Ohio State Policies and Procedures
- Freshman Forgiveness, Repeating a Course, Fresh Start, and Auditing a Course
Freshman Forgiveness
If you receive a D+, D, or E in a class during your freshman year (before you have earned 45 credit hours) you may retake the course, and the first grade will be dropped from your cumulative grade point average (the record of the original grade will remain on your transcript.) You may retake the course only once, and you must retake it before you earn 90 hours. If you earn a worse grade the second time around, that grade counts, not the higher grade, and if you earn an E in place of a D or a D+, you will lose credit for the course. You can use the forgiveness rule for up to 15 credit hours. It is best to retake the course(s) as early as possible.
Please note that hours of examination (EM) credit do not count in calculating earned hours for purposes of the Freshman Forgiveness Rule; however, transfer credit hours do count.
Keep in mind that if you are considering applying to graduate or professional schools, or even to other colleges at Ohio State, all of your grades will be considered (including those forgiven under the Freshman Forgiveness Rule) in the admissions process, and the other unit may recalculate the original grade(s) into your cumulative GPA.
Repeating a Course
You may repeat any course once, regardless of the grade you received and when you completed it the first time, with the approval of your college office. If you do not qualify for the Forgiveness Rule, both grades will count in your cumulative grade-point average. Credit for the course may only be counted once in the minimum total hours required for graduation.
Auditing a Course
You may choose to audit a course in order to refresh yourself on the material or to learn more about a subject without wanting to earn a letter grade. Fees are assessed for auditing a course, but no credit hours are awarded. You cannot audit a course and then later take the course for a grade. Auditing a course requires the permission of the instructor and the permission of your college office, through your academic advisor.
- Getting Your Grades
The Registrar does not mail or e-mail grades to students. You can check your grades on BuckeyeLink.
- How to Calculate Your CPHR (or Cumulative Grade Point Average)
It is essential for you to know how to calculate your quarter point-hour ratio (QPHR) and your cumulative point-hour ratio (CPHR.) In order to set academic goals, which help lead to success, it is important to understand how success is measured.
Ohio State, like most universities, grades on the four-point scale. An A is worth 4 points, a B is worth 3 points, a C is worth 2 points, a D is worth 1 point, and an E is worth 0 points. Ohio State also has a plus and minus grading system to help make finer distinctions within the A, B, C, D, E scale. The entire scale can be found below.
**Ohio State does not offer the grades of "A+ and D-"**Grades - Number of Credit Hours per Class 1 2 3 4 5 A 4.0 8.0 12.0 16.0 20.0 A- 3.7 7.4 11.1 14.8 18.5 B+ 3.3 6.6 9.9 13.2 16.5 B 3.0 6.0 9.0 12.0 15.0 B- 2.7 5.4 8.1 10.8 13.5 C+ 2.3 4.6 6.9 9.2 11.5 C 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 C- 1.7 3.4 5.1 6.8 8.5 D+ 1.3 2.6 3.9 5.2 6.5 D 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0
**You earn no points for an "E," but the hours are calculated into the point-hour ratio. **A student's point-hour ratio is calculated by taking the total number of points earned and dividing it by the number of hours attempted for a grade. First, multiply the credit hour value of each course by the point value of the grade. For example, a five-hour course in which you earn a B (3.0) is worth 15 points. Second, total the points you have earned in all your courses. Finally, divide by the number of hours you have attempted for a letter grade. Example:
Course Hr Grade Points English 110 05 A- (5 x 3.7) 18.5 Psych 100 05 B+ (5 x 3.3) 16.5 Math 148 04 B (4 x 3.0) 12.0 ASC 100 01 A (1 x 4.0) 4.0 15 51.0 This student's quarter point-hour ratio (QPHR) would be 3.40 (51 points divided by 15 hours attempted.) The student's quarter point hour ratio and cumulative point-hour ratio (CPHR) would be the same, given that this is the student's first quarter of enrollment at Ohio State.
After subsequent quarters at Ohio State, you must calculate the cumulative point hour ratio (CPHR) by dividing total points earned by total hours attempted for a letter grade (not including S/U, PA/NP, EM, or K credit*.) Using our previous example, consider the following grades as the student's second quarter at Ohio State:
Course Hr Grade Points History 151 05 B (5 x 3.0) 15.0 Math 150 05 C (5 x 2.0) 10.0 Theatre 100 05 B+ (5 x 3.3) 16.5 ASC 120D 02 A- (2 x 3.7) 8.1 17 49.6 Remember, last quarter the student earned a 3.40. The QPHR for the second quarter would be a 2.91 (49.6 points divided by 17 hours equals 2.91.) The student's cumulative point hour ratio (CPHR) would be found by dividing the total number of points earned (51.0 + 49.6 = 100.6) by the total number of hours attempted (15 + 17 = 32.) The CPHR would then be 3.14.
