Grade Reporting Schedules can now be found on the Academic Calendar.
Non-Attendance Grading
Procedure for assigning failing grades for non-attendance
The midterm and final grade entry pages requires instructors to select one of the following reasons when a grade of “F” (or “NC”) is assigned:
- Earned: Based on the evaluation of the student’s work throughout the semester, the instructor has determined that the student failed to meet the stated objectives of the course.
- Never Attended: The student did not attend a single class meeting or, in the event of online/distance learning courses, the student never participated in or contributed to the class.
- Stopped Attending: The student stopped attending class during the semester and failed to return or resume participation. A “Last Attend Date” is required and should reflect the last documented class attendance or participation. Examples of documented attendance may include presence in class or during exams, completion of assignments, and/or participation in computer-assisted instruction.
Grades of “NC” can only be assigned in designated courses approved for this grade mode. For more information on the “NC” grade, please visit our Policy on Grading in the Undergraduate Catalog.
Grading Timeline
Non-attendance grading is required during both midterm and final grading as explained below:
- Midterm Grading
- Midterm grading will become available approximately two weeks after the start of classes.
- All midterm grades of “F” (or “NC” for freshman composition and introductory math courses) will require the instructor to enter one of the three grade reasons defined above.
- Prior to the last day to drop a class with a grade of “W”, all grades of “F” (or “NC”) submitted with a reason of Stopped Attending or Never Attended will be visible to the student as their midterm grades through myBama, but will not be reflected on the transcript. During this time period, students will still have the opportunity to drop the class with a grade of “W” through myBama.
- Following the last day to drop a class with a grade of “W”, all grades of “F” (or “NC”) submitted with a reason of Stopped Attending or Never Attended will be reflected on the transcript as the student’s final grade for the class. The reason will not be shown on the transcript.
- Midterm grades of “F” (or “NC”) assigned with a reason of “Earned” will not be reflected on the transcript. The student will be able to continue on in the class and attempt to improve the grade.
- Final Grading
- All grades of “F” (or “NC”) submitted will require the instructor to select one of the three grade reasons defined above.
- Following the end of the grading period, all grades of “F” (or “NC”), regardless of reason, will be reflected on the transcript as the student’s final grade for the class. The reason will not be shown on the transcript.
Student Impact
- The Office of the University Registrar does not adjust student registration based on the assignment of failing grades with a reason of Stopped Attending or Never Attended.
- No tuition adjustments will be made for students who receive a failing grade for reasons of Stopped Attending or Never Attended unless they have properly withdrawn from that course within the established refund dates as published.
- All grades of “F”, regardless of the reason for which they are assigned, will be punitive in regards to GPA. Grades of “NC” will continue to be non-punitive.
Reasoning Behind Non-Attendance Grading
According to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by regulatory authority, institutions that accept federal financial aid are required to monitor the student’s completion of the courses funded by one of the Title IV programs. Institutions must report withdrawals and failures, and in some cases, refund the awarded financial aid. If the aid is refunded, a student may incur a balance on his/her tuition account. Institutions that accept federal aid are subject to annual audits and program reviews by the US Department of Education to ensure compliance.
Federal regulations require that institutions have a system for identifying students that registered for, but failed to begin attendance in any or all classes. Institutions are responsible for any aid disbursed to these students. For students that cease attending classes, institutions are required to determine the date of last attendance for calculating the correct percentage of aid awarded based on the payment period completed prior to the last attendance date. Further, if there is no grading system that differentiates between an earned ‘F’ and an ‘F’ assigned for non-attendance, then the student is considered to have never attended or withdrawn for auditing purposes.
In certain situations, a student for whom a grade of “F” or “NC” has been submitted with a reason of Never Attended or Stopped Attending returns to class and is allowed to continue. In order for these students to be properly graded, the previously assigned “F” or “NC” grade must be administratively removed. In these cases, instructors should follow the one of the two procedures as outlined below:
1) Student Returns Prior to the Last Day to Drop with a “W”
- In this situation, the “F” or “NC” is still only reflected as a midterm grade and has not yet been transferred to a final grade and reflected on the transcript.
- Return to the midterm grading screen on myBama and change the grade as you see fit. You can assign any other letter grade or a grade of “F” or “NC” with a reason of Earned. Just make sure that if the student is returning to class, the midterm grade is not a grade of “F” or “NC” with a reason of Never Attended or Stopped Attending.
- Click the submit button at the bottom of the midterm grading screen to save your changes.
