Admissions, Records and Registration.

GPA Calculator >>

Appeals Committee

The Undergraduate Graduation and Academic Appeals Committee serves as an appeals committee for students contesting decisions on university requirements such as graduation requirements, academic suspension, and academic credit.

This committee addresses academic matters. For financial aid consideration, please see the financial aid appeal process.

Membership

Membership will consist of a faculty representative from each college and three students (one-year terms) appointed by the SGA. The Chancellor’s designee, the Registrar, a representative from the Office of Student Affairs, and a representative from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships will serve as ex-officio, non-voting members. The committee will elect a chair at the beginning of each academic year.

Appeal Recommendations

Recommendations for individual student appeals concerning university requirements for graduation or academic requirements will be forwarded to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research with a copy to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

Meetings

The university committee meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 2:00 p.m. on Zoom.
Students are not required* to attend, but their attendance is recommended.

*Attendance is required if petition regards returning from academic suspension.

View the current membership roster >>

Procedure to Petition

  1. Complete the Petition Form with the assistance of your academic advisor.
    • Ensure all directions on the form are followed.
    • You are encouraged to provide as much supporting documentation as possible. (For example, if a significant life event or illness is the basis of the argument, you should provide as much documented evidence as you feel comfortable sharing.) The new online petition has a paper clip icon to select, which will prompt you to upload any relevant files. 
  2. After completing the form and attaching all relevant documentation, click SUBMIT. 
    • The form will automatically be sent to a representative of the college-level appeals committee. DO NOT forward or send the petition directly to the Office of the Registrar, as this can slow down the appeals process.

Decision Process

  1. The college-level appeals committee votes on the petition and support material submitted.
    • The student petitioner is not part of this meeting.
  2. After this college-level vote, the petition moves on to the university-level committee.
  3. A committee member (usually one from the college of the student petitioner) will contact the student via email about the university-level meeting when the petition will be discussed.
    • This Zoom meeting is where the student petitioner should appear.
  4. The University Committee reviews the petition along with all supporting documentation and – if the student appears – verbal explanation provided by the student.
  5. The University Committee denies or approves the petition based on the information provided.
    • If more information is needed, the committee may table the petition and hear it at the next month’s meeting.
  6. The Registrar will then email the student with the committee's decision.

If you have specific questions or need more details about any part of this process, contact your academic advisor for further guidance.

Honors Requirements

Arkansas State University recognizes the academic achievement of graduating baccalaureate-degree students with Latin Honors, “Honors Program” and “University Honors Program” distinctions. To receive distinctions, students must be seeking their first baccalaureate degree. Honor distinctions are not awarded for additional baccalaureate degrees, associates degrees, or graduate-level degrees.

Latin Honors

1. Distinctions for graduating students are determined after grades have been submitted for the first session of the graduating term for the graduation program and ceremony. Distinctions are recalculated after full-term and second session grades have been posted to award distinctions to any students who improved sufficiently to achieve a distinction.

2. In order to receive Latin Honors, students must earn at least 45 ASU-Jonesboro Institutional Hours. ASU registration for the graduating term will be included when determining if a student meets this requirement.

3. Students must have both an Overall (Cumulative) GPA and an ASU-Jonesboro Institutional GPA that meets the following requirements:

NOTE: Overall GPA is calculated by combining GPA hours and quality points for all ASU-Jonesboro and transfer coursework. (Transfer coursework may include courses taken concurrently while in high school.)

Program Honors

1. Distinctions for graduating students are determined prior to the graduating term.

2. Students who complete the Honors Program shall be recognized as graduating “In Honors”. Diplomas and transcripts will bear the designation “Honors Program”. Students who complete the University Honors Program shall be recognized as graduating “In University Honors”. Diplomas and transcripts will bear the designation “University Honors Program”.

For additional information, please visit the Honors College.

Honor Roll

An honor roll consisting of the Chancellor's List and the Dean's List is published at the close of each semester. In order to qualify, students must complete a minimum of twelve semester hours of degree-credit courses.

Chancellor's List

Full-time students whose grade point average for the semester is 4.0.

Dean's List

Full-time students whose grade point average for the semester is within the range of 3.6 to 3.99.

Repeating Courses

We continually update student records for repeated courses. Please check your transcript to see if an update has already been processed.

View a transcript screen shot of repeated courses >>

Repeat Form

This is the form that must be filled out and turned in to the Office of the Registrar AFTER a class has been taken over in an effort to obtain a better grade.

Download the Recompute GPA Form >>

What courses can I repeat?

According to the Undergraduate Bulletin:

Students may repeat a combined total of 18 semester hours from all institutions attended in which grades of D or F were earned, and have only the last grade counted in computing the grade point average for undergraduate degree requirements. Courses may be repeated anytime before the first Baccalaureate degree is awarded. The student can select the courses eligible to be repeated as long as these courses meet the requirements below.

  1. STUDENTS MAY NOT REPEAT FOR CREDIT ANY COURSE IN WHICH THEY HAVE EARNED A GRADE OF "C"OR BETTER.
  2. The student must have earned a grade of D or F in the course. Note: A grade of F cannot replace a grade of D. If the grade in the first attempt is a D and the grade in the second attempt is an F, both grades will be counted.
  3. Students may repeat a combined total of 18 semester hours from all institutions attended.
  4. All other repeated courses will have both grades counted. Degree hours will be applied only once toward graduation requirements.
  5. Courses repeated must be the exact course. Students may not use substitutions for repeated courses.
  6. Repeats cannot be completed after a degree has been awarded.

The student should be aware that the grade of D or F from any previous attempts will remain on the transcript. The previous attempts will be indicated by an "E" in the repeat column.

Developmental courses are not included in the "Repeating of Courses" policy.

The department chair, the appropriate college dean, and the registrar will determine the application of the repeat course policy in those instances where course numbers and/or titles have been changed at Arkansas State University and for courses completed at other institutions of higher education. Every student is eligible for the provisions of the repeat policy, regardless of the Bulletin year in which the student entered ASU.

How long does it take for the transcript to be updated after turning in the form?

Students should check their transcript in 3 to 5 days after turning in the form to give the Office of the Registrar time for processing.

How can you tell if the form has been processed when viewing a transcript?

You can look for an "E" in small print beside the first attempt of the course. This "E" represents that the class has been "excluded out" from your GPA.

What course can replace the other?

The courses must be the exact same course. For instance, if you take World Civilization to 1660 and you want to repeat the course, you must retake World Civilization to 1660. You cannot take World Civilization FROM 1660 to replace the grade you made in World Civilization TO 1660.

Applying for Graduate School

Students who are planning to apply for admission to graduate school should take note that most graduate/professional schools recalculate GPAs based upon ALL courses that students have attempted during their college career. Thus, any repeated courses will have both grades counted in consideration for graduate school admission.