Changing Grades

Course grades are permanent once submitted by faculty and can only be changed under specific, limited circumstances. Grade changes require documented evidence of clerical error, miscalculation, or failure to apply stated grading criteria. Instructors may initiate grade changes through official university procedures within established timelines.

Students seeking grade changes must understand that subjective disagreements about grade judgment, increased effort, or personal circumstances are not valid grounds for grade changes and should instead follow the grade appeal process if applicable.

When Grades Can Be Changed

Grade changes are rare and occur only under narrowly defined circumstances. The university protects the integrity of academic evaluation by limiting grade changes to situations where genuine errors occurred, not where students disagree with faculty judgment.

Understanding what qualifies as a valid reason for grade change versus what requires a grade appeal helps you determine the appropriate process for your situation.

Valid Reasons for Grade Changes

These circumstances warrant grade changes and can be initiated by faculty when errors are discovered:

Calculation Errors: The instructor made a mathematical error when computing your final grade. For example, your exam scores and assignment grades were entered correctly, but the final percentage was miscalculated, resulting in the wrong letter grade. Calculation errors are the most common legitimate reason for grade changes.

Data Entry Errors: The instructor recorded scores incorrectly in the gradebook, entered grades in the wrong rows or columns, or submitted the wrong grade to the Registrar's Office. These clerical mistakes warrant correction when discovered and verified.

Omission of Completed Work: You submitted an assignment that was not recorded in the gradebook, or your final exam score was not included in grade calculations. If you can document that you completed and submitted work that was not factored into your grade, this warrants correction.

Failure to Apply Stated Grading Criteria: The instructor's syllabus specified certain grading policies (such as dropping the lowest quiz or curving final grades), but these policies were not applied when calculating your grade. When the instructor failed to implement grading criteria announced in the syllabus, correction is appropriate.

Resolution of Incomplete Grades: You received an incomplete (I) grade and subsequently completed the required work. The instructor then calculates your earned grade and submits a grade change to replace the incomplete. This is a normal part of resolving incompletes, not an exceptional circumstance.

Invalid Reasons for Grade Changes

These circumstances do not warrant grade changes and should be addressed through other processes or accepted as final:

Disagreement with Academic Judgment: You believe the instructor graded your work too harshly, had unreasonable expectations, or evaluated subjective work (essays, projects, presentations) unfairly. Faculty have professional authority to evaluate work according to their judgment, and disagreement with that judgment does not constitute grounds for a grade change.

Consequences of the Grade: The grade affects your scholarship, graduate school plans, graduation eligibility, or other opportunities. While these consequences are serious, they don't change whether the grade accurately reflects your performance in the course.

Increased Effort or Extenuating Circumstances: You worked harder than the grade reflects, faced personal difficulties during the semester, or believe you deserve consideration for effort rather than just outcomes. Grades reflect demonstrated achievement of learning outcomes. Effort and circumstances, while important, don't automatically warrant grade changes but might be addressed through other accommodations like incompletes or withdrawals.

Belief in Higher Performance: You feel you performed better than your grade indicates but cannot point to specific calculation errors or policy violations. General dissatisfaction with a grade, without evidence of error, is not grounds for a grade change.

Later Understanding of Material: After the semester ended, you now understand material you didn't understand during the course, and you believe you could perform better if retested. Grades reflect performance during the course, not later mastery.

Who Can Initiate Grade Changes

Only course instructors can initiate official grade changes. Students cannot directly change their grades, and advisors, department chairs, or deans cannot unilaterally change grades without faculty approval. This policy protects faculty academic authority and ensures that grade changes occur through appropriate processes:

Faculty Initiative: Instructors who discover grading errors have the responsibility to correct them. Faculty may identify errors when reviewing their grading at the end of the semester when students bring potential errors to their attention, or when reviewing records for other purposes.

Student Role: If you believe your grade contains an error, you must bring this to your instructor's attention. Present specific evidence of the error, such as graded assignments showing different scores than recorded, documentation of submitted work not included in the grade, or calculations demonstrating mathematical errors. Instructors cannot address concerns they don't know about, so you must communicate professionally and clearly about suspected errors.