2) Student Returns After the Last Day to Drop with a “W”
- In these cases, please send an email to registrar@ua.edu and include the student’s CWID along with the subject, course number, section number and an explanation of the situation. The Office of the University Registrar will confirm the removal of the grade and/or inform you of any issues and proposed solutions.
Grading Help
You can assign grades using any computer with an internet connection. Log into myBama and click on the Faculty & Advisors page. In the Faculty Tools channel, expand the Grading menu, and choose to submit midterm or final grades for any classes for which you are the primary instructor. Alternatively, you also have the option to import grades you have recorded in Blackboard.
No. All grades must be submitted online.
Students will receive a grade of “N” for all ungraded courses. Grades of “N” are calculated as “F” grades in a student’s GPA. If grades are not entered on time, the students’ grades must be submitted individually using the ‘Submit a Grade Change’ option under the Faculty & Advisors folder in myBama. There is no exception to this policy.
To submit grade changes after the deadline for final grades, please select the ‘Submit a Grade Change’ option under the Faculty and Advisors folder in MyBama. The grade will be automatically updated in the student record once it has been approved by the Dean of your college (or dean’s designee).
Yes, there are three open grading periods during summer. You can submit interim grades during any period. All summer sessions are not technically due until the final grading deadline at the end of the full summer term.
You may obtain your mybama username and set up a password by following the “Need an Account” link in the center of the mybama.ua.edu homepage. Follow the steps outlined there to retrieve this information. The PIN or PASSKEY requested is typically your date of birth in the MMDDYY format.
Contact your departmental administrative assistant to make sure you were assigned as the primary instructor for the course in the student information system. If this has not been done, then you will not be able to access the final grading menu for this section.
If a student has never attended or participated in class, you should assign a grade of “F” with a Grade Reason of Never Attended.
The only grades that may be assigned are those grades listed in the grade field. The grade field lists grades in accordance with the approved course inventory record submitted by your academic department.
If you assign a student a grade of “F” or “NC”, additional information is required due to federal regulations. For more information on non-attendance grading and what is required of instructors, please see the “Non-Attendance Grading Overview tab in the section above.
The official grades of the university are as follows:
- For Undergraduate Students and Law Students – A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C- , D+, D, D-, F, NC, I, N, P, W, & AU.
- For Graduate Students – A, B, C, D, F, I, N, NC, P, W, & AU.
These grades shall have the following point values and meaning:
- A+ [4.33], A [4.00], A- [3.67]
- The instructor judged the student to have satisfied the stated objectives of the course in an excellent manner. The student’s performance was judged to be in this range of high quality based upon a comparison with other students in the course, and/or with students who have taken the course previously, and/or the instructor’s personal expectations relative to the stated objectives of the course, based on the instructor’s experience and expertise.
- B+ [3.33], B [3.00], B- [2.67]
- The instructor judged the student to have satisfied the stated objectives of the course in an above-average manner. The student’s performance was judged to be in this range of above-average quality based upon a comparison with other students in the course, and/or with students who have taken the course previously, and/or the instructor’s personal expectations relative to the stated objectives of the course, based on the instructor’s experience and expertise.
- C+ [2.33], C [2.00], C- [1.67]
- The instructor judged the student to have satisfied the stated objectives of the course in an average manner. The student’s performance was judged to be in this range of average quality based upon a comparison with other students in the course, and/or students who have taken the course previously, and/or the instructor’s personal expectations relative to the stated objectives of the course, based on the instructor’s experience and expertise.
- D+ [1.33], D [1.00], D- [0.67]
- The instructor judged the student to have satisfied the stated objectives of the course in a low but acceptable manner. The student’s performance was judged to be in this range of below average but acceptable quality based upon a comparison with other students in the course, and/or with students who have taken the course previously, and/or the instructor’s personal expectations relative to the stated objectives of the course, based on the instructor’s experience and expertise.
- “F” [0.00] – Failed
- A grade of “F” may be assigned for one of the three reasons explained below. No matter which reason is selected by the instructor, all grades of “F” are calculated into a student’s GPA and are reflected on the transcript simply as an “F”. Credit for a course in which the mark “F” has been received can be obtained only by repeating and passing the course.
- Earned: Based on the evaluation of the student’s work throughout the semester, the instructor has determined that the student failed to meet the stated objectives of the course.
- Never Attended: The student did not attend a single class meeting or, in the event of online/distance learning courses, the student never participated in or contributed to the class.
