Federal Definition of the Credit Hour

The Federal definition states that "A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally-established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:

• One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of- class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks;
• Or at least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work and other academic work leading toward the awarding of credit hours."

College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Credit Hour Policy

A semester contains 14.5 weeks of classes plus a 3-day final exam period.

Each undergraduate, full (four-credit) course includes, at a minimum, the equivalent of 120 instructional hours. Students are expected to devote a minimum of 2 hours outside of class time for every hour in class. Some courses carry additional lab or discussion sessions.

Each graduate, full (three-credit) course includes, at a minimum, the equivalent of 90 instructional hours. Students are expected to devote a minimum of 2 hours outside of class time for every hour in class.

These basic measures may be adjusted proportionately to reflect a modified academic calendar and/or format of study.

Credit hours are granted for various types of instruction as follows:

• Individual Learning Project (ILP)
  Independent Studies require a minimum of 40 hours of coursework for each credit awarded, yet have no set meeting dates/times. The learning objectives and academic requirements for these courses are established between individual faculty and individual students, and have specific academic outcomes defined before the course work begins.
  
  For additional information, visit ILP Guidelines.
• Experiential Learning
  Experiential learning requires a minimum of 40 hours for each credit awarded, yet have no set meeting dates/times. The learning objectives and academic requirements for these courses are established between individual faculty and individual students before the course work begins. The expectation is that students earn credits based on the number of hours required on-site.
  
  For additional information, visit Registering for Internship Credit.
• Credits Earned Elsewhere
  Credit for published examinations applies to the following test series, provided the specified minimum performance levels are met:
  • Advanced Placement (AP)
  • International Baccalaureate Program (IB)
  • College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• Credit by Examination
  Students may demonstrate that through previous experience or study on their own they possess the knowledge, skills and competencies normally obtained by attending a certain class. This demonstration may allow students to be exempted without credit from a course so that they may enroll in a higher level course. When appropriate, they may receive credit for the course. Students may consult with the chair of the department in which the course is offered to determine whether an appropriate examination may be arranged.

Condensed Formats

Credit hours may be earned in shortened academic sessions (part of term courses, summer sessions, etc.) proportionately to those earned for the same activity during a full term of the institutions. Calculation of credit hours awarded for shortened sessions are verified though the course approval or revision process.

Oversight and Compliance

This credit hour policy applies to all courses that award academic credit at the undergraduate or graduate level. The Academic Curriculum Committee (ACC) reviews and approves new courses for the undergraduate program and the Graduate Theological Studies Committee approves new courses for the graduate School of Theology. Compliance with the credit hour policy is evaluated in their review and approval of all courses. The determination of credit hours is made when a new course or a revision to an existing course is proposed. The submitted syllabus is examined for contact time, as well as for learning outcomes, assignments, and evaluation of student learning.

Last updated 3.20.2018

Grades and Honor Points

Intellectual achievement is more important than grades. Grades, however, are necessary for advisory purposes, for determination of the quality of academic achievements and for transfer of credit to other institutions. Grades are designated by letters. In order to compute averages, numerical values called honor points have been assigned to the grades as follows:

Grades

Letter Grade	Interpretation for Each Credit	Honor Points	Credit Earned
A	Excellent	4	Yes
AB		3.5	Yes
B	Good	3	Yes
BC		2.5	Yes
C	Satisfactory	2	Yes
CD		1.5	Yes
D	Minimum Passing	1	Yes
F		0	No
NR	Not Graded	0	No
H	Honors	0	Yes
S	Satisfactory (C or higher - not calculated in GPA)	0	Yes
U	Unsatisfactory (CD or less - not calculated in GPA)	0	No
AU	Audit (Not for Credit)	0	No
W	Withdraw Without Prejudice	0	No
I	Grade Incomplete (letter grade calculated in GPA)	Letter grade earned ex. I/C	Yes, if passing grade
X	In Progress	0	No
*	No Grade Reported	0	No
T	Transfer Coursework	0	Yes

Grade Point Average

The grade point average (GPA) is the ratio of honor points to credits in courses for which the student has received a final grade of A, AB, B, BC, C, CD, D or F. Coursework graded S/U or H are not included in determining the GPA. Also, coursework transferred from other colleges is not counted in determining the GPA.

Dean's List

The faculties of Saint Benedict's and Saint John's have adopted a dean's list for each college to recognize student academic achievement each semester. The following criteria are used for inclusion on the dean's list:

1. Students included on the dean's list must have completed a minimum of 12 credits for which honor points are earned (A, B, C, etc.) during that semester.
2. Students included on the dean's list may have no standing U or I grades for that semester.
3. Students included on the dean's list must have grade point averages greater than or equal to 3.80 for that semester.

Incomplete Grades

The policy of the colleges concerning the temporary grade I/grade includes the following:

When instructors determine that circumstances warrant, they may allow some delay in the completion of coursework. Such extensions may not extend beyond the last day of finals (close) of the following regular fall or spring semester. Earlier limits may be set at the discretion of the instructor.

