Evaluation of a student’s performance in a RISD course is done by letter grade. A letter grade is awarded to indicate the level of performance. It becomes a part of the student’s permanent academic record. In studio classes, these letter grades may be supplemented by written narrative comments or evaluations from the instructor describing and analyzing each student’s performance in the class. Written comments/evaluations are not a part of the student’s permanent academic record. The Registrar’s Office does not provide these to students or alumni.

The following grading scale is used for letter grades:

*The grade of IF is used when a student fails to complete their incomplete by the given deadline.

**The grade of UW is used when an instructor indicates a student stopped attending or never attended the class or the instructor has not submitted a grade.

*The grade of NC is used only for courses taken but not passed (i.e., courses taken at Brown)

**The grade of S/U is used only as midterm grades.

For Spring 2020 and Wintersession 2022, RISD enacted P/NC grading due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All RISD courses are letter graded with the exception of internships, one-credit workshops, and courses taken at Brown University. RISD Internships taken for credit and one-credit workshops are the only RISD courses graded using a pass/fail system (P/F). The grading system for one-credit courses may be designated as a letter grade or pass/fail at the discretion of the department when the course is first established.

A permanent grade of “W” is assigned when the student withdraws from a course during the Course Withdrawal Period (see the Academic Calendar for the Withdrawal deadline).

RISD does not compute and does not report a student’s rank in class.

Once an instructor submits their grades in Workday the grades are recorded on the student's permanent record and may be changed only via a request to change a grade initiated by the instructor in Workday. A student who is not satisfied with his or her grade may appeal it by following the grade appeal procedure.

Mid-Semester Warning

During the Fall and Spring semesters, students whose academic performance in a particular class is unsatisfactory may receive a mid-semester warning of potential failure. Any student receiving such a warning is strongly urged to work on improving their performance and discuss their situation with their instructor and their academic advisor. Mid-semester warnings are not included on the official transcript.

Semester Honors (Fall/Spring)

Undergraduate students who achieve a semester grade-point average of at least 3.750 with a minimum of 12 credits included in the GPA calculation earn semester honors at the end of the semester (applies to Fall and Spring semesters only). Semester honors are recognized by a letter from the Academic Standing Committee and appear on the official transcript.

Semester honors are based on grades recorded with the Registrar’s Office at the end of each semester. In the calculation of semester honors, students with one or more incomplete grades for the semester will not be eligible. Courses taken at Brown University through cross-registration must be taken with the A, B, C letter grade system in order for these credits to apply toward the 12-credit minimum required for consideration for semester honors. Semester honors will not be awarded to a student retroactively whose GPA rises to 3.750 or higher after the Registrar's Office's initial end-of-semester review (due to a grade change or completion of additional work).

Graduation Honors

Graduation honors are awarded to undergraduate students who have completed all degree requirements by their official conferral date (Fall, Spring, or Summer) and have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.750 or higher. Graduation honors are recognized on the diploma and appear on the official transcript. Graduation honors will not be awarded to a student whose GPA rises to 3.750 or higher after their official conferral date (due to a grade change or completion of additional work).

Advanced Standing

Grades from transferred courses are not recorded on a student’s RISD transcript nor are they included in the calculation of the RISD GPA. Residency requirements for the degree are not reduced on the basis of transferred credit.

In limited circumstances in some departments, undergraduate students may be advanced from one course level to another based on a portfolio review, and the student will be waived from the lower-level course.

The portfolio review usually occurs at the end of the first semester of study at RISD and is done by the student’s Department Head at the student’s request. Granting of advanced standing does not mean that course credit is granted, and the student must make up the credit from the missing lower-level course by taking an additional elective or transferring in credit. Students should check with their department to learn whether a portfolio review is offered. Advanced standing that is unaccompanied by additional credit transfer may not reduce the number of semesters needed to complete degree requirements. Departments will notify the Registrar’s Office of any approved Advanced Standing students. Course substitutions and waivers will be processed in Workday.

Grade Changes

If a grade change is requested by an instructor, the following policy applies:

1. The acceptable reasons for a grade change on a student’s record include:

   • Clerical error (the grade as reported was not the grade that the student had earned and which the instructor intended to give).

   • Incomplete or misleading information (the grade as reported was based on information that later proved to be misleading or incomplete).

2. In the event that a grade change is requested by an instructor, an instructor may initiate a grade change request in Workday from the class grading roster. When an incomplete grade is replaced by a regular final letter grade the instructor’s approval alone is sufficient. When a regular final letter grade is replaced by another, the approval of the instructor’s Department Head is required and will be requested via Workday.

No regular letter grade may be changed more than 60 days after the last day of the semester for which it was awarded without the approval of the instructor, Department Head, and the Dean of the Division within which the course was offered.

Grade Appeals

A student who wishes to challenge a course grade should follow the procedure described here.

Note: If the appeal advances to Step 2 in the process, the student must initiate Step 2 within four (4) weeks of the start of the semester immediately following the semester in which the course was taken, so students should plan accordingly in advance of the deadline.

1. Discuss the matter first with the course instructor, doing so as soon as possible after receiving the grade. (In most cases, the discussion between the student and the instructor should suffice and the matter should not need to be carried further.)

2. Students initiating Step 2:

   • A Fall or Wintersession appeal must be initiated within four weeks of the start of the Spring semester.

