The only way to see your grades is via Online Services.
Please refer to our important dates to see when grades are due from the faculty each semester. The timing of grades being posted varies by class and instructor so please continue to check Online Services after the grade posting deadline.
Grade points at Rock Valley College are assigned on the following scale:
Grade Level | Significance | Grade-point |
A | Superior | 4.0 |
B | Good | 3.0 |
C | Average | 2.0 |
D | Poor | 1.0 |
F | Failure | 0 |
W | Withdrew/not completed | N/A |
T | Credit by proficiency | N/A |
AU | Audit* | N/A |
P | Successful Completion | N/A |
I | Incomplete** | 0 |
NA = not applicable
* Audit – Students may elect to audit a course (no credit, no grade points, not figured in grade point average). Audit status indicates that the student will attend the classes but will not receive credit. (A student must declare audit status before the first day of classes.)
** Incomplete – Upon prior arrangement and agreement with the course instructor and upon submission of the college’s “incomplete grade agreement form” submitted by the instructor, an incomplete (I) indicator will be recorded on the student’s record. An “I” will be issued at the discretion of the instructor when course requirements are not fulfilled by the end of the term only when the instructor believes that the reason
the student cannot complete the course in a timely fashion is sufficiently serious to warrant the issuance of the “I” indicator.
The incomplete grade agreement is a contract made between the student and the instructor, and states specifically what the student must do to complete the course work. The course work must be completed within the specified time period, not to exceed 12 months from the end of the term in which the course was taken. Upon completion of the course work, the instructor will change the “I” indicator to the appropriate letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F). If the student does not complete the course work within this prescribed time period, a grade of “F” will be entered for the course.
A grade point average (GPA) will be calculated at the conclusion of each semester. The GPA includes all A-B-C-D-F grades complete to date, except those courses in which the pass/fail system is used exclusively, or those courses in which the pass/fail option is selected, or courses numbered less than 100. If a course is repeated, only the grade of the final repetition will be computed in a student’s GPA.
The GPA will be calculated based on a four point basis (F=0, D=1, C=2, B=3, and A=4) where the number of grade points for a specific letter grade is multiplied by the number of credit hours earned for that course. For instance, the number of credit hours in which the student earned an A is multiplied by four (4) then added to the number of credit hours in which the student earned a B multiplied by three (3), etc. Finally, the total grade points are divided by the total credit hours for which a student received an A, B, C, D, or F.
To be eligible for the President’s List and Dean’s List for a given semester, students must earn at least 12 credit hours of college course work which count toward a certificate or degree. Students who meet the eligibility requirements and earn at least a 3.25 GPA will be named to the Dean’s List (fall and spring semesters only). Students who meet the eligibility requirements and earn at least a 4.0 GPA will be named to the President’s List (fall and spring semesters only).
The following procedures are available only for review of alleged capricious grading, and not for review of the judgment of an instructor in assessing the quality of a student’s work. Capricious grading is limited to one or more of the following:
a. The assignment of a final course grade to a particular student on some basis other than performance in the course.
b. The assignment of a final course grade to a particular student by a substantial departure from the instructor’s standards announced during the term which are not uniformly applied to others in the class.
The assessment of the quality of the student’s academic performance is solely and properly the professional responsibility of the RVC faculty. It is essential for the standards of the academic programs at RVC and the integrity of the degrees conferred that these professional judgments are not subject to pressures or interference from any source.
A student who wishes to appeal a final course grade which he/she feels has been capriciously given should follow the steps below. Grades may be appealed no later than the beginning of the fourth week of the academic term or summer session which directly follows the term in which the grade involved was awarded.
1. A student who wishes to appeal a capricious final grade must first meet with the faculty member to review the criteria applied in assigning that grade.
2. After this initial review, if the problem is not resolved, the student may next appeal in writing to the supervising Dean. Once the appeal is read, the Dean will meet with the faculty member to review the criteria applied to the student’s performance in assigning the capricious grade. When the faculty member and the Dean have reached a decision, the Dean will communicate that decision in writing to the student.
3. If the problem is still not resolved, the student may appeal in writing to the Vice President of Liberal Arts & Sciences or Vice President of Career & Technical Education of the college for further review. When the faculty member and the appropriate academic vice president have reached a decision, they will communicate the decision in writing to the student.
4. In the event the matter is not resolved, the student may file a petition with the Provost/Chief Academic Officer requesting a hearing by the Grade Review Committee. All decisions of this committee are final.
5. The committee will consist of a Dean (from outside the academic department) and two (2) faculty members (one from the same academic discipline and the other from outside the academic discipline). All three (3) voting members of the GRC will be selected by the Provost/Chief Academic Officer, or their designee. The Dean of Students will facilitate the Committee as a non-voting member.
a. The Student will meet with the Committee, individually, to present their appeal and any pertinent documentation.
b. The faculty member, who assigned the final grade, will then independently meet with the Committee and present the criteria they applied in assigning the final grade.
c. The Committee will reach a decision in closed session immediately following the hearing. The Dean of Students will inform the student in writing regarding the decision of the Committee, within five (5) business days. The decision of the Grade Review Committee is final