1. The instructor must report on the official grade roster the grade I, followed by the grade that the student will receive if the coursework is not complete by the end of the following semester (e.g., I/F, or I/C or I/B). That grade will be used in the computation of grade point averages until the incomplete is removed.
2. If by the end of the following semester the instructor reports a single final grade to the registrar, that grade will replace the I/[grade], the incomplete will be removed and averages recomputed accordingly. Otherwise the provisional grade which was assigned along with the I will become a permanent part of the transcript.
3. When an instructor is no longer available to report a change of grade for an incomplete, the student will be given three options:
   1. The student can take the grade given with the incomplete.
   2. The student can take an S/U option.
   3. The student can Withdraw from the class.
      Exceptions to the above may be granted only by the written permission of the academic dean or the dean’s designee. Such exceptions will ordinarily be granted only in cases of medical disability or problems of comparable seriousness as determined in the judgment of the dean.
4. Degree candidates are cautioned that failure to have all degree requirements satisfied (including removal of incomplete grades in courses needed for graduation) by the dates set by the registrar will necessarily postpone their graduation.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grades

All students may take a maximum of one course (four credits) per semester for which they will receive an S/U grade. This is in addition to those courses offered only on an S/U basis. The grade of S will be recorded for work meriting letter grades of A, AB, B, BC, or C. Coursework meriting a grade of CD, D or F will be recorded as a U and no credit will be granted.

The courses selected for S/U grading may not include offerings in the student's declared major; required supportive courses for that major; or courses announced for A-F grading only. However, a student who is undecided about or changes a major field may be allowed one course with an S grade toward completion of that major. Courses required for a minor may be taken S/U with permission of the department chair.

In a course with standard grading (the option of A-F or S/U), the student may request S/U status up until the deadline specified in the instructor's syllabus (but not later than the end of the semester), after which there can be no change in grade status. Whether the course is S/U or graded, all students must fulfill the same assignments and course responsibilities.

Withdrawal from Courses

Students may withdraw from courses before the final 16 class days of the semester by completing a "drop" form and filing it with the Office of Student Records and Registration.

No transcript entry will be recorded for full-semester courses which are officially dropped before the end of the first four weeks of the semester. Courses officially withdrawn from after this date, and before the final 16 class days of the semester, will be recorded on the student's transcript with the grade of W. Withdrawal from a course is not possible during the final 16 class days of the semester. Students who discontinue attending class during this time will receive a grade of F for the course.

For courses scheduled for less than a full semester, withdrawal during the first third of the course will result in no record entry; during the second third, a W entry; during the final third, a failure.

For information regarding withdrawal from all courses and leaving the institution please see Withdrawal from the College

Repeating Courses

A course which has been failed may be repeated for credit. Courses which have been passed may not be repeated for credit. They may, however, be repeated for additional honor points. In the latter case, although the original grade is not removed from the transcript, it is the higher grade which is computed in the GPA. Credit for a course can be earned only once. Repeating a course in which a passing grade has already been earned may have financial aid implications. Consult Financial Aid Office for additional information. In addition, if a student has completed a higher-level course or placed out of the course at CSB/SJU they may not earn credit again for the course.

Academic Class Standing

Students are classified as follows:

• First-year — 0-27 earned credits
• Sophomore — 28-57 earned credits
• Junior — 58-87 earned credits
• Senior — 88 or more earned credits

Earned credits are credits which have been completed and for which a passing grade has been assigned.

Cohort Standing               

Students are classified as follows (for Traditional Students):

Cohort Credit Ranges

Cohort	Year Started at CSBSJU
First Year (FY)	2025-2026 academic year
Sophomore (SO)	2024-2025 acdemic year
Junior (JN)	2023-2024 academic year
Senior (SR)	2022-2023 academic year

Transfer Students: We approximate cohort groups based on ranges of earned and registered credits combined.         

Student Right of Appeal

Students have a right to learn the grounds upon which an instructor has graded their work. If, after discussion with the instructor, a student believes that he or she has been graded unfairly, that student may appeal to the department chair. The department chair will attempt to clarify the positions of both the faculty member and the student and find a consensus position. If the student is still not satisfied, petition may be made to the academic dean or the dean's designee, who will implement the next appropriate process. If the instructor and the department chair are one and the same, the academic dean may be consulted at the second level of appeal.

Grade Appeal Procedure

Before initiating a formal grade appeal, students must first discuss the grade concern directly with the course instructor.

If the issue remains unresolved after meeting with the instructor, students may submit a formal appeal in writing via email, first to the department chair and then to the academic dean if necessary.

Each formal appeal should include:

• Course identification (course number and title)
• Specific assignment or exam in question
• Detailed explanation of why the student believes the grade was unfair
• Summary of the discussion with the instructor (and department chair if appealing to the academic dean)

Students may seek guidance from the Assistant Dean/Director of Academic Advising or the Dean for Student Academic Success regarding the procedures at any point in the process.

Unless otherwise specified in this catalog, student appeals against other academic judgments should be conducted in like fashion: seeking knowledge of the grounds for a judgment from the relevant faculty member or academic official; moving to that person's superior if the student believes the judgment is unfair; and then petitioning the academic or the dean's designee if still unsatisfied. The academic program of each college is subject to the academic dean and then to the provost for academic affairs.