Administrative Support: Department chairs and deans facilitate the grade change process by providing required approvals, but they do not make the substantive decision to change a grade. That decision rests with the faculty member.

Grade Change Request Process

When an instructor determines that a grade change is warranted, they must follow official university procedures to ensure proper documentation and approval. This process creates accountability and maintains the integrity of academic records:

Step 1: Faculty Documentation: The instructor documents the reason for the grade change, including the nature of the error, how it was discovered, the original grade assigned, and the corrected grade. This documentation explains the justification for the change.

Step 2: Grade Change Form: The instructor completes an official grade change form, available from the department office or Registrar's Office. This form requires specific information about the course, student, original grade, new grade, and reason for change.

Step 3: Department Chair Approval: The department chairperson reviews and approves the grade change request. This review ensures that the change is justified and properly documented.

Step 4: Dean Approval: The dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences reviews and approves the grade change. This additional level of approval provides oversight and maintains consistency in grade change policies.

Step 5: Registrar Processing: Once all approvals are obtained, the form is submitted to the Office of the Registrar. The Registrar updates the student's transcript with the corrected grade.

Timeline Limitations for Grade Changes

Grade changes must be initiated within reasonable timeframes. While no absolute deadline exists for correcting genuine errors, practical considerations limit how long after a course ends a grade can be changed:

Promptness Expected: Grade changes should be initiated as soon as errors are discovered. Students who believe their grade contains an error should contact their instructor immediately, not months or years later.

Practical Limits: Although grade appeals have a one-year deadline, grade changes for calculation or clerical errors can theoretically occur beyond one year if the error is discovered later. However, the longer the more difficult it becomes to verify information, locate documentation, and justify the change.

Faculty Departure Consideration: If the instructor leaves VSU, correcting grade errors becomes more complicated. Department chairs may need to review evidence and make determinations, but they lack the original instructor's firsthand knowledge of the student's work. Address potential grade errors before faculty members leave the university.

Graduation Impact: If you discover a grade error after you've applied for graduation or after degree conferral, contact the Registrar's Office immediately. Correcting errors that affect degree completion takes priority, but the process may be complex.

Required Documentation and Approvals

Thorough documentation is essential for grade change requests. The level of documentation required depends on the nature and timing of the change:

For Calculation Errors: The instructor's grade calculations showing the mathematical error and the correct computation. This might include spreadsheets, gradebook records, or worked calculations demonstrating the mistake.

For Data Entry Errors: Documentation showing what was entered versus what should have been entered. This might include graded assignments showing scores different from those recorded, or email communications about grades.

For Omitted Work: Student records proving the work was completed and submitted, such as graded assignments, submission confirmations from learning management systems, or email submissions with timestamps.

For Policy Violations: The course syllabus showing the stated policy and evidence that the policy was not applied. This requires demonstrating both what was promised and what actually occurred. Approval Signatures: All grade change forms require signatures from the instructor, department chair, and dean. These signatures verify that appropriate parties have reviewed and approved the change.

Student Notification of Grade Change

Students are notified of grade changes, though the timing and method of notification may vary:

Transcript Update: The most reliable way to verify a grade change is by checking your official transcript through the student portal. Grade changes appear on transcripts once processed by the Registrar's Office.

Direct Communication: Instructors may inform you directly that they've submitted a grade change form, though they're not required to do so. If you brought a grading error to your instructor's attention and they agreed to submit a grade change, you can follow up to confirm the change was processed.

Timeline: Grade changes typically process within 2-4 weeks of the Registrar's Office receiving the approved form. Complex cases or grade changes requiring extensive approvals may take longer.

Verification: Check your transcript after several weeks to confirm the grade change appears. If the change doesn't appear within a reasonable timeframe and you know your instructor submitted the paperwork, contact the Registrar's Office at (804) 524-5692 to verify the status.

