2010-2011 HBU Catalog - Houston Baptist University

Undergraduate Grading System and Grade Points
To record the level of undergraduate student achievement and stimulate quality work, the University system of
grading is expressed in letters and grade points as indicated below:
A for excellent work – 4 grade points per semester hour
B for above-average work – 3 grade points per semester hour
C for average work – 2 grade points per semester hour
CR for credit by examination. No hours attempted, no grade points
D for below-average work – 1 grade point per semester hour
I for incomplete work. Only the dean of a college or school may grant incompletes and only to students
who have a major documented emergency in the last few days of a semester. Students with excessive
absences, which will result in failing the course, will not be allowed to take the final exam nor be
eligible to receive an incomplete. Receives 0 grade points and 0 semester hours and becomes an ―F‖ if
not completed by the end of the following semester. Summer is a bona fide semester so a grade of ―I‖
issued during a Spring semester must be completed by the end of the last Summer session. Note to
instructors: If an instructor does not have a grade because the student has failed to attend the course at
all and/or has not properly dropped the course; has failed to complete sufficient work to pass the course;
fails to attend a sufficient number of class sessions; fails to attend the final exam; and/or fails to contact
the instructor to justify any of these circumstances, the instructor will record an ―F.‖
F for unsatisfactory work – 0 grade points and hours completed, no credit
P for pass-fail courses – described in the ―University Academic Policies‖ section
W for complete withdrawal from the University after the Census Date or for dropping a class after the
Census Date. Withdrawal from the University or dropping a class after the last day to drop a class will
not be approved and a grade of ―F‖ is automatically recorded. Complete withdrawal from the
University is described in the section titled ―Withdrawal Procedure from University‖ under University
Academic Policies
X for courses audited – no hours attempted, no hours earned, no grade points
Undergraduate Transfer Credit
A student otherwise eligible to transfer to HBU from another regionally accredited collegiate institution may
expect to receive acceptance of his previous academic work as consistent with regulations which must be
observed among colleges and universities. In general, an official transcript from a regionally accredited college
or university is accepted and recorded as received, and the courses completed used to the fullest extent possible
to apply toward a degree. The transcript must be sent directly from the transfer institution to HBU. Credit is
usually given at the same level at which the course was originally taken.
All foreign transcripts must be sent to an HBU approved evaluation service. The evaluation service must send an
official report directly to HBU. The International Student page of HBU Website contains a list of current service
providers.
In considering credit by transfer from other institutions, HBU places a premium on credits from regionally
accredited institutions. However, HBU will also consider a request for transfer credit from institutions that are
not regionally accredited. Applicants must submit transcripts from all institutions and indicate courses for which
they wish to receive transfer credit—whether from accredited or non-accredited institutions. After an initial
review upon admission to the university, the Office of Admissions will, in some cases, indicate to the student
which courses he or she may request consideration for transfer credit; this is handled by the colleges and schools
of HBU. For transfer credits from a non-accredited institution, a maximum of 12 credits may be awarded; credit
received will only be accepted in HBU‘s Smith College core curriculum, and only for courses in which the
student earned a grade of ―C‖ or higher.
A transfer student must meet the same scholastic standings as other full-time students. An undergraduate transfer
student with fewer than 32 semester hours may be required to submit a high school transcript and scores on SAT
or ACT tests. A maximum of six (6) credit hours of online courses from a regionally accredited institution may
be accepted; credit from online course work may only be applied toward Smith College courses. No course of
any kind with a grade of ―D‖ or ―F‖ will be accepted by the University. No credit is granted for courses taken on
a pass/fail or satisfactory basis except Kinesiology activity courses. Students must be in ―good academic
standing‖—not currently on probation or suspension from another institution. Such documentation of good
standing should come directly from the Registrar‘s Office of the home college, not from the office of a dean of a
college or other unofficial institutional representative.
2010-2011 HBU Catalog www.hbu.edu/catalog Page 61