Academic Progress

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Reflection of College Writing

For questions regarding the RCW please reach out to directedselfplacement@sjsu.edu with your full name, student ID and details as to what issue you are facing with the RCW.

Typically, grades are given in the form of a letter, which are indicative of performance in the class. Sometimes, you might see something other than an A, B, C, D, or F. Examples of this include "I" or "WU" or "AU." These different letters affect your GPA differently, and some require attention after the semester has finished.

How letter grades affect your GPA on the Registrar's website →

Transcript Errors

Typically, students resolve an alleged incorrected grade directly with the instructor of the course.

In the case that the incorrect grade was a transferred grade from another institution, you will need to address the incorrect grade with the institution that you transferred from and resend transcripts to SJSU with the corrected grades.

Asking for an Incomplete

Sometimes life appears to take steady plans and throw them out the window. What can you do if it affects your ability to complete assignments this semester? Perhaps you have to leave school for a month due to illness or an unforeseen event and miss your final exam, or your backpack gets stolen with all of your portfolio work and you have nothing to present.

In some of these situtations, it is possible to ask your instructor to give you an Incomplete. It is up to the discretion of the instructor whether they will do this, and they are not obligated to provide you with one. You must ask for an Incomplete from the instructor, as it will not automatically be provided if you simply do not complete the coursework.

Once grades are released for the semester, a "I" will appear on your transcript, which indicates that required coursework was not finished in the semester that it was assigned in.

You will have exactly one calendar year (not academic year) immediately following the end of the term to finish any outstanding work and submit it to the instructor for a final grade.

Incompletes are not necessarily the best if you are missing a lot of work. This is especially important particularly if you are taking a heavy load next semester. You do not want to be stuck doing last semester's work while trying to balance another semester of heavy work, as it might interfere with this semester's work as well. Ask yourself what the tradeoff might be.

Be proactive! If you have problems and there is considerable amount of time left remaining in the semester, see if you and your instructor can do something to help you out. Many times, instructors are willing to work with students, but they have to aware of your situation first.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you chose to request an incomplete and you are running into issues, ask your instructor for support. Completing your coursework is an effort between you and your instructor, so ensure that your instructor knows what your circumstances are as well!

Repeating a Course

At SJSU, repeating a course for the first time is called "grade forgiveness." Students are allowed to repreat a course in which they earned what is considered a "non-passing" grade and/or minimum grade requirements for the course.

Typically, repeating a course for the first time does not require an add code of any sort, unless the course requires an add code to take it. Students wanting to repeat a course must typically wait until later in the advanced registration period before adding the course.

Can I repeat a course if I earned a C? No. A C is considered a passing grade, and the class cannot be retaken.

I took a class in community college, passed it, and transferred my transcript, but I want to take an equivalent class at SJSU. Is this considered repeating? If the course at the CC is considered an articulated equivalent to an SJSU course, then this is not allowed. Under law, students are not allowed to repeat a course that they received credit for, unless it is repeatable for credit. The repeated course cannot be taken at another institution for grade forgiveness.

You can consider auditing a course to not receive a letter grade, but you cannot retake it for a letter grade.

Can I repeat a course if I took an Incomplete? No. A conclusive letter grade must be assigned before retaking the course.