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2023-2024 Catalog

Grading

Definitions

The following letter grades are used on semester grade reports and transcripts:

A— Student demonstrates achievement of learning objectives at a level of outstanding mastery.
B— Student demonstrates achievement of learning objectives at a level beyond mere minimum competency.
C— Student demonstrates achievement of learning objectives at a level of minimum competency.
D— Student demonstrates achievement of learning objectives at a level below minimum competency but sufficient to receive credit.
F— Student demonstrates insufficient achievement of learning objectives to receive credit.

The following letter grades are used to identify courses accepted as transfer credit:

TA— Transfer grade of A
TB— Transfer grade of B
TC— Transfer grade of C
TD— Transfer grade of D
U— Audit: Students may elect to audit a course (no credit, no grade points, not figured in grade point average). Audit status indicates that the student will attend the classes but will not receive credit. A student must declare audit status before the end of the refund period. Pending approval, an additional fee will be charged to offset the loss in state reimbursement.
I— Incomplete: If the student doesn’t complete the course work within the prescribed semester restrictions, a grade will automatically default to an “F.” The incomplete grade contract is an agreement between the student and the instructor, and states specifically what the student must do to complete the course work. The course work must be completed by the end of the semester following the term in which the course was taken (not including summer semester) and must be in agreement with the terms of the incomplete grade contract. Upon completion of the course work, the instructor will change the “I” grade to the appropriate letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F) by obtaining a Change of Grade Form from the subdivision office. If the student does not complete the course work within this prescribed semester restriction, a grade of “F” will be entered for the course. See the "Guidelines for Issuance of an Incomplete Grade" below.
W— Official withdrawal: Once a student has withdrawn from a course, he/she will no longer be allowed to attend class. All withdrawals are final. Once a student has withdrawn, a grade of “W” will appear on the official transcript. This grade does not affect the student’s GPA. A student who does not officially withdraw may receive a grade of “F.” This grade will become a part of the student’s permanent record. The student remains responsible for all tuition and fees related to the course. See the "Guidelines for Withdrawal" and "Administrative Withdrawal Policy" below.
P— Pass (vocational skill classes only): For specified courses (i.e., APL), credit is recorded only by a “P” (pass) or “F” (fail). The “P” grade signifies that the student completed the requirements of the course with a grade of “C” or better. Credit from courses in which a “P” is granted counts toward the completion of the student’s program of study but is not figured in the grade point average.
R— Repeating a class: Students may attempt a college-level course twice (including withdrawals) and a developmental course three times (including withdrawals). In accordance with this policy, a student may be denied enrollment in a class based on lack of academic progress and/or proof of an ability to benefit from the course. Some courses are approved to be taken more than two times (e.g., designated music and physical education courses). The repeat policy will go into effect when the allowable number of repeats for these courses has been exceeded. Those seeking an exception beyond the maximum repeat attempts to must contact the Counseling & Career Development Center. The most recent grade (the repeated grade) received will be computed into the cumulative grade point average. The repeated grade will be designated by an “R.” All previous attempts will remain on the transcript, but will not be included in the cumulative grade point average.
For financial aid purposes, courses that are repeated will not be counted in enrolled hours if the student previously received a grade of “D” or better in the course. Exception: A repeat will count once if a grade of “C” or better is required for the student to take the next course sequence. For example, if the student took MTH-095 and received a “D,” the student would be able to repeat the course and have the hours counted in the enrolled hours since a grade of “C” or better is needed to enroll in MTH-098. However, if the student does not receive a “C” or better in his or her second attempt, the course will not be covered by financial aid the third time.
FF— Forgiveness Policy Applied

Guidelines for the Issuance of an Incomplete Grade

  • Students may request an “I” grade only when unusual and serious circumstances arise during the final weeks of the semester that in some way prohibit the completion of course requirements for a course that the student has been successfully pursuing. These circumstances may involve a severe personal or family crisis, grave personal illness, or extraordinary job responsibilities. The instructor may, and should, request written documentation.
  • Students may not request an “I” grade if they have failed to attend the course on a regular basis and/or have failed to pursue the course work during the semester in a timely fashion.
  • Students, who have been consistently failing throughout the semester, may not request an “I” grade in order to avoid a low or failing grade on the student’s transcript.
  • Students will not be issued an “I” grade by the course instructor for the sole purpose of allowing a student to repeat the course.

Guidelines for Withdrawal 

Students who wish to withdraw from a class after the tuition refund period must withdraw by the appropriate deadline date. Courses of different lengths have different withdrawal dates.  A student who does not withdraw officially from a class prior to the last date for withdrawals is subject to an F grade.

Students may withdraw from courses by processing a withdrawal form during regular office hours through the Registration Office, Building S, Room S103, or by phone at (708) 974-2110, or by accessing their academic record through the student portal, MVConnect.morainevalley.edu. It is recommended that students keep all records of the withdrawal provided by the registration department. 

Students who have holds on their record are not permitted to withdraw from courses online. The student must either call (708) 974-2110 or visit the Registration Office (Room S103) during business hours to withdraw from a course. The deadline dates will apply regardless of any holds the student may have that prevent them from withdrawing online. Students with no holds may officially withdraw online through MVConnect on morainevalley.edu.