   • A Spring or Summer appeal must be initiated within four weeks of the start of the Fall semester.

   If, after discussion with the instructor, or, if the student seriously tried but was unable to establish contact with the instructor, and the student’s concerns remain unresolved, the student should see the instructor’s Department Head, who, if they believe the challenge may have merit, is expected to discuss it with the instructor. In a case where the instructor happens to be the Department Head or Division Dean, the student should see the Division Dean or Vice Provost, respectively.

3. If the matter still remains unresolved, the student may wish to appeal to the Academic Standing Committee (ASC). Students initiating Step 3 must reach out to the Academic Standing Committee within two (2) weeks upon receipt of the Department Head's response (or Division Dean or Vice Provost, response respectively). The student should submit a letter of appeal to the ASC via ascchair@risd.edu.

In a 1-2 page typed letter to the Academic Standing Committee, include the following:

• Your full name, your RISD ID

• The name of the course in question including the semester, course number, and title

• Indicate the date that you went through steps 1 and 2 in the grade appeal process

  • The date you had a conversation with your instructor regarding the grade change

  • The date you met with your department head/divisional dean regarding the grade change

• Present all relevant facts as to why you feel a grade change is warranted (what were the issues that are problematic, specific examples, reasons, conversation(s) you had with the instructor, etc.)

• Attach your syllabus

• Attach any additional relevant materials in support of your request (do not include any images of work or portfolios). The Academic Standing Committee’s role when reviewing a grade appeal is to determine whether or not the challenge may have merit. The ASC is not reviewing the quality of your work. If they determine your challenge may have merit, they will appoint an ad-hoc committee to connect with you to review your specific work (so make sure you keep the work you did in the class just in case).

The ASC will verify that the student has already moved through Step 1 and Step 2 in the appeal process. Upon ASC consideration, if the committee believes that the challenge may have merit, it will ask the instructor’s immediate administrative superior to appoint a three (3) person ad-hoc faculty committee composed of faculty members in the instructor’s department or in closely allied fields. If the ASC determines that the appeal does not have merit, the ASC will notify the student, concluding the grade appeal process.

4. If the ad-hoc committee determines that the grade should not be changed, it will so inform the ASC, as well as the person who appointed the committee. The ASC will notify the student of the decision, concluding the grade appeal process.

5. If the ad-hoc committee determines that the grade should be changed, it will request that the instructor make the change, providing the instructor with a written explanation of its reasons. Should the instructor decline, he or she must provide a written explanation for refusing.

6. If, after considering the instructor’s explanation, the ad hoc committee concludes that it would be unjust to allow the original grade to stand, the committee will then recommend to the instructor’s immediate administrative superior that the grade be changed. That individual will provide the instructor with a copy of the recommendation and will ask the instructor to implement it within ten days. If the instructor continues to decline, that administrative superior will then change the grade, notifying the instructor and the student of this action.

Alternative to the Grade Appeal Procedure – Grade Reevaluation

Once the grade appeal deadline has passed, a student may still request a reevaluation of a final grade with their instructor; however, in order for a grade change to be considered, the instructor must support the change of grade, for the student no longer has recourse to the grade appeal procedure described above in steps 2 - 6. The deadline for a student to request a re-evaluation of a final grade with their instructor is six months after the final day of the semester in which the grade was given.

Grade of Incomplete

A grade of incomplete (“I”) is assigned to signify a temporary deferment of a regular final letter grade. It is used sparingly in compelling situations when a student is not able to complete work in the course by the end of the semester due to extenuating circumstances beyond the ability of the student to predict and control. Assignment of an incomplete grade presumes both that the student will be able to complete the coursework in the time frame established below and that the instructor will be able to review the completed work in that time frame.

Incompletes must be completed within these deadlines, or earlier if so established by the course instructor, or the grade will automatically revert to an “IF.” If an extension to the deadline is requested, the student should file the ‘Exception to Academic Policy’ form procuring the recommendation of the instructor and the instructor’s Department Head.

• February 1 - Deadline for completion of work in order to replace incomplete grades awarded in the previous Fall semester

• March 15 - Deadline for completion of work in order to replace incomplete grades awarded in the previous Wintersession

• October 15 - Deadline for completion of work in order to replace incomplete grades awarded in the previous Spring semester or Summer. Make-up work received from a student in the summer must be evaluated by the faculty within (10) days after the Fall semester begins.

It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor to complete the coursework by the established deadline. The replacement grade must be submitted by the instructor via Workday within ten (10) days from the applicable deadline for student completion of work established above.

Incomplete grades are averaged into a student’s semester GPA with a grade point value of 0.00. Incompletes can affect a student’s academic standing. If the student’s GPA falls below the required minimum as a result, or the student does not successfully complete 12-semester credits (as the ‘I’ is factored in as an ‘F”), that student will be put on academic probation (or dismissed) as appropriate. However, when reviewing a student’s record the Academic Standing Committee will take note that this incomplete grade status may be temporary.

Student Submittal of Faculty Evaluations

Evaluations of course instructors by students are done at the end of each semester. These evaluations are kept on file in the Office of Academic Affairs. The course instructor is provided access to the evaluations, but only after all semester grades have been submitted and recorded. Student evaluations of instructors are important feedback mechanisms for the course itself as well as for instructor evaluations by department heads. Students must be officially enrolled in the class by the end of add/drop to be eligible to complete an evaluation.