Attendance
Students at Great Bay Community College are responsible for attending all classes, laboratory sessions, internships and clinical/co-op affiliations. Students must recognize that absences interfere with academic success. The instructor is responsible for informing students of the class attendance policy at the beginning of each course.
Auditing Courses
A student may enroll on an audit basis, subject to individual course attendance requirements and tuition. The student must receive permission from the Vice President of Academic Affairs and department chair or instructor prior to registration. The decision to audit must be made at the time of registration and cannot be reversed. Audit courses carry no credit toward graduation requirements.
Under the audit policy, students may enroll in courses to learn more about the challenges of college work, explore disciplines of interest, refresh prior learning, or supplement existing knowledge. Typically, the student attends lectures, seminars, and labs, but does not complete graded assignments. When enrolled as an audit, the student will not receive a final grade, nor will credit towards graduation be given for the course. The student’s academic transcript will reflect an AU for the course. Students must pay the full tuition for audited courses. Federal Financial Aid does not cover costs of an audited course.
Not all courses may be taken for audit. A student must complete the course registration as an audit during the first week of classes. Once admitted as an audit, the student may not change to credit status after the designated add period. A student registered for credit may not change to audit status after the designated add period.
The Vice President of Academic Affairs may make exceptions to the above.
Change of Program
Matriculated students can submit the Change of Major web form on the GBCC website. This form cannot be used for the following selective and limited enrollment programs: Automotive, Massage Therapy, Nursing, Surgical Technology, Veterinary Technology or Welding. A new application must be submitted for these programs.
Students can change into the following criteria programs with the understanding that additional admissions requirements may need to be met: Biotechnology Certificates, Computer Numeric Control, Linux, Nondestructive Testing, Programming, Software Development, Technical Studies, Veterinary Practice Management.
Change of majors approved after the Add/Drop period of the semester are effective the next semester.
Changing Course Content and Prerequisites
Students are subject to the program requirements in the Catalog for the year of matriculation into the program. The College reviews and upgrades the content of programs regularly to assure that each graduate receives current knowledge and training to perform competently in a chosen field. To accomplish this, the College reserves the right to modify course content and prerequisites based on established educational and professional objectives and the needs of students. Please note that students must follow subsequent changes to course prerequisites independent of year of matriculation.
Course Prerequisite Waiver
Students may not waive courses within their programs of study. A course prerequisite may be waived only by the chair of the department in which the course resides.
Course Repeat Policy
For purposes of calculating the cumulative GPA (CGPA), when a student repeats a course at the same CCSNH institution, the grade achieved in the most recent course will be the grade used in the CGPA calculation. All previous grades will remain on the transcript but not used in the calculation. Therefore, courses repeated at a CCSNH college or at any college other than where the original course was taken will NOT be used in the calculation of the CGPA but may be used for transfer as appropriate.
Third and subsequent attempts to repeat courses will require the approval of the department chair of the program or discipline in which the course resides, in consultation with the instructor. An attempt is defined as any course in which a final grade is issued excluding “W”, “WP”, “AU”, and “CS”.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Financial aid will cover only one repeat of a course for which the student has earned a passing grade.
Grading
Students are assigned grades based upon evaluations of assigned coursework. Grades are given at the end of each semester and based on criteria listed on an individual instructor’s syllabus, and generally include quizzes, tests, and projects, and participation. Standards for grades are listed below. Clinical grades are recorded on a pass/fail basis.