By earning good grades and maintaining a cumulative point-hour ratio well above the minimum standard of 2.00 required for graduation, the student in our example is considered to be in academic "good standing."
*S/U = Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
PA/NP = Pass/Non-Pass
EM = Examination Credit
K = Transfer Credit - Dean’s List
Students completing a minimum of 12 graded credit hours with a point-hour ratio of 3.50 or higher for any given quarter will be named to the Dean’s List for that quarter in the college in which they are enrolled. Courses graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (“S/U") or Pass/Non-Pass (“PA/NP") do not count toward the minimum of 12 graded hours and a grade of “U" or “NP" will disqualify you from making the Dean’s List even if you meet the numerical criteria.
- Academic Difficulty (Warning, Probation, and Dismissal)
When your cumulative grade-point average falls below a 2.0, or if you are not making satisfactory progress toward a degree, you are considered to be in academic difficulty. This can lead to academic warning, probation, special-action probation, or even dismissal.
If you are in academic difficulty (even if your CPHR is above a 2.0), you should see your academic counselor as soon as possible to discuss the issues that may be affecting your academic performance and for advice on how to get back on track. It is your responsibility as a student to know your academic status. Below are descriptions of the different levels of academic difficulty.
Academic Warning
Generally, you will be placed on academic warning when you have initially accumulated between .1 and 14.9 deficiency points. You will receive an e-mail from the Assistant Dean of the Exploration Program and should consult with your assigned advisor. Once your CPHR reaches a 2.0, you will again be in good academic standing.
Academic Probation
You will be placed on academic probation when you have accumulated 15 or more deficiency points. You will be sent a letter and an e-mail informing you of your status and specifying the conditions of probation, including the minimum grade–point average you must achieve in the following quarter to avoid academic dismissal. You should consult with an academic counselor. Once your CPHR reaches a 2.0, you will again be in good academic standing and will be removed from Probation.
Probation by Special Action
You may be placed on Special Action Probation, even if you have no cumulative deficiency points and a CPHR above 2.0, when your college has determined, by a review of your grades, that you are not making satisfactory progress toward a degree. You will be sent a letter and an e-mail informing you of your status and specifying the conditions of probation, including the minimum grade–point average you must achieve in the following quarter to avoid academic dismissal.
Academic Dismissal
Any student in academic difficulty is at risk of being dismissed from the university. There is no specific CPHR or number of deficiency points that warrants a dismissal. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and given serious thought. You are a likely candidate for dismissal if you are on academic probation or probation by special action and continue to accumulate deficiency points, or if you do not show significant and steady academic progress, especially in your intended major. Dismissed students will be notified of their status by letter and by e-mail.
Reinstatement
After being academically dismissed from the university, students can petition for reinstatement to the university after waiting for a period of three quarters. Reinstatement is not guaranteed, and simple desire to return is not sufficient support for a petition. Petitioning students need to prove they are now ready to succeed if they are allowed to return to the university. It is advisable to take academic course work at another institution during your time away from Ohio State, to demonstrate that you are capable of succeeding in quality college-level work. See an academic counselor if you are interested in attending another institution, to help guide your course decisions for transfer back to Ohio State. Under the majority of circumstances, students cannot be reinstated into the Exploration Program. As part of their time away from Ohio State, students are encouraged to choose an attainable major of interest. Reinstatement petitions should be discussed with the college that offers the major you intend to pursue.
Fresh Start
Students who have a CPHR under a 2.0 or who have been dismissed from the university may want to petition to use Fresh Start. This will eliminate any deficiency points that you may have earned previously and will let you start at Ohio State with a clean CPHR (0.00.)
If you have not been enrolled at the university 20 or more consecutive quarters (5 or more years), you may petition for the Fresh Start Rule. While all courses will remain on your permanent record, only courses in which you received a C- or higher will be counted for credit. Other course work will not be counted for credit, towards any requirement, or toward graduation. You will return to Ohio State with a recalculated Cumulative Point-Hour Ratio of 0.00. You must complete a minimum of three quarters and 45 credit hours after using the Fresh Start Rule before you are eligible to graduate.
Keep in mind that if you are considering applying to graduate or professional schools, or even to other colleges at Ohio State, their admissions processes will factor in all of your grades and may recalculate the original grade(s) into your total. All course work taken at the university will be calculated in determining eligibility for graduation honors.
- How to Calculate Deficiency Points
A student whose Cumulative Point-Hour Ratio (CPHR) has fallen below 2.00 is no longer in academic "good standing" and is considered to be in academic difficulty. One index to measure the degree of academic difficulty is deficiency points. Deficiency points are defined as the number of credit points a student whose CPHR is below 2.00 should have earned in order to have a 2.00. Depending on the number of accumulated deficiency points, a student will be placed on Academic Warning or Academic Probation and ultimately may be academically dismissed from the university. (Remember, students can also be placed on academic warning, probation, special-action probation, or dismissal if they are not making satisfactory progress toward a degree.)