During fall and spring semesters, a uniform withdrawal date is in place for 16 and 17 week courses regardless of course start date. For courses of any other length, and for all courses during summer semester, course withdrawal dates are based on start date and length of class.

The tables below summarize course withdrawal dates by semester.

Fall 2023

Length of Class  Withdrawal Date
 17-weeks  November 20, 2023
 16-weeks  November 20, 2023

Spring 2024
Length of Class  Withdrawal Date
 17-weeks  April 15, 2024
 16-weeks  April 15, 2024

Fall/Spring Guidelines for all other length courses:
Length of Class Number of Days to Withdraw 
(Includes the Start Date)
15 weeks 77 days
13-14 weeks 70 days
12 weeks 63 days
11 weeks 56 days
9-10 weeks 49 days
8 weeks  42 days
6-7 weeks 35 days
5 weeks 28 days
4 weeks 21 days
3 weeks 14 days
2 weeks 7 days
1 week First day of class
 
Summer
Length of Class  Number of Days to Withdraw
(Includes the Start Date)
 11 weeks  63 days
 10 weeks  56 days
 9 weeks  49 days
 8 weeks  42 days
 6-7 weeks  35 days
 5 weeks  28 days
 4 weeks  21 days
 3 weeks  14 days
 2 weeks  7 days
 1 week  First day of class


Administrative Withdrawals and Financial Hardship Policy

Moraine Valley Community College reserves the right to administratively withdraw a student from courses after the withdrawal deadline. Administrative Withdrawals may be initiated by a student or an appropriate college official for, but not limited to, the following circumstances: physical or financial hardship, call to active military duty, Academic/Non-Academic Complaint determination, campus safety and security, and compliance with state or federal laws.

Requests for an administrative withdrawal due to a physical or financial hardship must be supported by documentation that demonstrates the severity or duration of the program prevented the student from continuing classes and/or made it unreasonable to expect the student to be able to make up the missed work. Physical or financial hardship includes:

  • Serious injury or illness
  • Chronic illness
  • Mental health condition
  • Medical issue of an immediate family member in which the student has to become a part-time or full-time caretaker of that family member
  • Death of an immediate family member
  • Sudden or consistent lack of transportation
  • Significant cost of living increase; and
  • Other extenuating circumstances that prevented the student from continuing enrollment

Requests for an Administrative Withdrawal must be submitted within 60 calendar days after the end of the semester in which the withdrawal is requested and an extenuating situation occurred. Students must initiate an Administrative Withdrawal request through the Counseling & Career Development Center by sending an email to counseling@morainevalley.edu or calling (708) 974-5722 for an appointment time. A Counselor will provide more detail, collect documents, and assist the student with the process. Students who need assistance re-enrolling after an Administrative Withdrawal may contact the Counseling & Career Development Center for support.

The college will work to limit debt owed by students who are approved for an Administrative Withdrawal. Students who utilize any form of financial aid should consult with their Financial Aid Expeditor before requesting an Administrative Withdrawal due to Return to Title IV calculations that may result in a balance per Federal Student Aid rules. Note: Requests for an Administrative Withdrawal are separate from the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress appeal process.              

Institutional Drop Policy

Moraine Valley Community College has the right to institutionally drop students for non-attendance. Students who are reported at the Financial Aid Census/Attendance date by their instructors as non- attending will be institutionally dropped from those courses. The course that is Institutionally Dropped will not be reflected on the student’s final transcript, and charges for the course will be reversed. Students who are receiving financial aid may have their aid impacted by courses being institutionally dropped. Institutional Drop policy was instituted fall 2022 will not retroactively considered.

Additional Grade Information

Students must be registered for a course prior to the end of late registration to receive a final grade. After the midterm date of each class, no additions will be made to the class roster.

Information about appealing a final grade in a course may be obtained in the office of the subdivision dean.

All grade reports will be processed after the last official day of the term. Final grade reports will be posted on MVConnect student portal.

A student must refute any grade report or educational record by the end of the semester following the semester in which the course was taken (not including summer term). If a student does not exercise this right within this time frame, the college has a right to refuse to review the student’s claim.

Variable Credit — Some courses are offered for varying amounts of credit (i.e., one credit hour, two credit hours, three credit hours, etc.). Students who enroll in courses offered with variable credit must indicate at the time of registration the amount of credit for which they are enrolling. The initial registration commitment can be changed during the designated late registration period but cannot be changed after that time.

Transcripts — A transcript is a complete record of all courses taken and grades received at Moraine Valley. Letter grades earned in developmental and remedial courses will appear on the transcript, but the grades earned in these courses will not be calculated in the GPA that appears on the transcript.Moraine Valley offers online transcript ordering available to students 24/7 using technology provided by Parchment. Parchment is one of education’s most trusted intermediaries for electronic records. Students are able to request and track their transcripts online via Parchment.Moraine Valley will process the student's official transcript to any college, university, agency, or person named. There is a processing fee for on-line and in-person fee transcript services. Due to Student Debt Assistance Act (public act 102-0998), If you have a current balance, you may still request an unofficial transcript. An electronic copy will be sent directly to you.  If you have a current balance, you may still request an official transcript be released directly to an employer. There is an online processing fee per transcript.

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