|
Letter |
Numerical Grade |
Quality |
|---|---|---|
|
A |
93.33-100.00 |
4.0 |
|
A- |
90.00-93.32 |
3.7 |
|
B+ |
86.67-89.99 |
3.3 |
|
B |
83.33-86.66 |
3.0 |
|
B- |
80.00-83.32 |
2.7 |
|
C+ |
76.67-79.99 |
2.3 |
|
C |
73.33-76.66 |
2.0 |
|
C- |
70.00-73.32 |
1.7 |
|
D+ |
66.67-69.99 |
1.3 |
|
D |
63.33-66.66 |
1.0 |
|
D- |
60.00-63.32 |
0.7 |
|
F |
Below 60.00 |
0.0 |
|
Letter |
Numerical Grade |
Quality |
|---|---|---|
|
P |
Passing |
0.0 |
|
AF |
Administrative Failure |
0.0 |
|
AU |
Audit |
0.0 |
|
CS |
Continuing Study |
0.0 |
|
I |
Incomplete |
0.0 |
|
W |
Withdraw |
0.0 |
|
WP |
Withdraw Passing |
0.0 |
|
WF |
Withdraw Failing |
0.0 |
Explanation of Grades: P, AF, AU, CS, I, W, WP, WF
P: Pass (not calculated into GPA)
AF: Instructor or administrator-initiated withdrawal at any time for reasons other than poor grade performance—e.g., failure to meet attendance requirements, as published in the instructor’s syllabus, academic violation of the Student Code of Conduct, etc. The grade may also be issued if a student registered in a clinic, practicum, internship or lab is deemed unsafe or performing in an unsatisfactory manner as determined by an evaluation by a faculty member/agency supervisor in accordance with department criteria and procedure. Calculated in GPA as an “F.”
AU: A course taken as an audit does not earn credit and cannot be used to meet graduation requirements. Not all courses can be taken for audit. Students must enroll in courses as auditing at the time of registration.
CS: Continuing Study. Instructor-initiated grade that is intended for students who have demonstrated progress and a commitment to succeeding in the course, but who need more time to achieve competencies. “CS” grades can be applied to courses below the 100 level only. Does not affect GPA and does not fulfill prerequisites for college-level courses. Students must reregister and subsequent tuition costs apply.
I: Incomplete grade. Indicates that a student has not completed a major course assignment due to extraordinary circumstances. The “I” grade is not used to give an extension of time for a student delinquent in meeting course responsibilities. The “I” grade is not calculated into the GPA. However, all work must be completed by the end of the third week of the following semester or the grade defaults to an “F.” See the full Incomplete Grade Policy at the end of this section.
W: Student-initiated withdrawal from a course at any time through the 60 percent point of the course. Does not affect GPA. Can be initiated by the instructor if notified by the student of extenuating circumstances in which the student is unable to initiate the process (e.g., catastrophic illness or injury, job transfer to another state).
WP: Student-initiated withdrawal from a course after the 60 percent point of the course; student has a passing grade at time of withdrawal, as determined by the instructor. Does not affect GPA. Can be initiated by the instructor if notified by the student of extenuating circumstances in which the student is unable to initiate the process (e.g. catastrophic illness or injury, job transfer to another state).
WF: Student-initiated withdrawal from a course after the 60 percent point of the course; student has a failing grade at time of withdrawal, as determined by the instructor. Calculates in GPA as an “F.” Can be initiated by the instructor if notified by the student of extenuating circumstances in which the student is unable to initiate the process (e.g. catastrophic illness or injury, job transfer to another state).
Grade Point Averages
Scholastic standing at the end of each semester is determined by the grade point average (GPA) that is computed by dividing total quality points (grade equivalent multiplied by credit hours) by total number credit hours attempted. The cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is determined at the end of the second and subsequent semesters by dividing cumulative points by the total credit hours attempted, taking into account all previous work completed. Only courses taken at the College will be used to calculate the CGPA.
Incomplete Grades
An Incomplete (“I”) grade indicates that a student has not completed a major course assignment (usually a final exam or culminating final assessment) due to extraordinary circumstances, such as serious illness, death in the family, etc. The grade is applied only in those instances where the student has a reasonable chance of passing. It is not used to give extensions of time for students delinquent in meeting course responsibilities.
Course assignments for a grade of Incomplete must be completed by the student through formal arrangement with the instructor no later than:
- The end of the third week in the spring semester for a grade issued in the fall semester
- The end of the third week in the fall semester for a grade issued in the summer term
- Three weeks from the earliest start date of the summer term for a grade issued in the spring semester
The Incomplete Grade Contract must be approved and signed by the instructor, Department Chair and student.
Should the student fail to complete assignments within the designated period, the final grade will be changed to “F.” Exceptions to the above deadlines may be made by the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
“I” grades will not be included in the computation of grade point average. An “I” grade may affect a student’s financial aid. Students should contact the Financial Aid Office on their campus for further information.