Grades, Units, and Transcripts

The grades used (and their value) to indicate scholarship at Santa Monica College are: A (Excellent; 4.0), B (Good; 3.0), C (Satisfactory; 2.0), D (Less than satisfactory; 1.0), F (Failing; 0.0), P (Pass; at least satisfactory; units awarded, but not counted in GPA), NP (No Pass; less than satisfactory; no units awarded or counted in GPA), W (Withdrawal), EW (Excused Withdrawal), MW (Military Withdrawal), I (Incomplete), and SP (Satisfactory Progress; used for noncredit courses).

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“Pass/No Pass” (“P/NP”) Grade Policies (Formerly “Credit/No Credit”)

California Code of Regulations Title 5 §55752 allows a grade of P (Pass) or NP (No Pass) to be given under two circumstances:

Courses offered by the College on a Pass/No Pass basis, where a single standard of satisfactory performance is used to evaluate students; and
Courses that a student individually petitions to enroll in on a Pass/No Pass basis through Corsair Connect (or the Admissions Office), and receives approval to do so.

Courses that Santa Monica College designates as Pass/No Pass courses will use the P/NP grading system exclusively. Students who enroll in these courses will be evaluated on a single standard of satisfactory performance. Course units will be credited only when students meet this standard. Units will not be credited for a performance that is less than satisfactory.

Courses that a student individually petitions to take on a Pass/No Pass basis require the student to take all of the course’s tests and do all assignments. The standards of evaluation in such courses are identical for all students. Students who enroll on a Pass/No Pass basis are subject to all attendance and withdrawal policies, and must meet the criteria listed below.

Course units taken under the option of Pass/No Pass may not exceed a total of 14 cumulative transferable units at Santa Monica College (includes any combination of UC- and CSU-transferable courses).
All nontransferable courses and courses that are graded exclusively on a Pass/No Pass basis are not subject to the 14-unit limitation.
Students who have already received a Bachelor degree from an accredited college or university may take an unlimited number of units on a Pass/No Pass basis.

Students who wish to take courses on a Pass/No Pass basis may request this grading option through Corsair Connect by logging onto smc.edu/cc and clicking Enrollment, then P/NP Grading. Students may also file a request in the Admissions Office before the 30th percentile of the course length. For course-specific deadlines, students should go to Corsair Connect and see their class schedule. Courses that are 2 weeks or less in length may not be taken on a P/NP basis. Once the deadline has passed, the decision to take a course on a Pass/No Pass basis is irrevocable.

“Pass” will be indicated on a student’s permanent record as P, with units awarded, but no grade points. Students receive a grade of P when their performance is equivalent to a C (2.0) or higher. “No Pass” will be indicated on a student’s record as NP, with no units completed and no grade points. Students receive a grade of NP when their performance is equivalent to a D (1.0), or F (0.0). In either case, a student’s grade point average is not affected, and units are not included in a student’s units attempted for purposes of determining academic probation or academic disqualification. Units awarded for courses taken on a Pass/No Pass basis will, however, be included in a student’s units enrolled for purposes of determining progress probation or progress disqualification. See Academic and Progress Probation and Disqualification Policies, below, for details.

“Incomplete” (“I”) Grade Policies

“Incomplete” is a temporary grade status available to a student who has participated in the course and is doing C (2.0) or better work prior to the final exam or final project, but who is unable to complete the final requirements of a class because of illness, accident, emergency, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.

An Incomplete may NOT be used for a student who should have been dropped earlier in the term for nonattendance. An Incomplete can be given only upon the approval of the instructor. However, the instructor is not required to grant an Incomplete to a student, and such decisions by an instructor are final and may not be appealed by the student. If the instructor approves, an “I” is temporarily entered on the student’s record.

An Incomplete for a class may be requested during the final week of the class or the final test period. Appropriate documentation may be required. Only an instructor may give approval for an Incomplete.

To receive an Incomplete for a course, a student must request the Incomplete from the instructor of the course BEFORE the instructor submits final grades for that course OR before the College’s official deadline for submission of final grades, whichever comes first. An Incomplete cannot be issued once a grade has been submitted by the instructor.

Instructors will submit an Incomplete Grade petition upon submission of final grades. The conditions necessary for removing an Incomplete will be recorded by the instructor, along with the default grade and default date (not to exceed one calendar year) by which the student must make up the Incomplete. Both the student and the instructor will receive an automated email notification informing them the Incomplete Grade Petition has been submitted. Students may retrieve this petition at any time on Corsair Connect. An Incomplete must be made up no later than one year from the end of the semester it was assigned, and the actual date by which the student must complete the required coursework will be determined by the course instructor.

Units for classes in which a student receives an Incomplete will be counted as part of a student’s units enrolled, but will not be included in the student’s units attempted or units completed, and no grade points will be assigned. Once a student completes the requirements for the “Incomplete,” the instructor will submit a “Grade Change Form” to the Admissions Office. An Incomplete, when properly made up, will give the student the appropriate grade points for the grade finally earned.

Students may NOT repeat a class in which they currently have an “I,” and they may not be required to attend nor attend a class in which they have an Incomplete. Per SMC policy, only officially enrolled students may attend a class.

