A. Grading System
The following grades are used at Middlebury College:
1. A, B, C, D, F (+ is used only with B and C; - is used only with A, B and C): fall, winter, and spring terms.
Numerical equivalents of grades:
A = 4.00
A- = 3.67
B+ = 3.33
B = 3.00
B- = 2.67
C+ = 2.33
C = 2.00
C- = 1.67
D = 1.00
F = 0
2. Credit, no credit: winter term internships, student-led courses, and 555 courses
3. S (satisfactory), U (unsatisfactory): for work in progress in a multiple-term course
4. Inc. (incomplete)
5. Honors, pass, fail: winter term independent projects and some designated winter term courses
B. Probation and Failure
All undergraduate students have the same probation and failure rules. These rules also apply to Middlebury undergraduates who enroll in Middlebury Schools Abroad and summer Language Schools. The Administration Committee will exercise considerable leniency in responding to first-year, first-term students and therefore will give strong consideration to readmitting a student who has received academic failure unless the student has demonstrated flagrant neglect of his/her school work.
Probation (please also refer to the section on Academic Student Status; C. Probation):
2 Ds
1 D and 1 F
D or F in winter term
1 D or 1 F for students completing only three courses in term
Failure (please also refer to the section on Academic Student Status; G. Academic Failure) :
3 Ds
2 Fs
1 F and 2 Ds
2 Ds or 1 F while on probation
D or F in winter term while on probation
Three times on probation
1 F and 1 D, or 2 Ds for students completing only three courses
A second successive term on probation
Failure while on Probation:
2 Ds
1 F
D or F in winter term
Three times on probation
A second successive term on probation
C. Grade Reports
Final grades are reported to the Registrar's Office on official grade rosters at the end of each semester or term. All grade rosters must be signed by the instructor and delivered to the Registrar's Office by the time specified by the registrar. A faculty member who fails to meet this deadline is reported within 24 hours to the department chair. If there is no response within another 24 hours, the dean of the faculty or designee is notified. Instructors should not report final course grades to students.
Failure and D reports must be submitted by instructors to the registrar. These reports are used by the Administration Committee for determining eligibility for readmission and by Commons deans for advising.
Students are responsible for keeping parents correctly and currently informed of their standing and progress in college. Students can view their own grades online and are encouraged to print and distribute them as they wish. For students who sign an authorization form each semester, fall grades and spring grades are mailed to parents. Notices of second course warnings, academic probation, academic failure, withdrawals, written reprimands, disciplinary probation, suspension, and expulsion are sent to parents as a matter of course.
D. Repeated Courses
A student who fails a course and takes it a second time will have both grades calculated into the grade point average. If a student passes a course and then repeats it (after receiving permission of the Administration Committee), only the first grade is calculated into the grade point average, and the course is only counted once for credit, although both grades appear on the transcript
E. Multiple-Semester or Term Course Grades
When a course would have relatively little value unless followed by a second semester or term course intended to complement it, a department may designate first-semester courses for which no credit will be received without completion of a second semester of the course sequence. A department may designate second semester courses in which the final examination will cover the work of the entire year. Students must register each semester or term for the continuing credit. The first semester of such courses is graded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
F. "Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory" Grades
These grades may be submitted only for multiple-semester or term projects carrying more than one course credit (500-honors projects for seniors, 700-level senior work). At the conclusion of the project, the student receives alphabetical grades for all course units.
G. Incomplete Grades
Incompletes are issued only for illness or compelling circumstances. An incomplete is granted by the Commons dean in consultation with the faculty member involved. The incomplete request form must be signed by the faculty member, student, and dean. The dean, in consultation with the faculty member, will specify a date no later than the last day of classes of the succeeding fall or spring semester by which the work of the course must be completed. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all work is completed by the established deadline. If the course is not completed by the deadline, the grade will be computed based on the work that has been completed and will be recorded by the registrar within four weeks of the deadline, unless an exception is allowed by the Administration Committee. In cases where an incomplete cannot be resolved, the Registrar's Office may resolve the grade as an F. A letter will be sent from the registrar to the student notifying him or her that a grade has been recorded for that course.
H. Change in Grades
Any request for a grade change must be submitted on a change of grade form to the Administration Committee by the instructor of the course with the endorsement of the department chair. Changes will be made only in case of clerical error or for the reason of fairness to a student. No change in a final grade on the transcript is effective until it is approved by the faculty.