- Stopped Attending: The student stopped attending class during the semester and failed to return or resume participation. A “Last Attend Date” is required and should reflect the last documented class attendance or participation. Examples of documented attendance may include presence in class or during exams, completion of assignments, and/or participation in computer-assisted instruction.
- A grade of “F” may be assigned for one of the three reasons explained below. No matter which reason is selected by the instructor, all grades of “F” are calculated into a student’s GPA and are reflected on the transcript simply as an “F”. Credit for a course in which the mark “F” has been received can be obtained only by repeating and passing the course.
- “I” [0.00] – Incomplete.
- An “I” indicates that the student has completed a major portion of the work in the course in a satisfactory manner, but for reasons judged by the instructor to be legitimate, a portion of the course requirements remains to be completed.
- The student must complete the work so that the instructor of the course may report the final grade at the earliest possible time.
- As soon as the incomplete work has been made up, the instructor (or in the case of the instructor’s absence from the university, the department chair) shall submit a Grade Change. Until such time as a final grade is recorded the credit for the mark “I” shall be treated as an “F” for the purpose of calculating a student’s GPA.
- A student who has received the grade “I” should not be permitted to repeat the course in which such grade was received until such time as the “I” has been removed.
- For more information about Incomplete grading policies for undergraduate and graduate students, please refer to the University Catalog.
- “N” – No grade reported.
- This grade is assigned by the Office of the University Registrar when an instructor fails to submit a grade, and shall be treated as an “F” for the purpose of calculating a student’s GPA. Instructors are expected to submit a Change of Grade to an appropriate grade at their earliest convenience.
- “NC” – No credit.
- In all freshman composition courses and introductory math courses the following grades may be reported: “A+,” “A,” “A-,” “B+,” “B,” “B-,” “C+,” “C,” “C-,” and “NC” (“No Credit”). A grade of “C-” is required in freshman composition and introductory math courses and is a prerequisite for advancement to a higher English or math course at The University of Alabama. A grade of “NC” may be assigned for one of the three reasons explained below. A grade of “NC” does not affect a student’s grade point average.
- Earned: Based on the evaluation of the student’s work throughout the semester, the instructor has determined that the student failed to meet the stated objectives of the course.
- Never Attended: The student did not a single class meeting or, in the event of online/distance learning courses, the student never participated in or contributed to the class.
- Stopped Attending: The student stopped attending class during the semester and failed to return or resume participation. A “Last Attend Date” is required and should reflect the last documented class attendance or participation. Examples of documented attendance may include presence in class or during exams, completion of assignments, and/or participation in computer-assisted instruction.
- In all freshman composition courses and introductory math courses the following grades may be reported: “A+,” “A,” “A-,” “B+,” “B,” “B-,” “C+,” “C,” “C-,” and “NC” (“No Credit”). A grade of “C-” is required in freshman composition and introductory math courses and is a prerequisite for advancement to a higher English or math course at The University of Alabama. A grade of “NC” may be assigned for one of the three reasons explained below. A grade of “NC” does not affect a student’s grade point average.
- “P” – Pass.
- A grade of “P” is assigned for satisfactory performance and does not affect the grade point average; however, a grade of “F” is computed in the grade point average.
- For a course that is not graded pass/fail by default, a student who is in good academic standing may request permission to receive a grade of “P” (“Pass”) or “F” (“Fail”) for a course, instead of the conventional “A+,” “A,” “A-,” “B+,” “B,” “B-,” “C+,” “C,” “C-,” “D+,” “D,” “D-,” or “F.”
- Use of the pass/fail option is subject to the following regulations:
- The student must be a sophomore, junior, or senior with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in order to use the pass/fail option.
- Only elective courses may be taken pass/fail.
- A maximum of four courses or 12 credit hours (whichever comes first) may be taken pass/fail while a student is earning an undergraduate degree.
- Only one course each fall semester, spring semester and summer term may be taken pass/fail.
- Once the deadline to add a course has passed, a student may not rescind the decision to take a course with the pass/fail option.
- A transfer student must have completed at least 15 credit hours at The University of Alabama with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in order to use the pass/fail option.
- These rules apply only to courses for which the student elects the pass/fail option; courses that are offered only on a pass/fail basis are exempted.
- “W” – Withdrawn.
- This grade is used for students withdrawing from one or more courses or from the university.
- “AU” – Audit
- The student has registered for the class as an auditor, and not for credit.