Grading Process

Grading - Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning

While George Mason does specify how many quality points go into the student’s GPA for each letter grade (e.g., A = 4.0, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.3, etc.), it is up to each instructor to set the grading scale that determines the range of points or percentages that correspond to each letter grade (e.g., A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, etc.). You may use any scale you feel is appropriate, but the scale must be included in your syllabus so that students know what to expect.

Undergraduate Grading Specifics

The undergraduate grading scale is outlined in AP.3.1 Undergraduate Grading of the university catalog. Please note that you can choose whether to use plus and minus grades for As, Bs, and Cs, but please don’t include D+, D-, F+, or F- in your syllabus, as you will not be able to enter these grades on Patriot Web.

Graduate Grading Specifics

Graduate classes at George Mason use a different grading scale from undergrad classes (specifically there are no C+/C- or D grades). The graduate grading scale is outlined in AP.3.2 Graduate Grading of the university catalog. Please ensure that this is correctly reflected in your syllabus and do not use C+/C- or D grades as you will not be able to enter those grades on Patriot Web.

Midterm Evaluations

Midterm Evaluations are required for lower-level undergraduate courses (100- and 200- level) during the academic year and must be submitted between the fourth and eighth week of the Fall and Spring semesters. Instructors should assign a letter grade in Patriot Web for all enrolled students to reflect their progress at the midterm point. Midterms are informational only; no GPA calculation is required and these evaluations do not interact in any way with the final grade a student earns in your course.  

Final Grade Submission and Deadlines

Entering grades in Blackboard/Canvas does not complete the grading process. You must assign a final grade in Patriot Web to all enrolled students at the conclusion of the course. Additional work of any type may not be accepted after the final grade has been submitted in Patriot Web. Please set clear deadlines as to when all work must be submitted, and do not enter a final grade for a student until all work has been received.  

Final grades are due as soon as possible after administration of the final exam for the course but not later than 24 hours prior to the degree conferral date.

Please see the Registrar’s Grading for Faculty and Final Grades webpages for more information.

For graduate level courses: If you are planning to give a student an unsatisfactory grade (C, F, or NC), please notify the appropriate program director. 

Incomplete Grades

A grade of Incomplete may be given to students at the end of the semester who are passing a course but who may be unable to complete scheduled coursework for a cause beyond reasonable control. Please do not use the Incomplete grade for students unless absolutely necessary, and please discuss it first with the appropriate program director. An Incomplete Grade Contract outlining the expectations for assignment completion should be filled out and signed by the instructor and student. The instructor should then submit the form to the appropriate program director.  

Special Grades

Please review the definitions and policies related to special grades here. This includes the HC grade for referrals to the Office of Academic Standards. Reach out to the appropriate program director if you are in a situation where you need to use one of these grade types.

Grade Changes

Once a final letter grade (A, B, C, etc.) is submitted in Patriot Web, you can only make changes until 11:59 pm the same day. Grades are rolled nightly to the student’s academic records, so you will have to submit a Grade Change Request if you need to make changes but miss that deadline.  

Use the online Grade Change Request tool to initiate grade change requests for temporary grades (e.g. IN) and final grades. Instructions for accessing the grade change tool can be found here.  

  • Requests to change a temporary grade to a final grade only require the instructor’s approval.
  • Final grades may be changed ONLY due to recording or calculation error or pursuant to a successful appeal of the grade as described in the university catalog. These requests will be routed to the appropriate designated college and university officials for review and approval. 

Grade Appeals

Although faculty are generally the best judges of student performance, there may be times when a student believes a grade is unfair. The CLS department has developed a formal grade appeal process, which is consistent with the process outlined in the University Catalog (Section AP.3.9) and by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which can be found here: Criminology, Law and Society | Grade Appeals | Current...