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ADMISSION

ADMISSION OF CLASSIFIED STUDENTS

ADMISSION OF UNCLASSIFIED STUDENT

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

ACADEMIC ADVISING

REGISTRATION AND ENROLLMENT

CREDITS AND GRADES

EXAMINATIONS

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES

HONORS

ACADEMIC PROBATION, SUSPENSION, AND DISMISSAL

PROGRAMS

UNDERGRADUATE GENERAL EDUCATION CORE AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

TUITION, FEES, AND FINANCIAL AID

 

Credits and Grades

Work accomplished by students is usually recognized in terms of credit hours, grades, grade points, and grade point averages.

Students must complete a minimum of 120 (45 upper division (300+ level)) credits and have a minimum of a C (not C-) average (minimum GPA of 2.0) to earn a baccalaureate degree. Colleges, schools, and degree programs have specific requirements. Students should check with their college/school advisor.

Credit Hours

Credit hours (or credits) for course work are determined on a semester or semester-equivalent basis for work satisfactorily accomplished. Credit hours granted for specific courses are listed in this Catalog and the Check Class Availability website each semester.

Grades

Student achievement is designated by the following grades: A+, A, A- (excellent), B+, B, B- (above average), C+, C, (average), C-, D+, D, D- (minimal passing), F (failure), CR (credit), NC (no credit), I (incomplete), and L (audit). A grade of I is given to a student who has not completed a small but important part of a semester's work if the instructor believes that the incomplete was caused by conditions beyond the student's control. Each student receiving a grade of I should consult his or her instructor promptly to determine the steps to be taken and the deadline to complete the course work for changing the grade of I to a final grade. The designated November and April deadlines (see the “Calendar”) refer to the dates instructors must report adjusted grades. Student deadlines for completing their course work must be adjusted accordingly.

An instructor recording a grade of I on the final grade sheet will also record the grade that will replace the I if the work is not made up by the deadline; that grade is computed on the basis of what grades or other evidence the instructor does have, averaged together with Fs or zeros for all incomplete work (including the final examination, if it has not been taken). If the work is completed prior to the deadline, the instructor will report a change of grade, taking the completed work into consideration. If the instructor does not submit a grade to replace the incomplete, the grade of I will be replaced by an F or an NC (as appropriate) as of the April or November deadline. All grades of I must be cleared by a student's college prior to graduation.

Credit/No Credit Option

The credit/no credit option encourages students to broaden their education by venturing into subjects outside their fields of specialization without risking a relatively low grade. The CR designation denotes C (not C-) caliber work or better. However, students should be aware that some colleges and many graduate and professional schools evaluate CR as C and NC as F. The same is true of some employers and scholarship awarding agencies.

Certain courses may be designated as mandatory CR/NC. In addition to any such mandatory CR/NC courses, no more than 40 credit hours of CR may be counted toward the degree. Neither CR nor NC is computed in the grade point average. The CR/NC option must be exercised during the registration period. The CR/NC option is limited to elective courses; this option is not allowed for any course taken to fulfill a UH Manoa undergraduate general education, college, school, or department nonelective requirement, with the exception of those courses offered for mandatory CR/NC

Grade Points

Grade points for each credit hour received in a course will be computed as follows:

A+ = 4.0 B+ = 3.3 C+ = 2.3 D+ = 1.3 F - 0.0
A = 4.0 B = 3.0 C = 2.0 D = 1.0  
A- = 3.7 B- = 2.7 C- = 1.7 D- = 0.7  

Students entering as undergraduates are not given grade points for work done outside UH Manoa.

Grade Point Averages

Grade point averages (GPA) are determined by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of credit hours for which a student has received letter grades (excluding I, NC, CR, W, or L).

The semester GPA is calculated on any one semester's credits and grade points. The cumulative GPA is calculated on all such work taken at UH Manoa.

"Repeatable" Courses

Some courses are designated "repeatable" in the Catalog and can be taken for credit a limited number of times, as indicated by the course description.