Students wishing to protest a grade may do so by speaking first to the instructor of the course, and then to the department chair. If the student is still not satisfied, the student may appeal in writing to the dean of the faculty. The dean of the faculty or designate will consult with the instructor of the course and the department chair and will make a final decision on the matter. If the dean recommends a change in the student's grade, that recommendation will be submitted to the Administration Committee, which will include it on the recommendations for grade changes submitted to the faculty. No change in a final grade on the transcript is effective until it is approved by the entire faculty.
I. College Honors
1. College Scholar: semester grade point average of 3.60 or higher for students taking four or more courses, with no grade below B-.
2. Dean's List: semester grade point average of 3.30 or higher for students taking four or more courses, with no grade below B-.
3. Graduation honors (on the basis of cumulative grades from the Middlebury undergraduate, summer, and overseas schools, all other approved programs abroad, and approved programs of domestic off-campus study):
a. Cum laude: graduation average of 3.40 or higher
b. Magna cum laude: graduation average of 3.60 or higher
c. Summa cum laude: graduation average of 3.80 or higher
Standards for graduation honors are the same for all students eligible for a degree, regardless of the number of courses taken at Middlebury.
Except for valedictory and salutatory honors, no class rank is computed for official College purposes. Transfer students are not eligible for valedictory or salutatory honors.
Students who have been found guilty of academic dishonesty by the Academic Judicial Board, or by the former Judicial Review Board or Student Judicial Council, are ineligible for graduation honors.
J. Departmental Honors
Awarding of departmental honors (Honors, High Honors, Highest Honors) is a departmental decision, but the following minimum requirements must be met:
1. A student must have at least a B average (3.00) in courses taken in his or her department or program (excluding 500, 600, 700, or equivalent independent study course work, if given).
2. There must be significant independent research (500 project) or an honors thesis (700 course) in a student's program and the grade must be a B or higher.
3. A program must fall within the maximum permissible number of courses that students may take in their major departments. The program may be part of the senior work program or independent of it.
4. An exceptionally strong project qualifies the student for honors.
5. In order to be considered for honors, independent scholars normally must meet two criteria: a minimum average of B+ in courses taken towards the major and a minimum grade of B+ on the senior work component. The registrar oversees the first requirement and will inform the adviser of the student's eligibility. The senior work component must be evaluated by a committee of three faculty members (one of whom, at the adviser's request, may be a faculty member on the Curriculum Committee). Minimum thesis grades for each level of honors are B+ (Honors), A- (High Honors), and A (Highest Honors), but the determination of the appropriate level will be made by the committee.
6. Students who have been found guilty of academic dishonesty by the Academic Judicial Board, or by the former Judicial Review Board or Student Judicial Council, are ineligible for departmental honors.
K. Transcripts
Currently matriculated students have secure, ongoing access to their academic records online in BannerWeb. They may also request an official academic transcript from the Registrar's Office. The transcript contains information on courses taken, grades received, majors and minors, degrees earned and honors awarded. The transcript also includes a student's semester and cumulative grade point average, calculated according to the formula specified in section A. above. The grades used in calculating the grade point average are those earned in the Middlebury undergraduate, summer, and overseas schools, all other approved programs abroad, and approved programs of domestic off-campus study.
The transcript and information in the student file may be released to persons or organizations outside of the College only with specific written authorization from the student or as permitted by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), as noted below.
A fee of $5 is charged for each official transcript requested. A request form is available at http://go.middlebury.edu/transcript.
Students and alumni continue to have access to their own academic records on BannerWeb. No transcript will be issued to students who are financially indebted to the College until satisfactory arrangements have been made at the Controller's Office.
L. Student Records
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) establishes guidelines under which students may have access to records maintained by Middlebury College and under which those records may be disclosed by the College to others.
1. Definitions
a. "Students." "Students" are defined as those individuals who have applied for admission to Middlebury College, were admitted, and are or have been enrolled in classes for credit at the College. FERPA does not apply to records of applicants for admission to the College who are denied acceptance or, if accepted, do not enroll in classes for credit. In addition, rights are not given by FERPA to students enrolled in one component of Middlebury College who seek to be admitted in another component (e.g., a student who is enrolled in the undergraduate College, but is denied admission to one of the graduate programs, does not have any FERPA rights in the graduate program which denied him or her admission).
b. "Education Records." "Education records" are those records that are directly related to a student and that are maintained by Middlebury College or by an official who serves the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position.