Academic Warning: A student who has accumulated between .1 and 14.9 deficiency points is usually placed on "Academic Warning." The following example illustrates this:
Course Hr Grade Points Psych 100 05 C (5 x 2.0) 10.0 English 110 05 C (5 x 2.0) 10.0 Theatre 100 05 D (5 x 1.0) 5.0 15 25.0 This student has attempted 15 credit hours, earned 25 points, and would have a QPHR of 1.66 with 5 deficiency points. The reason the deficiency point total is 5 is that that student needed 30 points to attain a 2.00 and by earning only 25, fell short by 5.
Academic Probation: A student who has accumulated a deficiency point total of 15 or more is usually placed on "Academic Probation" status. Once placed on Probation the student will remain on Probation until he or she has returned to good academic standing. Using our previous example, consider the following grades as the student's next quarter:
Course Hr Grade Points History 151 05 D (5 x 1.0) 5.0 Sociol 101 05 C+ (5 x 2.3) 11.5 Biology 101 05 E (5 x 0.0) 0.0 15 16.5 This student has attempted 15 credit hours, earned 16.5 points, and would have a QPHR of 1.10 with 13.5 deficiency points for the quarter. The deficiency-point total for that quarter is 13.5, because the student needed 30 points to attain a 2.00, and by earning only 16.5, fell short by 13.5. Since the student earned 5 deficiency points last quarter, the total would now be 18.5.
Another way to calculate the student's deficiency points is to look at the student's totals after 2 quarters. The student has attempted 30 hours and has earned 41.5 points. In order to have a 2.00 CPHR, and be in "good standing," the student needed 60 points. Therefore, having earned only 41.5 points, the student has 18.5 deficiency points.
Removing Deficiency Points: Deficiency points are removed by earning more points than the minimum needed to achieve a QPHR of 2.00. Using our previous example, consider the following grades as the student's third quarter:
Course Hr Grade Points History 152 05 C+ (5 x 2.3) 11.5 Spanish 101 05 B- (5 x 2.7) 13.5 Art Ed 160 05 B (5 x 3.0) 15.0 15 40.0 This student has attempted 15 hours, earned 40 points and would have a QPHR of 2.66. This time the student has earned 10 more points than needed to attain a 2.00. Therefore, the student has reduced the deficiency-point total from 18.5 to 8.5.
- Code of Student Conduct
Students who enroll at Ohio State agree to abide by the Code of Student Conduct. Each student is responsible for becoming familiar with the rules and regulations of The Ohio State University. The Office of Student Judicial Affairs has prepared the following synopsis of the Code of Student Conduct:
The code exists to protect the persons, their rights and the property of the University community. The code applies to the conduct of all students and registered student organizations while on University premises; while on professional practice assignment; on assignment which is associated with academic course requirements; or while involved with a University-related activity or a registered student organization activity. There are certain types of conduct, which may lead to disciplinary action against a student or student organization in addition to criminal charges in some cases.
- Plagiarism
The following statement is adapted from the definition of plagiarism as understood by the Department of English. Although this statement was developed to apply specifically to the courses in first-year English composition, it is referred to widely in cases involving charges of plagiarism throughout the university. Every student is responsible for reading and understanding this statement.
Because the purpose of university writing assignments is to improve your ability to express yourself in writing, your papers and exercises must be your own work. To submit to your instructor a paper that is not truly the product of your own mind and skill is to commit plagiarism. To put it bluntly, plagiarism is the act of stealing the ideas and/or the expression of another and representing them as your own. It is a form of cheating and a kind of academic misconduct, which can incur severe penalties. It is important, therefore, that you understand what it consists of, so that you will not unwittingly jeopardize your college career.
Plagiarism can take several forms. The most obvious form is a word-for-word copying of someone else’s work, in whole or in part, without acknowledgement, whether that work be a magazine article, a portion of a book, a newspaper piece, material from a web site, another student’s essay, or any other composition not your own. Any such verbatim use of another’s work must be acknowledged by (1) enclosing all such copied portions in quotation marks and by (2) giving the original source either in the body of your essay or in a footnote. As a general rule, you should make very little use of quoted matter in your essays, papers, or other written work.
A second form of plagiarism is the unacknowledged paraphrasing of the structure and language of another person’s work. Changing a few words of another’s composition, omitting a few sentences, or changing their order does not constitute original composition and therefore can be given no credit. If such borrowing or paraphrase is ever necessary, the source must be scrupulously indicated by footnotes.