Students may take "repeatable" courses as many times as allowed by the Catalog description. For these courses, all grades are permanently recorded on the transcript and impact the Grade Point Average, (GPA). Students can count up to the designated limit of credits toward degree requirements.

When students take "repeatable" courses beyond the designated limit, grades continue to be recorded on the transcript, but those grades do not impact the GPA and the credits are not counted toward degree requirements.
All courses that are not designated "repeatable" can only be taken for credit once. This means that only one set of credits (i.e., 1 credit for a 1-credit course; 3 credits for a 3-credit course, etc.) can count toward degree requirements, even if you repeat the course.

UH Manoa will not provide financial aid for a course that is not listed as repeatable in the course description or if a student repeated the course more than the number of times listed in the course description. Financial aid recipients who are repeating courses should see the Financial Aid Services Office with any questions.

Repeating Failed Courses

Students who receive an F or NC earn no credits. Students may repeat any course in which they received an F or NC for that semester. Starting with Fall 2012, for courses taken as a repeat, the last grade received for the course shall be included in the student's cumulative GPA. The grade from the previous attempt shall be excluded from the GPA. Grades for each attempt are permanently recorded on the transcript.

Repeating Courses with Grades of C-, D+, D, or D-

Students who receive grades of C-, D+, D, or D- earn the credits for that course. Students may repeat any course in which they received a grade of C-, D+, D, or D-. Starting with Fall 2012, for courses taken as a repeat, the last grade received for the course shall be included in the student's cumulative GPA for that semester. The grade from the previous attempt shall be excluded from the GPA. Grades for each attempt are permanently recorded on the transcript. Only one set of credits (i.e., 1 credit for a 1-credit course; 3 credits for a 3-credit course, etc.) can count toward degree requirements. Students should check with their academic advisor on repeating courses that they have already received a minimal passing grade.

For students who receive financial aid repeating courses in which they received a grade of C-, D+, D, or D-, their enrollment status may not include the repeat course and may affect the amount of aid received. Students should check with the Financial Aid Services Office on repeating courses that they have already received a minimal passing grade in regards to their eligibility for financial aid.

Repeating Courses with Grades of C or Higher

Students who have already received a grade of C or higher for a course that is not designated as "repeatable" may repeat it only with the permission of the instructor or of the department offering the course. Grades for each attempt are permanently recorded in the transcript, but only the first grade (not the repeat) is included in the GPA. Only one set of credits (i.e., 1 credit for a 1-credit course; 3 credits for a 3-credit course, etc.) can count toward degree requirements.

For students on financial aid, repeating courses in which they received a passing grade, their enrollment status will not include the repeat course and may affect the amount of aid received.

Duplicate Credits

Students can earn only one set of credits (i.e., 1 credit for a 1-credit course, 3 credits for a 3-credit course, etc.) for courses that are equivalent or comparable in content. Examples include:

  • Cross-listed courses (e.g., BIOL 402 and MBBE 402)
  • Transfer equivalencies (e.g., ZOOL 141 and PHYL 141, ENG 255 and ENG 271)
  • Different levels of the same material (e.g., CHEM 151 and CHEM 161)
  • Equivalent credits earned through exams, such as AP, IB, CLEP, etc.

Backtracking

"Backtracking" refers to taking either a prerequisite course or the lower level course in a tracked sequence concurrently with or after a more advanced course. Examples include:

  • Completing Korean 211 and then taking Korean 102, its prerequisite
  • Completing Japanese 202 and then taking Japanese 101, a lower level
  • Taking Math 432 and then taking Math 431, a two-semester sequence that must be taken in order

If students choose to backtrack, credit is not awarded for the lower-level/prerequisite course, and although the grade is recorded in the transcript, it does not impact the GPA. In some cases, students may backtrack with the express permission of the student's college/school academic services office.

Excess Credit Policy

A student who by the end of any semester has earned 24 credit hours beyond those required for graduation and has fulfilled all specific program and UH requirements may be graduated by action of the student's college/school.

Grades

Grades are available through the MyUH Portal one week after the final examination period each semester. Grades for courses taken through Outreach College do not follow this schedule.