FERPA indicates that "education records" do not include:
i. Records of instructional, supervisory, administrative, and educational personnel which are in the sole possession of the maker, e.g., a faculty member's grade book, or a dean's advising notes. Sharing information with another person or placing information where it can be viewed by others may make it an "education record" and subject to FERPA.
ii. Records relating to individuals who are employed by Middlebury College which are made and maintained in the normal course of business and relate exclusively to individuals in their capacity as employees, and are not available for any other purpose.
iii. Records relating to a student which are (1) created or maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professional acting in his or her professional capacity or assisting in a paraprofessional capacity; (2) used solely in connection with the provision of treatment to the student; and (3) not disclosed to anyone other than individuals providing such treatment (or to a physician or other appropriate professional of the student's choice).
iv. Records that contain only information relating to a person after that person is no longer a student at Middlebury College (e.g., information gathered on the accomplishments of alumni).
v. Records created and maintained by the Middlebury College Department of Public Safety for law enforcement purposes.
c. " Directory Information." Middlebury College determines the following to be student "directory information" which may be available to the public if the student has not restricted its release:
Name
Home address (while enrolled at Middlebury College)
College address
Campus telephone number
E-mail address
Dates of attendance and graduation
Class standing, e.g., first-year student, sophomore, junior, or senior
Major field(s) of study
Degrees received
Honors and awards received
"Directory information" for purposes of FERPA is not the same as the information that is available in the on-line College directory, where students may choose their own options for how others may access their data both on campus and off campus, when searching the online directory.
2. General Principles
a. Confidentiality. FERPA provides that education records and personally identifiable information about a student may not be disclosed without the student's written consent unless disclosure is permitted by certain exceptions under FERPA.
The student's written, signed consent must:
-- Specify the records to be released;
-- Identify the party or class of parties to whom the records should be released;
-- Indicate the reason for the release.
b. Access. FERPA provides that students are permitted to inspect their own education records. A student has the right to:
-- Inspect and review his or her education records;
-- Request an amendment to an education record if the student believes there is an inaccuracy;
-- Restrict the release of his or her "Directory Information" from public access;
-- File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if he or she feels the College has failed to follow FERPA guidelines.
c. Administering Office. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for the administration of FERPA guidelines at Middlebury College. Students and others who have questions regarding the treatment of specific information in a specific circumstance should contact a professional staff member in the Registrar's Office.
3. Confidentiality
FERPA generally prohibits the release of confidential personally identifiable student data from education records, with limited exceptions that include "Directory Information" (see below), without the student's written, signed consent.
Personally identifiable student data, other than "directory information" for students who have not restricted its release, are confidential. Examples of confidential information include, but are not limited to, social security number, date of birth, ethnicity, gender, country of citizenship, class schedules (including meeting times and locations), grades, grade point averages, and parents' or guardians' names and addresses.
FERPA provides certain exceptions for the release of personally identifiable education record information without the student's written consent. These exceptions include:
Directory Information. Directory information, as defined in section 1.c. above, may be made available to the public if the student has not restricted its release.
The College will honor requests to withhold directory information but cannot assume responsibility to contact students for subsequent permission to release this information.
Students should consider very carefully the consequences of any decision to withhold directory information. When a student instructs the College not to release directory information, any future requests for such information from persons or organizations outside Middlebury College will be refused, unless an exception applies, or unless the student subsequently files a written request that the information be released. Middlebury College assumes no liability for honoring instructions that such information be withheld.
Requests for non-disclosure must be submitted in writing to the Office of the Registrar. Forms for making such requests may be obtained from the registrar's office.
Legitimate Educational Interest. Personally identifiable education record information may be disclosed without the student's written consent to a College official with a legitimate educational interest in the record. A College official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including public safety and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
Other Exceptions. Education record information may be disclosed without the student's written consent in the following instances:
a) To the student.
b) If it is "Directory Information" and the student has not restricted its release.
c) If properly subpoenaed pursuant to a judicial, legislative, or administrative proceeding, in which case Middlebury College will make a reasonable attempt to notify the student of the subpoena, in cases where FERPA applies, prior to the release of the information, unless the subpoena specifically directs that the student is not to be notified.
d) In connection with the student's application or receipt of financial aid as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms or conditions of the aid.
e) In connection with audits or evaluation of federal or state supported educational programs requiring disclosure of information.
f) To effect collection of past due financial obligations to the College.
g) To authorized representatives of the Comptroller General of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, the Secretary of the Department of Education, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services bureau of the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to international students), or state or local educational authorities.
h) To the Veterans Administration to determine compliance with educational assistance.
i) In connection with a health or safety emergency as determined by the College
j) To parents of financially-dependent students.