Still another form of plagiarism is more difficult to define. It consists of writing a theme based solely on the ideas of another. Even though the language is not the same, if the thinking is clearly not your own, then you have committed plagiarism. If, for example, in writing a theme you reproduce the structure and progression of ideas in an essay you have read, or a speech you have heard, you are not engaging your own mind and experience enough to claim credit for writing your own composition
How then, you may ask, can I be original? Am I to learn nothing from others? There are several answers to such questions.
Of course you have come to the university to learn, and this means acquiring ideas and exchanging opinions with others. But no idea is ever genuinely learned by copying it down in the phrasing of somebody else. Only when you have thought through an idea in terms of your own experience can you be said to have learned, and when you have done that, you can develop it on paper as the product of your own mind. It is your mind we are trying to train and evaluate. When, therefore, you are given a writing assignment, do not merely consult books or articles or web sites or friend’s themes in search of something to say. If an assignment baffles you, discuss it with your instructor. And if you are directed to use printed sources, in English or in other courses, consult your instructor about how to proceed. There is an art to taking notes and doing research; careless note-taking can lead to plagiarism.
Why be so concerned about plagiarism? Because it defeats the ends of education. If a student were given credit for work that is not his or her own, then those grades would be meaningless. That student’s college degree would become a mere sheet of paper, and the integrity of the university would be undetermined. To protect the conscientious student, therefore, and to guarantee the quality of an Ohio State education, the university assesses heavy penalties against those who plagiarize. By Faculty Rules, penalties for plagiarism range from an “E" grade in the course to dismissal from the university. If these penalties seem severe, remember that your integrity and the integrity of the university itself are at stake.
Finally, the university cannot prevent a student from plagiarizing, but it can make sure that every student knows what plagiarism is, what the penalties for it are, and the serious jeopardy in which it places his or her future career. Hence this statement. Read it carefully. If you do not understand it fully, consult your instructor. IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS ABOUT THE ORIGINALITY OF A PAPER YOU HAVE WRITTEN, SEE YOUR INSTRUCTOR BEFORE YOU TURN IT IN.
- Transfer Credit Information
When students transfer to Ohio State from another institution, they bring with them varying amounts of transfer credit. Ohio State will need to receive official transcripts in order to post transfer credit. These need to be sent to Ohio State’s Admissions Office, not to your college office. This credit will take a few weeks to be posted to your record. The grades you earn in transferred courses do not transfer to Ohio State; courses taken at another institution are designated with a “K" in the grading column. Also, your Grade Point Average (GPA) from courses taken at another institution does not transfer to Ohio State. However, some colleges will take your transfer GPA into account for the purposes of admission into a competitive major.
There are several types of transfer credit. These are outlined below:
Direct Equivalency
- This means that the course transferred was similar enough in content that the student was awarded direct credit.
- If you earn direct equivalency credit for a course, it will look like this on your record:
Course Department Course Number Grade Psychology 100 K
General Credit (G)
- General credit is awarded when there may be an equivalent course at Ohio State, but the transfer credit evaluator could not make that determination without further information.
- Students have the opportunity to have general credits evaluated by the departments in order to determine if a direct equivalency exists.
- Until these courses are evaluated, they are not counted towards any specific requirement other than total hours towards graduation.
- It is vital that you have general credits evaluated early in your college career to determine what courses you still need to take and to avoid taking a course that you may already have taken at another institution.
- If you earn general credit for a course, it will look like this on your record:
Course Department Course Number Grade Psychology G000.01 K
Special Credit (S)
- Special credit is awarded when no specific course equivalent exists at The Ohio State University.
- These credit hours are not counted towards any specific requirement other than graduation.* Special credit is usually used as elective hours.
*In some cases, special credit may be used to fulfill degree requirements. After students declare their major, they should contact their new college office regarding the use of special credit to fulfill degree requirements. - If you earn special credit for a course, it will look like this on your record:
Course Department Course Number Grade Psychology S000.01 K
Technical Credit (T)
- Technical credit is awarded for technical course work that is acceptable as undergraduate credit at The Ohio State University.
- Technical credit may count toward some degrees, but will not be counted towards specific degree requirements unless your degree-granting college determines otherwise.*
*In some cases, technical credit may be used to fulfill degree requirements. After students declare their major, they should contact their new college office regarding the use of technical credit to fulfill degree requirements.Course Department Course Number Grade Psychology T000.01 K
Deferred Credit
- Designates course work for which you have not yet been awarded transfer credit.
- For a determination about whether credit will be awarded for the course, you should see the transfer credit evaluator in the appropriate department at Ohio State. Any materials and information you can provide about the course will help the evaluator in making that decision.
Transfer Credit Evaluations
Each department handles transfer credit evaluations of general credit through their own offices. Visit the Transfer Credit Coordinator list for contact information. Locate the correct department on the list and contact the designated person listed.
Remember that the application, if any, of special and technical to your degree will be determined after you declare your major through your degree-granting college.
If you are unsure about what credits need to be evaluated, consult with your Exploration academic counselor.
