Academic Policies

Grading System 

The grades A, B, C, D, F are given for each course at the end of the semester and are used to compute the grade point average (GPA). Several other administrative notations may appear on a student's grade report or transcript. These include: AU (Audit), I (Incomplete), M (Maintaining Progress -  used for developmental courses only), N (No Grade), P (Pass), TR (Transfer), or W (Withdrawal).

Grading Points

The letter grades shown above, with an additional designator of the # sign, shall also be used for grades awarded to students in developmental courses.

Withdrawals from Courses

Before the fifth week of classes (as published in the catalog) and after the refund date: A student who wishes to withdraw from any course must obtain a withdrawal form from the Records Office, fill in and sign the form, obtain the signature of the course instructor, and return the completed form to the Records Office. Grades for courses from which a student withdraws during this time period will be recorded as "W" at the end of the semester.

After the fifth week of classes: A student who wishes to withdraw from any course must obtain a withdrawal form from the Records Office, fill in and sign the form, obtain the signature of the course instructor, and return the completed form to the Records Office. Grades for courses from which a student withdraws during this time period will be recorded as either "W" or "F", in accordance with said instructor's grading policies.

Complete Withdrawal from the College

Before the fifth week of classes (as published in the catalog) and after the refund date: A student who wishes to completely withdraw from Middlesex must notify the Records Office of that intention. The College prefers the student to come in personally and obtain signatures as described above. However, notification may be made in writing. Grades for all courses will be recorded as “W” at the end of the semester.

After the fifth week of classes: A student who wishes to completely withdraw from Middlesex must obtain a withdrawal form from the Records Office, fill in and sign the form, obtain the signatures of course instructors, and return the completed form to the Records Office. Grades for courses from which a student withdraws during this time period will be recorded as either "W" or "F", in accordance with said instructor’s grading policies.

Incomplete Grade Policy

An "incomplete" is a temporary grade assigned by a faculty member when coursework is missing and the student agrees to complete the requirements. Although a student may request an incomplete, the faculty member is not required to honor the request. The faculty member should assign an incomplete when there are extenuating circumstances such as illness that prevent a student from completing the assigned work on time and, in the judgement of the faculty member, the student can complete the remaining work within the time limit established by this policy.

If an incomplete is assigned, the faculty member will set forth in writing a description of the work to be completed, the date by which the work must be submitted (i.e. the end of the tenth week of the next standard semester), and a statement that the Incomplete will change to a specified letter grade if the work is not completed by the due date. An Incomplete will convert to an "F" grade if no make-up grade has been specified.

Students with an Incomplete are temporarily ineligible for semester or graduation honors. Upon conversion of the Incomplete to a letter grade, students may retroactively receive semester or graduation honors and such recognition shall appear on the transcript, provided that the student has earned the required grade point average.

Audit (AU)

Individuals who do not wish to register for credit may register as auditors under the following conditions: regular fees must be paid, the consent of instructor must be obtained, only courses for which there are adequate classroom and laboratory facilities may be audited, and, in the case of fulltime students, advisor consent must be obtained. Students enrolled for audit cannot change to credit. All permissions and registrations for auditing courses must be filed in the Records Office.

The privileges of an auditor in a course are specifically limited to attendance and classroom participation. The auditor assumes no obligation to complete any of the coursework and is not expected to involve any of the instructor's time. In addition, the auditor does not submit any work, is not eligible to take any tests or examinations, and will receive a course grade of "AU," which signifies no credit.

Repeating Courses

No course may be repeated more than twice. The highest grade received will be used in calculating the student’s academic average. This does not apply to those courses that are designed to be repeated for additional credit.

Pass - Fail Option

Students may elect to be graded on a satisfactory‑unsatisfactory basis in any unrestricted elective (appears in the program designs simply as "elective"). The Records Office must be notified of this intention at the time of registration. Grades received in these courses will be entered on the transcript as "P" or "F". Credit towards graduation will be given for no more than four courses taken under this option. Because course transferability may be affected by this option, a student should consult with an advisor prior to choosing this method.