Retention in Graduate Programs

Students admitted to graduate degree programs are expected to maintain a high level of scholarship and to make regular and sufficient progress toward program completion.

Maintaining Active Student Status

Students who have matriculated in a graduate program but fail to enroll in program coursework for a period of one academic years are automatically terminated from the program. Students whose admission status is terminated because of a two-year lapse in enrollment may apply for readmission. They must meet current criteria for admission, and, if readmitted, are subject to current program requirements.

Minimum Grade Point Average

Indiana University course grading is on a four-point scale.

Ordinarily a minimum of a B (3.0) average in graduate work is required for continuance in graduate study and for all graduate degrees. Courses completed with grades below C (2.0) are not counted toward degree requirements, but such grades will be counted in calculating a student’s grade point average. Graduate students whose program GPA falls below the minimum for their program are subject to probation and dismissal. Students may not graduate with GPA’s in their programs coursework below the minimum specified level.

Pass/Fail Grading (P/F)

Pass/Fail grading allows any grade from an A to a D in a course to be recorded as a grade of P on the transcript. A grade of F issued in a P/F course included in the GPA, but the P grade is not averaged in the GPA. Students may not use courses graded Pass/Fail in their degree programs.

Satisfactory/Fail Grading (S/F)

Courses graded Satisfactory/Fail (S/F) are not the same as courses graded Pass/Fail (P/F). S/F grading is applied to all students in a class. Only a few graduate courses, including some workshop courses and thesis courses, are eligible for S/F grading. A grade of F in an S/F course is included in the GPA, but a grade of S is not averaged into the GPA.

In order to count a course graded S/F towards a graduate degree program a memo is be required from the instructor showing that a grade of B or higher would have been issued to the student for the course. Without this memo the course will not be counted toward a degree program.

Incomplete Course Work (I)

A grade of Incomplete may be assigned when, at the end of the term, a student has not completed all coursework. This grade may be given only when the completed work is of passing quality.

Unfinished coursework must be completed within one calendar year from the date the grade of I is assigned. The course must ordinarily be completed with the original course instructor. The instructor then completes an eGrade Change to remove the incomplete and assigns a letter grade. Incomplete grades that are not removed within one year are changed to a grade of F. This change occurs automatically unless the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies receives and approves a petition for extension from the course instructor.

Accumulation of Incomplete Courses

Graduate students with 3 or more grades incomplete courses are eligible for probation.

Students in Residential Programs Taking Online Courses

Students in residential programs may take online courses, but on campus courses must account for at least half of their coursework. Online courses do not count towards the residency requirement. Information on tuition and fees can be found on the Bursar website.