“Withdrawal” (“W”) Grade Policies

Grade Point Average (GPA)

A grade point average (GPA) is the sum of a student’s grade points divided by the number of “all units attempted.” California Code of Regulations Title 5 §55757 defines “all units attempted” as “all units of credit for which the student is enrolled in the current community college of attendance,” but leaves it up to the governing board of each community college district — in this case, the Board of Trustees of the Santa Monica Community College District — to establish regulations regarding whether “all units attempted” includes or excludes units for classes in which a notation of P (Pass), NP (No Pass), I (Incomplete), IP (In Progress), W (Withdrawal), EW (Excused Withdrawal), or MW (Military Withdrawal) is assigned.

At Santa Monica College, units for classes in which a student is assigned a notation of W (Withdrawal), EW (Excused Withdrawal), MW (Military Withdrawal), I (Incomplete), or IP (In Progress) are specifically excluded from “all units attempted.” Units for classes taken on a pass/no pass basis are also excluded from “all units attempted,” and are disregarded when calculating a student’s grade point average. In addition, grades earned in courses that may not be applied toward earning a degree are excluded from a student’s grade point average. In other words, only the units of credit for classes in which a student received a grade of A (4.0), B (3.0), C (2.0), D (1.0), or F (0.0) are included in “all units attempted” and used when calculating the student’s grade point average.

Grade Changes

With the exceptions of academic renewal, progress renewal, and approved course repetition, grades assigned by the instructor are considered final and will generally only be changed in cases of clerical or mathematical error or demonstrated instructor mistake, fraud, bad faith, or incompetence. No other reason is valid. Students who wish to appeal a grade based on instructor mistake, fraud, bad faith, or incompetence should be aware that they must file a formal grade appeal by October 30 for spring semester grades, November 30 for summer session grades, April 30 for fall semester grades, and May 30 for winter session grades. As soon as possible after receiving the grade, the student should consult with the instructor, and must also see the College Ombudsperson, who will outline the procedure to be followed. Students may schedule an appointment with the Ombudsperson by sending email to ombuds@ smc.edu or by calling 310-434-3986. Additional details on the procedure for appealing a grade can be found in the Student Complaints, Hearings, & Appeals section of this catalog. However, students must meet with the College Ombudsperson at least 15 days before the deadline to discuss the grade appeal procedure and attempt to resolve the grade dispute informally.

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Units Enrolled

Santa Monica College defines “units enrolled” (or “enrolled units”) as being all the units of credit for all the classes in which a student was officially enrolled on or after the first census date of an academic term. In other words, “units enrolled” means all the classes a student enrolled in and received a grade of A (4.0), B (3.0), C (2.0), D (1.0), F (0.0), P (Pass), or NP (No Pass), or a notation of I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), or MW (Military Withdrawal). Enrolled units are used for purposes of determining progress probation and progress disqualification, and for calculating a student’s grade point average. EW (Excused Withdrawal) grades are excluded from units enrolled.

Units Attempted

Santa Monica College defines “units attempted” (or “attempted units”) as being all the units of credit for all the classes a student was officially enrolled in on or after the first census date of an academic term, in which the student received a grade of A (4.0), B (3.0), C (2.0), D (1.0), or F (0.0). Units for classes in which a student received a grade of P (Pass) or NP (No Pass), or a notation of I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), EW (Excused Withdrawal), or MW (Military Withdrawal) are excluded from units attempted. Attempted units — sometimes referred to as “graded units” — are used for purposes of determining academic probation and academic disqualification, and for calculating a student’s grade point average.

Graded Units

Units Completed

Santa Monica College defines “units completed” (or “completed units”) as being the units of credit for classes in which the student received a grade of A (4.0), B (3.0), C (2.0), D (1.0), or P (Pass). Units for classes in which a student was assigned a grade of F (0.0) or NP (No Pass), or a notation of W (Withdrawal), EW (Excused Withdrawal), MW (Military Withdrawal), or I (Incomplete) are specifically excluded from completed units.

Credit Units

At Santa Monica College, each unit of credit is considered a semester unit that is generally equivalent to a minimum of three hours of student work per week for the duration of a course. One semester unit of credit can equal one hour of lecture and two hours of study, OR two hours of activity and one hour of study, OR three hours of laboratory, OR three hours of independent study under the supervision of a faculty member.

Transcripts

Students may obtain an official transcript of their permanent record by placing an order online at a secure site on the Admissions webpage or by filing an application for transcripts in person in the Admissions Office. In both cases, a student’s signed authorization to release records is required by law, and students who request transcripts through the Admissions Office must present a photo ID.

A nominal service fee is added to the cost of transcripts ordered online, which are delivered by mail or electronically a few days after receipt of a student’s signed authorization. RUSH service is also available for transcripts ordered online, which are mailed within 72 hours of receipt of signed authorization. Students may arrange to pick up transcripts ordered on a RUSH basis if they wish. FedEx shipping options are also available, but only when documents are ordered online.

Transcripts requested through the Admissions Office take two to four weeks to process and are delivered by mail only (no FedEx option available). The Admissions Office provides a student’s first two transcripts at no cost to the student, but the student must make the request in person. Each subsequent transcript costs $5 (subject to change) plus any processing fees for transcripts ordered electronically. Please see smc.edu/transcripts for specific details on how to order transcripts. While enrolled at SMC, students may download an unofficial copy of transcripts by going to smc.edu/cc and following the instructions provided there.