GPA Recalculation After Grade Changes

When your grade is changed, your GPA is automatically recalculated to reflect the correct grade:

Automatic Recalculation: The Registrar's Office recalculates your GPA when processing the grade change. You don't need to request this separately.

Semester and Cumulative GPA: Both your semester GPA (for the term in which the course was taken) and your cumulative GPA are updated. Academic Standing Reconsideration: If the grade change improves your GPA such that you no longer meet the criteria for academic probation or suspension, contact the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Advising Office to discuss your academic standing status.

Financial Aid Implications: Grade changes that affect your GPA may also affect satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes. If a corrected grade significantly changes your academic standing, contact Financial Aid at (804) 524-5517 to determine if any action is needed.

Distinction Between Grade Changes and Grade Appeals

Understanding the difference between grade changes and grade appeals is essential for using the appropriate process:

Grade Changes: Address clerical errors, calculation mistakes, and similar technical problems. Grade changes are processed through administrative procedures with faculty, department chairs, and deans. They result from agreement that an error occurred.

Grade Appeals: Address concerns about unfair grading, discrimination, or failure to follow stated policies. Grade appeals involve a formal committee review process, burden of proof on the student, and adversarial proceedings. Appeals result from disagreement about whether a grade is justified. (See the Grade Appeal page for detailed information about the appeal process.)

Choosing the Right Process: If you can point to a specific, documented error in how your grade was calculated or recorded, discuss it with your instructor as a potential grade change. If you believe your instructor graded your work unfairly, discriminated against you, or violated stated policies in ways that affected your grade, follow the grade appeal process.

Incomplete Grade Resolution

The resolution of incomplete (I) grades is a specific type of grade change that follows its own procedures:

Incomplete Grade Policy: Incomplete grades are assigned when students are passing a course but unable to complete required work by the end of the semester due to circumstances beyond their control (VSU Student Handbook, page 11). Incomplete grades must be resolved within one year or they automatically convert to F grades.

Completing the Work: Work with your instructor to understand what you need to complete to resolve the incomplete. Complete this work by the deadline the instructor establishes, which must be within one year of the incomplete grade being assigned.

Grade Change Submission: Once you complete the required work, your instructor evaluates it, determines your earned grade, and submits a grade change form to replace the I with your earned letter grade.

Automatic Conversion: If you do not complete the required work within one year, the incomplete automatically converts to an F grade. This conversion does not require a grade change form and affects your GPA.

Preventing Grade Problems

The best approach to grade changes is preventing the need for them. These strategies help ensure accurate grading from the beginning: Track Your Grades: Monitor your grades throughout the semester using the learning management system or the instructor's gradebook.

Immediately question any scores that seem incorrect or don't match returned work.

Save Graded Work: Keep all graded assignments, exams, and projects until after final grades are posted and verified. These documents serve as proof if discrepancies arise.

Document Submissions: Keep confirmation emails, submission receipts from online systems, or other proof of assignment submission. This documentation is invaluable if questions arise about whether work was submitted.

Communicate with Instructors: If you notice potential grading errors during the semester, bring them to your instructor's attention immediately. Mid-semester corrections are easier than post-semester grade changes.

Review Final Grades Carefully: When final grades post, carefully verify they match your expectations based on your accumulated scores. Calculate your final grade using the syllabus weightings and compare it to your official grade.

Ask Questions Promptly: If your final grade seems incorrect, contact your instructor within days of grades posting, not weeks or months later. Prompt inquiry demonstrates genuine concern about errors rather than simple disappointment with the grade.

Questions?

If you have questions about grade changes, contact:

Your Course Instructor: First point of contact for questions about specific course grades and potential errors.

Department Chair: If your instructor is unavailable or you need assistance understanding grade change procedures.

**Department of Mass Communications Phone: (804) 524-5000 Office of the Registrar Phone: (804) 524-5275

(For questions about the status of grade change forms or transcript updates)

Remember that grade changes address errors in calculating or recording grades, not disagreements about faculty evaluation of your work. Focus on understanding your grades as they're earned and addressing potential errors immediately rather than seeking changes after the fact.