Grades and Grading
University Policy
College of Communication Policy
Final grades, grade changes, transfer units, or any other academic material necessary for a student’s graduation in May must be received by COM within five (5) days of official University Commencement in order to be included within the final audit of a student’s record. These dates are different each year for January, May, and August graduations, so please consult your graduation advisor for more information.
Students cannot retake coursework for units. Courses taken more than once can only count once toward graduation, though grades for any courses that are retaken are still calculated into the student’s GPA. The grade received for a repeated course cannot replace the original grade. Missing Grades (MG), Incompletes (I), Withdrawals (W), Pass (P), and designated Pass (P*) grades do not count toward a GPA.
Questions about a grade should be addressed first to the instructor of the course. If this does not solve the issue, further grievances can be addressed through the Grade Grievance Policy offered through COM Undergraduate Affairs (undergraduate students) or Graduate Affairs (graduate students).
Boston University has a policy regarding taking courses Pass/Fail. Undergraduate students can take up to two courses to be graded Pass/Fail rather than with a normal letter-grade. Only one course can be declared Pass/Fail per term. Any course taken Pass/Fail cannot fulfill college, department, major, or minor requirements. If a student receives a passing grade in a course declared as Pass/Fail, that student will receive a grade of “P*”, which will allow the course units to count toward an elective in the degree program, though the grade will not affect a student’s GPA. Students who fail a course that has been declared as “Pass/Fail” will receive a grade of “F*”, which will not carry units toward a degree, and the grade will impact the GPA the same as a normal “F” grade. Further information can be found on the University’s Pass/Fail Policy page. This policy does not apply to graduate students in the College of Communication.
Grade changes are handled directly by the instructor by consulting with the COM Registrar. COM Undergraduate Affairs, COM Graduate Affairs, the offering department, or the Senior Associate Dean may also be involved. Grade changes are approved only when there has been instructor miscalculation, an administrative error, or to update an Incomplete. Incomplete grades should also be accompanied by an Incomplete Contract signed by both the instructor and the student. Terms of these contracts can be renegotiated by both parties with help from the COM Registrar and should include the grade that would be received if the terms of the contract are not met.