4. Access
A student has the right to inspect and review his or her education records within 45 days of submitting a request to the College for such access.
Students wishing to review their records should submit to the Commons dean a written notice to that effect. The Commons dean will notify the student of a convenient time for the review.
FERPA does not provide the student with the right to access certain records, including:
-- "Sole possession records" as defined in section 1.b.i. above.
-- Parents' financial records used for financial aid purposes.
-- Confidential letters and statements of recommendation placed in the student's education record prior to January 1, 1975, or confidential recommendations to which the student has given prior written waiver of access and which are used for job placement, admission, or award purposes.
-- Admissions-supporting documentation such as letters of recommendation, readers' notes, and interview reports.
-- Records related to student employees of Middlebury College in their capacity as employees.
5. Amendment of Records
A student may request amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's privacy rights.
A request for amendment of a student's education record should be submitted in writing by the student. The request should state what record the student believes is inaccurate or identify the part of a record the student wants changed, and should state why the student believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's privacy rights. If the College decides not to amend a record as requested, the College will notify the student of its decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the issue. Additional information regarding a hearing procedure will be provided to the student when notified of such decisions.
FERPA was not intended to provide a process to be used by students to question substantive judgments that are correctly recorded. The FERPA rights of challenge are not intended to allow a student to contest, for example, a grade in a course because he or she felt a higher grade should have been assigned. FERPA is intended to ensure the factual and accurate nature of the information in the student's education records and the student's right to verify that information.
If Middlebury College decides, as a result of a hearing, not to amend the education record in accordance with the student's request, the student may place a written statement in the record commenting upon the information therein, and/or setting forth any reason for disagreement with the institutional decision not to amend the record. Such a statement will become part of the student's education record and will be disclosed with it.
6. Complaints
A student has the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.
M. Registrar and Transcripts
Registrar's Office
E-mail: registrar@middlebury.edu
Website: http://go.middlebury.edu/registrar
Phone: (802) 443-5770
Fax: 443-2030
Currently enrolled students should contact this office if they have questions about their academic transcripts or procedures regarding registration, dropping/adding courses, or transfer of credit. Transcripts must be requested in writing and payment must accompany the request. Forms for requesting transcripts are available online at: http://go.middlebury.edu/transcript
Transcript requests are accepted by mail, and in person Monday through Friday in Forest Hall during regular office hours. Please plan on two days for processing requests, and longer during end of term grading periods.
N. Tutoring and Academic Support
Among Middlebury College's strengths are the accessibility of faculty and their willingness to help students. All faculty members maintain regular office hours, which are posted on office doors or within department offices.
Whenever students experience difficulty in a course, they are encouraged to first seek help from the respective faculty member. When students need additional support, several supplementary programs help them reach their academic goals. As a supplementary resource, the Office of Learning Resources staff is available to help students with their academic concerns. The Office of Learning Resources is located within the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research on the main floor of the College Library.
In addition to the help that course instructors and departments provide, free peer tutoring is available on a limited basis. Peer tutors are on call in many subject areas at Learning Resources. In addition to individually matched tutoring, there are also drop-in sessions and group-study sessions in several subject areas. The availability of group sessions increases just prior to examination periods. For additional information, call extension 3131 or visit the OLR Web page: http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/tools/olr/
Supplementary programs are available to support students as they develop academically. The Office of Learning Resources invites and encourages students to visit and to ask for assistance with time management, goal setting, general academic planning, and using all the resources Middlebury has to offer. There is help available at all stages of a student's academic development. Periodic announcements of study skills seminars will appear in the Middlebury Weekly Calendar, in mailings, and on the OLR Web page.
The ability to write clearly and effectively is central to a liberal arts education. As part of a program to encourage students' growth as writers during their four years at Middlebury, the College offers free staff and peer tutoring to student writers at any stage of any writing project, from organizing the work schedule, to brainstorming ideas, to talking through a draft, to revising and polishing rough drafts. This tutoring is available at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research on the main floor of the College Library.
Staff tutors in writing are available by appointment during daytime hours, weekdays, and weekends. Peer tutors, experienced students who can also work on any phase of a writing assignment, are available Sunday through Thursday 8 p.m.-11 p.m., or by appointment.
Peer tutors are available on a limited basis to lead study groups in a variety of subject areas to supplement the work done individually by faculty with students.
The College offers staff and peer tutoring assistance to students at any stage in any writing project from organizing the work schedule, to brainstorming ideas, to talking through a draft, to revising and polishing rough drafts. For more information visit the Writing Program's Web page at http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/writing/.